Disability Commission Resources

Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities - Revised Edition

https://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/policies/upload/Guidelines-for-the-Celebration-of-the-Sacraments-with-Persons-with-Disabilities-Revised-Edition.pdf

Pastoral Statement of US Catholic Bishops on
Persons with Disabilities 

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/upload/Pastoral-Statement-of-U-S-Catholic-Bishops-on-Persons-with-Disabilities.pdf

Advocacy and Support

Local Lighthouse Louisiana - https://lighthouselouisiana.org/
Advocacy Center - https://disabilityrightsla.org/State
People’s First - http://www.peoplefirstla.org/National groups
National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) - https://ncpd.org/
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - https://www.nami.org/Home
Xavier Society for the Blind- https://xaviersocietyfortheblind.org/
 

Regular Events

Quarterly Masses of Participation by people with disabilities
Specialty Masses
God’s Special Children, Metairie: 1st Sunday of Month, St. Francis Xavier, Metairie at 2 pm
God's Northshore Blessings, Mandeville: 3rd Sunday of Month, Our Lady of the Lake, Mandeville at 2 pm
God’s Northshore Blessings, Slidell: 2nd Sunday of Month, Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell at  2 pm

Bi-annual Formation Workshops

Next workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2024.  For flier, click here.

Books

The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-Based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities by John E. Barone and Charlene Katra, Loyola Press, 2019 

Inclusive Catholic Schools: A Matter of Possibilities by Julia M. Taymans, PH.D. & Michael Termini, PSY.D, NCEA publication, 2018

No Children of a Lesser God by Ellen M.E. Wedemeyer, Ed.D, MBA, MT-BC, NCEA, 2017
Copious Hosting: A Theology of Access for People with Disabilities by Jennie Weiss Block, Bloomsbury Academic, 2002

How to Welcome, Include, and Catechize Children with Autism and Other Special Needs, A Parish-Based Approach

https://store.loyolapress.com/how-to-catechize-children-with-developmental-disabilities
 

Mental Health & Well Being Resources

Responding to the Social Determinants of Mental Health by Fr. Ragan Schriver, Catholic Charities USA https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AgjrkSORQt5-mfslkfY9mzG1sBmL_Vms/view

Creating Health Communities: Understanding Human Life and Dignity for those Experiencing Mental Health Conditions by Rebecca A. Yazzie, PhD, LCSW, George Fox University
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bBoqepGkf81LawOebOB98O2GtrsaFL0E/view
   
Mental Health Ministry: Roots in the Social Doctrine of the Church by Chris Miller, Ed.D, Council on Mental Illness, National Catholic Partnership on Disability and Lisa Ziv, National Alliance on Mental Illness https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WMsgz6HP6OnX6Fe7UF-su2V4tRoxUJzV/view
   
Mental Health Ministry in Our Dioceses by Dcn. Ed Shoener, Diocese of Scranton
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13jhBcUijdVOUu7CFpZYAaUK-YqzHw-JS/view