Exploring the Ethical and Theological

                                               Implications of Disability in Society

     Nancy Eiesland in her book The Disabled God and Hans Reinders in his book Receiving the Gift of Friendship, both examine and challenge conventional attitudes about disability in American society. Eiesland appropriates the symbol of the broken body of Christ as a powerful emblem of empowerment for people with disabilities. Reinders embraces the imago Dei in humankind as the quintessential source of human dignity and value. Both affirm the ineffable dignity and beauty of people with disabilities and their rights to equal participation and flourishing in the polis.

                                                        The Disabled God

     In her book The Disabled God Nancy Eiesland explores the significant effects of the American's Disability Act (ADA) on the lives of the disabled in society. She celebrates how the Act challenges attitudes and myths about disability and the degree of liberty it has brought to many individuals. The ADA criminalizes all discriminatory behavior towards individuals with disabilities. Moreover, it effectively provides a level of social equity towards the disabled unparalleled in American history.

     In surveying the history of the modern Disability Rights movement, Eiesland explores the roots of the movement in the 1960s. Disability activist fought against the stigmatization and marginalization of the disabled community. The spirit of liberation in the community emboldened individuals to resist their second class status in society and even the Church. At the core of their efforts in the ecclesial realm was the struggle for ordination of the disabled and recognition off their full humanity and dignity.

     Eiesland also is critical of the church's poor record regarding the disabled community at large. The church often has contributed to ineffective strategies that have treated people with disabilitiess with "pity and paternalism."

    To effectively address these significant challenges, Eisland proposes an "Accessible Theological Model" of engagement for the church. Essential to this model is a commitment of the church to provide full access to the life and mission of the church. Moreover, the Church must be committed to gaining full access to the lives, dreams and talents of the disabled community. Inherent in this mutuality is a symbiotic exchange that allows for the mutual flourishing of both parties.

     Eiesland shares Rebecca Chopp's critical praxis correlation, which is supportive of the disabled individuals full participation in the life of the church. Chopp embraces a theological perspective that includes the elements of difference, embodiment, unity and conversion for disabled individuals in the Christian community. She rejects the normative posture of the church historically that has failed in recognizing the full humanity and beauty of the disabled.

     Defining who the disabled are, for Eiesland is not a simple task. The disabled community suffers from a broad range of impairments that range from the physical to the mental. Thus, Eiesland asserts:

The differences among persons with disabilities are so profound that

few areas of commonality exist. People with disabilities have a wide

variety of physical, psychological, and intellectual impairments. Different

conditions produce different types of functional impairment.

Eiesland further explains that impairments like paralysis, mental retardation and deafness share the same issues of stigma, but are different in functionality. Despite the complexities of these problems, people with disabilities are often identified by "abled bodied" individuals for different treatment in society. Such treatment and the related stigmatization has often worked against the well being of the disabled community.

     Eiesland further explores the problematic elements of naming things in a society. The namer has an inherent power over that which he or she names. Names have powerful sociological and psychological implications. The disabled are often referred to with terms such as crippled, handicapped, and physically challenged. Disabled individuals often have been perceived as less intelligent and capable in society, effectively marginalizing their role in the polis. Eiesland's focus on the power of language and to control and enslave is illuminating. This is also illustrated in the dark history of chattel slavery in the Antebelum South, where language was used to oppress and psychologically control millions of slaves. Black slaves were referred to with harsh and demeaning names such as "nigger" to destroy their sense of self worth and dignity. When freedom finally came to the slaves during the Civil War, perhaps the most difficult chains to shed were the psychological chains low self image and worth.

     Not surprisingly, people with disabilities have been profoundly dissatisfied with labels imposed on them by society. Some have developed their own terms to reclaim and assert their identities to the world. However, Eiesland asserts that acceptable term in modern society is "people with disabilities."

     One of the chief objectives of people with disabilities in their continued quest for civil rights is "accessibility." This term does not simply refer to the modification of dwellings to accommodate disabled persons but refers to the broader quest of people with disabilities to fully participate in community life in the polis.

     Eiesland argues that the corporeal, material world for people with disabilities, is not a reality one can take for granted. People with disabilities are keenly aware their unique bodies determine their perception of the world. These perceptions often mirror their non-conforming bodies an create new ways of thinking and interacting with the world. Eiesland explores these new persecutives through the lives of two individuals with disabilities.

