The ministry to the Blind and Visually Impaired officially began in 1899, with American Austin Orlando Wilson who was legally blind and personally published an Adventist Magazine in Braille, which he called the Christian Record. This great initiative led to the establishment of the Christian Record Braille Foundation (CRBF). Because of this initiative, Sabbath School Quarterlies were made available in Braille for the Blind and Visually Impaired members to equally participate in the weekly lesson studies.
In the 1970s, Sabbath School Director Max G. Townend in the Australian Division (now South Pacific Division) had a list of some 70 persons who were receiving Braille Sabbath School Lessons Quarterly based on reports published on https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/ by Lee Dunstan on January 29, 2020, entitled Christian Services for the Blind and Hearing Impaired.
The rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) are well protected under the law. In Jamaica, The Disabilities Act 2014, which came into full effect on February 14, 2022, was enacted to communicate to the nation that a person who has a disability or difference of abilities, that is, “having a partial or complete loss of function in their bodies due to illness, accident or from birth” are treated “fairly and equally”. The law is clear “persons with disabilities have a right to take part in all activities [in church, school, or workplace] in a country. Work, Play, do Business.” The Act therefore is in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of which Jamaica agrees to.
Furthermore, the Adventist Possibility Ministries (APM) is a global ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church which “encompasses ministry for and with the Deaf; the blind; those with physical, mental health, and emotional wellness challenges; and orphans and those who are bereaving over the loss of a spouse.” Through this ministry the Blind gets special attention. Persons who are living with blindness, visual impairment, and differences of abilities are loved, accepted and treasured by the church especially the Seventh-day Adventist that am proud to be a member of.
There is no doubt that the cost to make the necessary infrastructural changes to facilitate ease of access, movement, and use of church facilities is high. While, many churches may have started the process of making design alterations in terms of constructing a ramp for ease of access to the church. The design changes need to further include adequate provisions and ease of access to the pews, rostrum, baptismal pool, special meeting rooms and bathroom facilities. The time has come for the church not to only focus on meeting the physiological needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs), but to intentionally provide empowerment opportunities that facilitate their ongoing contributions to all areas of church life, without any hindrances imposed by infrastructural constraints.
According to Exodus 25:8, God commanded Moses to “have the people of Israel build” a “sanctuary [or church] so I [God] can live among them”. The architectural details of the sanctuary were to follow a pattern that God showed to Moses while on Mount Sinai according to Exodus 25: 9 - 40. The design of the sanctuary was in three sections: the outer courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place. I believe the time has come for churches to invest and budget for proper landscaping and maintenance of the “outer courtyard” to facilitate ease of movement and safety of all its members and visitors. A member or visitor who is Blind or has low vision should not have to experience undue discomfort or safety risk because of poor road surfaces, lack of pavement or proper fencing of the outer courtyard.
I believe when the society and especially the church commits, budget and implement projects that leads to needed infrastructural upgrading of all section of the sanctuary to facilitate ease of movement and participation of all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), then we will be more effective in demonstrating the unconditional love, mercy and compassion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe the church has the power to transform lives and to greater impact the lives of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) when we prioritize and support infrastructural projects gears towards enhancing the quality of our worship services for all.
It is time for us to purposely plan and prepare for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in our Seventh-day Adventist Churches. The sooner we do this the more impactful will be our mission to the world.