Hospitality and Disability

Debbie Creamer
Director of Accreditation and Institutional Evaluation
The Association of Theological Schools

Abstract: Nearly 20 percent of the population has some sort of disability (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), most of us will encounter disability as we or our loved ones age, and all of us live with limits (making disability more "normal" than non-disability). Yet our communities still struggle to address basic issues of access (leveling the playing field so that folks with physical, cognitive, or emotional differences can simply show up), let alone make the important shift from access to hospitality. This session invited conversation at practical, communal, and theological levels to reimagine hospitality that is truly accessible to all.