                                                         Daine DeVries

      Devries, a native Texan entered the world as an infant without lower limbs. Moreover, her arms were not fully developed and only had upper elbow stumps. The doctor had no idea that DeVries had any birth defects and expected a "healthy" baby. Devries asserts in her first hand account of her birth that when the doctor saw her for the first time during the delivery, he fainted. The nurses had to complete the delivery process.

     DeVries attitude of her disabilities is surprisingly positive and inspiring. She asserts that the only thing that is wrong with her is that she is missing her arms and legs. Otherwise, she is a perfectly healthy individual.

     Eiesland asserts that DeVries' birth caused much turmoil in her family. Her maternal grandmother completely rejected her and deemed her "the devil's daughter." Despite these difficulties, Eiesland adopted an attitude of acceptance about her physical disabilities and work to make the most of her situation. DeVries refuses to view her birth as some tragic event to be lamented, and embraces a more positive outlook. For DeVries, her birth was the beginning of natural and ordinary life.

     Eiesland is careful to acknowledge the pain DeVries suffered throughout her life as person with disabilities. She tells the story of DeVrie's painful experience in a restaurant where DeVrie and her family were relocated to the back of the restaurant. The waitress reasoned that DeVries visibility in the front of the establishment would "make people sick."

     Eiesland related that like a faithful Jew at Passover, she long awaited the coming of a beauteous Messiah. However, her perceptions of God were different than many able bodied Christians. Instead, Eiesland envisioned God in a sip puff wheelchair that enables quadriplegics to maneuver by blowing and sucking into a straw like device. Eiesland saw God as the weak God whose body is broken and whose blood is shed for humankind. This is a weak God, "unemployable, with questionable quality of life." For Eiesland, this is the hidden image of God that we don't see often. It is the foundation for a liberation theology of disability rights movement. Liberation theology of disability radically challenges conventional ideas of symbols and leverages political activism to accomplish its ends. Eiesland radically reimagines the symbol of Jesus as a disabled God whose broken body at Calvary ultimately leads the healing of the nations. For in this paradox of brokenness, the strength and power of God are revealed to bring salvation to the world. Thus, Eiesland asserts:

In the resurrected Jesus Christ, they saw not the suffering servant for whom

the last and most important word was tragedy and sin, but the disabled God

who embodied both impaired hands and feet and the pierced side

and the imago Dei.

For Eiesland, the image of the disabled God provide hope for people with disabilities. It provides a "liberatory realism" of our bodily limitations and a profound acceptance of these realities. This spirit of liberation also necessitates the continual quest for social equity and full access for the disabled community in the polis.

                                                  Receiving the Gift of Friendship

     In his book Receiving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology and Ethics, Hans Reinders asserts that the defect model of disabilities has largely been abandoned. This flawed model has been replaced with a more progressive strategy that focuses on what a person can do, rather than accommodating them for their special needs. The new model of empowerment has led to significant improvements in the lives people with disabilities.

     Although there have been significant improvements and opportunities for people with disabilities, much work remains to be accomplished. The new model of empowerment assumes that the quality of live is contingentt upon one's abilities or agency. However, Reinder argues that this aspect of the model is several flawed.

     Reinder tells the story of a young girl named Kelly that he encountered at a group home. Kelly's condition was classified as micro-encephalic, meaning that a significant part of her brain was missing. Reinder asserts that during his first visit with Kelly, he discovered a twelve year old, red head girl. Even though she was non responsive when he attempted to engage her is conversation, Reinder noticed that the nurses in the facility treated her as if she could experience the full range of. human emotions. Reinder explains that when Kelly was first brought to the home, the staff had serious questions about her humanity. As baby, th only emotions that she seemed to show were occasional heavy sighs, which were differult to interpret. In modern society, many refer to Kelly as vegetable, reinforcing the idea that human worth is directly tied to what a person can or not do. Reinder assets that although the people in the group home were more inclined to acknowledge Kelly's humanity, this would be improbable outside the walls of the group home.

     For Reinder, Kelly's condition prompts significant questions about people with profound disability. What if Kelly's caretakers believed that they could not speak to someone who was not fully human? What would happen if they ceased o treat her as a full human being? Can Kelly really be said to have friends? Can she really be happy? Reinder admits that these are difficult questions that are not easily answered. However, these questions should be considered from the perspectiveve of Pope Joh Paul II's proclamation that the disabled are "one of us." Therefore, selfhood and agency cannot be the determining factors of what it means to be human.

