With one in six people in the UK having a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability, and one in 50 having a learning disability, a June 3 conference near Birmingham is hoping to help the church lead the way to becoming a more caring society for people with disabilities.
The Revd Jonathan Edwards, executive ambassador for Prospects, the Christian organisation working with people with learning disabilities, will look at how the church engages with disabled people. The conference will look at the challenges faced by the UK church in welcoming and including people with all kinds of disabilities including dementia, sight loss, hearing loss, autism and loss of mobility. It will also discuss how the church supports carers. Roy McCloughry, newly appointed disability advisor to the Church of England, is among the line-up of Christians with relevant experience in different fields of disability.