     Reinder argues that disability no longer is something relegated to the private spheres of society. It's new public profile has removed it from the realm of the shadows. Gone are the days of hiding the disabled in institutions because of public fears that their children would be a burden on society. This is largely due to the disability rights movement of the 1960's and 1970's that originated in the United States and became a global movement. The movement reorients the abled bodied members of society towards the dignity and challenges of people with disabilities. It also allows the disabled people to tell their own story. Disability no longer is to be viewed as a catastrophe that prompts pity. The focus on charity and benevolence have been replaced with a focus on equal rights and social justice. Its is a evolution of "self perception" that rejects traditional perception of neediness and failure. Thus John Shipero asserts:

There is no pity or tragedy in the disability. It is society's myths, fears and

stereotypes that make being disabled difficult.

Shipero beautifully exposes common misconceptions about disability in modern society. It is best to think of disabled people and being "differently" abled in our communities, recognizing their inherent worth and dignity.

     Reinder is critical of the current body of scholarly work regarding individuals with intellectual disabilities. This area of disability is particularly important because those individuals with profound mental impairments cannot develop a sense of self. Although the development of selfhood is critical in the human experience, this issue is unrecognized in disability literature.

     Those with cognitive or intellectual impairments are often considered to be worse off than others along the disability spectrum. Such views are the center of hierarchal perception of disability. Mental retardation and mental illness are considered to be the least desirable in society, often limiting the potential for friendships for these individuals.

     Reinder argues that the primacy of God's unconditional love for human beings should be the focus of ethical deliberations about disability, as opposed to a focus on the intellectual and moral aspects of human beings. He also poses difficult questions regarding "the gifts of the spirit" and gifts of creation." To what extent has God given these gifts to profoundly disabled people like Kelly? To what degree does the compassion of God move in the lives of the disabled and even overshadow human compassion? Reinder addresses these questions in the following manner:

...being created in God's image indicates a unique relationship; that this relationship

is affirmed intrinsically by the triune God, who saves us from failing to respond

appropriately to his call; and that this affirmation is offered to us as the fullness

of our being. From the Christian point of view, all of this is to say that the human

being exist truthfully in God's friendship, regardless of his our her abilities and

disabilities.

For Reinder, the imago Dei is quintessential to his view of the redemptive and compassionate view of God towards people with disabilities. Disabled people have their intrinsic worth in their unique creatureliness, their reflection of the image of God. Therefore, one's worth is not contingent upon the perfection of imperfection of one's body.

                                                                        Analysis

      Nancy Eiesland's book The Disabled God, provides a fresh new way of thinking about the issue of disability in American culture. She primarily employs a Divine Command ethics strategy in her ethical approach to the issue. Eiesland's central thesis is that the broken body of Christ on Calvary provides a powerful symbol of empowerment for people with disabilities. The broken and ultimately crucified body of Christ then becomes an image of hope and strength for the disabled who also lack perfect bodies. This liberatory realism, not only helps the disabled realize their own limitations, but also inspires one to work towards social equity for people with disabilities.

     Eiesland's argument comports well with both deontological, divine and distributive justice ethical models. Her focus on social justice aspects of the disability rights movement illustrate the duty of society to not just protect the rights of people with disabilities, but to provide full access to life in the community. For Eiesland, it is everyones duty to embrace what Chopp 's praxis correlation that celebrates elements of difference, embodiment, unity and conversion as it relates to our disabled brothers and sisters in society.

     Eiesland's book also explores explores ethical ideas of distributive justice in society. The fair allocation of goods in a society is essential to this model. From this perspective, full participation in and full access to community life is a much desired good within society. Eiesland's focus on egalitarian right for all members of society are consistent with the distribution justice model.

     Eiesland's book also prompts questions from a categorical imperative perspective. One of her chief focuses is the fair and humane treatment of people with disabilities. Kant's categorical imperative requires that maxims, principals in society be universally applied to all. Therefore, if a rule in society provide free access and participation to citizens in the public life, this maxim should apply to the people with disabilities as well. Marginalization of the disabled is no longer accepted in the modern world.

     Eiesland's focus re-envisioning of the the broken body of Christ as an empowering symbol for the disabled in society intersects well with the Divine Command ethics model. This is supported by Pauline commandments for believers to identify and share in the sufferings of Christ. This remembrance of the sufferings of Christ has been a part of Christian tradition since the first century. Christians also share in the sufferings of Christ by daily picking up our own crosses and following after Christ. In this manner, we share in a collective suffering and remembrance of our Lord's sacrificial work on the cross.

     The only weakness is Eiesland's illuminating book is her failure to concentrate on the eschatological hope we have as Christians in the resurrection and ultimate healing of our bodies. The scriptures promise that we will ultimately clothe ourselves in immortality. We will have bodies free of disease and pain.

     Overall, Eiesland provides a fresh vision for reconsidering our attitudes about disability in society. Her new approach moves society towards an Aristotelian model of mutual flourishing and prosperity for all groups. Such flourishing doesn't occur at the expense of others in the community. Mutuality is key to its success.

     Hans Reinders book Receiving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology and Ethics, beautifully explores the inherent dignity of all human beings, even those with profound disabilities. Reinder explores questions of what it is to be human and provide value to society. His central thesis is that as we all are made in the Image Dei, we have a unique relationship with God. By God's grace we are saved from not being able to respond fully to His call. We exist in God's friendship, irregardless of our abilities and inabilities.

     Reinder's central thesis beautifully reflects the Divine Command Ethics model. He roots his arguments in the apostolic teachings of the Imago Dei which universally applies to all human creatures. Humankind' creation in the Imago Dei is what provides all human creatures with intrinsic worth and value. It is reflective of a unique relationship God chooses to have with humans, and not all creatures. For Reinder, we are obligated by divine law to acknowledge the divine image in humankind. This is essential to our maintaining a relationship with our Creator. This is view is also supported by Barth in his views of mankind's contract or covenant with God. We are saved by God and have a duty to obey His commandments and statutes.

      Reiner's case study of the young lady named Kelly, who was missing a large portion of her brain, does raise important deontological questions about society's duty to such individuals. What are the duties of society to the profoundly disabled? Are we to identify and eliminate them even before birth, as is the custom and practice in modern society? Ultra sounds are capable of identifying children with severe birth defects while in vitro. What is our duty to these individuals? Reiner views of the Imago Dei support the preservation and dignity of all life, whether physically perfect or not. Our true value is in the divine image imprinted on our souls, not the accidental qualities of flesh and limbs.

     Reinder's convictions about the Imago Dei and its importance in fostering right views about human dignity and worth comport well with Aristotelian concepts of the common good. For Aristotle, we are all social animals in society. Biblical views of the Imago Dei help is to see our common humanity is our sharing of the divine image in our souls. We all share the same potential for the fruit of the Spirit to thrive and grow in our souls. This shared humanity and divinity necessitate our working together towards mutual flourishing and love. Moreover, the Rule of St, Benedict reminds us of the importance of living in community and harmony with one another. Whether our communities be ascetic or secular, the common good should always be the telos of our lives in community.

     Reinder's comprehensive coverage of the issue of profound disabilities, although impressive, could be strengthened by more coverage of the medical establishment's focus drastically reducing the amount of children with disabilities that come into the world. The modus operandi of pre-natal care industry seeks to identify and eliminate children with major birth defect long before they ever are come into the world. Exposure of these unethical practices would no doubt strengthen his argument about the inherent dignity of all life.

     By rooting their arguments in Divine Command theoretical framework, Eiesland and Reinder both succeed is celebrating the dignity and value of people with disabilities by providing a biblical perspective of the issue. The disabled and all people ultimately find their meaning, being and existence in God. Indeed, as the Apostle Paul asserts, it is in God that we exist and find our being.

     Nancy Eiesland in her book The Disabled God and Hans Reinders in his book Receiving the Gift of Friendship, both examine and challenge conventional assumptions and perceptions about disability in American society. Eiesland appropriates the symbol of the broken body of Christ as a powerful emblem of empowerment for people with disabilities. Reinders embraces the concept of the Imago Dei in humankind as the quintessential source of human dignity of value. Both affirm the ineffable worth and beauty of people with disabilities and their equal participation and flourishing in the life of the polis.

                                                                   Bibliography

Receiving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology, and Ethics, (Grand Rapids: WilliamB. Eermans Publishing Company, 2008)

The Disabled God:Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability (Nashville: Abington Press, 1994)

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