A partner ministry of The General Commission on Religion and Race
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August 2025
Volume 15, No. 4
| | Climate Justice: Flooding in the Philippines | |
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TheVOICE
of the
United Methodist
Disability Connection
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Greetings in Christ!
This summer the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement recognized the connection between climate change and disability justice work and invited us to participate in an online event and newsletter. We realized that this topic was important to address and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with fellow United Methodists who can help spread the word about accessibility and anti-ableism.
This climate justice-themed newsletter issue aims to help churches and agencies include and appropriately support disabled people in all aspects of disaster planning, preparedness, and emergency response and recovery efforts.
For example, planners must ensure that emergency transportation and shelters meet basic accessibility standards. Written and broadcast communication should be written in accessible, non-technical plain language and accompanied by sign language interpretation. Volunteers need to be trained in working effectively with persons who may be blind, Deaf, autistic, or have physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Disaster preparation and response policies and programs must be examined for embedded ableism. Including disabled people in the review process will likely reveal points for change.
God calls us to love our neighbors and celebrate that all of us are created in God’s image. Our UM Social Principles call us to respect the rights of persons with disabilities. The DMC calls for full participation of disabled persons who can lead us to develop climate change and disaster response plans that will leave no one behind.
Blessings,
Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, editor
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Access Must be at the Center of Climate Justice
People with Disabilities in the Philippines Struggle During Disasters
Intentional Accessibility in Climate and Disaster Response
In Memoriam: Tim Vermande
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Access Must Be at the Center of Our Climate Work:
Justice is Not a Zero-Sum Game
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Investing in climate justice in a way that intersectionally centers disabled people equips us to live into our values as a connectional church where all belong, but it also creates the infrastructure and policies that will ultimately benefit everyone. One in four people are disabled in our country. This number is even higher with the aging demographics of our congregations. People who live with autoimmune disease, neurological and thyroid disorders, those who use mobility aids like wheelchairs, and disabled folx taking a wide variety of medications are more likely to experience heat intolerance. Wheelchair users are impacted by the rising temperatures because the color and material composition of their wheelchairs regularly absorb heat. People with mobility disabilities like spinal cord injuries often lose the ability to sweat –a major problem with rising temperatures as sweating is our body’s primary way of shedding heat.
Climate crises hit hardest for those who are already marginalized –disabled people, people of color, queer and trans people, elderly people, and those facing a range of other inequalities are impacted most by climate disasters. Disabled people are already at higher risk of being underemployed and underhoused, making it more challenging to escape the dangerous summer heat. Too often disabled people live in poverty because of laws limiting assets and because it is still legal on the federal level to pay disabled people less than minimum wage. As a result, disabled people do not always have access to air conditioning or other cool environments in the summer.
Read the complete article and find the references here.
By Angela Molloy, Pacific Northwest Conference
Watch Angela's presentation for the July 2025 UMC Climate Justice Movement Cafe at this You Tube link.
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People with Disabilities in the Philippines
Struggle During Climate Disasters
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In every typhoon and tropical storm, every earthquake and landslide, every disaster, it’s the same. Those living in poverty in the Philippines are the most at risk due to living in more hazardous areas in housing that is not well-constructed, often using scrap materials. Additionally, climate change causes ever-stronger storms and a longer typhoon season. Then there are the impacts of strip-mining and volcanic eruptions, mixed with overpowering volumes of rain. The result is massive amounts of mud and other debris, often toxic, flowing through places where people live. In the face of these factors, disaster preparation falls far short of being adequate.
Now consider that one-third of those living in poverty have a disability, and the poverty rate for people with disabilities is four times higher than that of the general population.[1] All of this means that climate disasters have 3 to 4 times greater impact on people with disabilities than on the general population.
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During a tropical storm followed by a days-long habagat (monsoonal rain), a young boy had a seizure and died trying to cross a flood-swollen river. Wheelchair users could not get out of their homes. In past storms, a clergyperson who survived polio years before nearly drowned trying to swim to a safer place, and one woman had to be carried upstairs by her daughter-in-law. One can imagine many other struggles, especially in a country where accessibility is hampered by lack of funding and awareness.
Despite a 2010 law requiring disaster response plans to include preparations for people with disabilities, their needs are still not effectively addressed. Evacuation centers continue to be built in vulnerable areas and lack ramps or accessible bathrooms, according to Cora P. Jazmines, who is retired from a lengthy career in Risk Reduction Management. She reports that although the government budgeted for flood control, floods are worse than before, as dams have inadequate capacity.
[1] Institute of Economic Development-JETRO, January 2025, 60, “Go Further with Evidence-Based Research: Disability and Development.”
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In the face of all this, what can the Church in the Philippines do? What can churches everywhere do? Here are some starting points:
- Take care of basic needs by distributing food, water and other supplies.
- Open the church doors to those who need shelter. Provide cubicles for privacy if possible.
- Visit damaged neighborhoods to take necessities and to attend to spiritual needs. Offer to pray with people, sing worship songs, and speak a word of hope.
- Find a way to communicate even if it’s difficult. Be fully present, trying to ease fears.
- Help people with physical or other challenges get to safety if needed. This may require checking for missing people.
- Whenever possible, repair or replace damaged or missing wheelchairs and other equipment.
Here are ideas for longer-range involvement---
- Include people with disabilities when planning for disaster preparedness and emergency response in your congregations.
- Work with local government to include people with disabilities in disaster response planning and risk mitigation efforts. Everyone’s voice make everyone safer!
By Deaconess Dr. Sharon McCart, California-Pacific Conference
Photo: Bayang Matulungin
| | Intentional Accessibility in Climate and Disaster Response | |
Questions to ask your congregation before a climate-related event strikes:
- If we have a climate justice or green team in our church, what do we do to ensure that meetings are accessible to disabled people who want to participate?
- Have we ensured that weatherproofing and energy-saving measures have not made spaces less accessible, e.g., by making doors harder to open?
- If we have a multi-story facility, how would we evacuate people who cannot manage stairs if the power goes out and the elevator stops operating?
- Is information about weather and disaster-related changes (e.g. no worship due to a snow storm, notification that the sanctuary may be too hot for people with low heat tolerance) communicated in ways accessible to all, including those who of us who do not use computers or receive phone texts?
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- What is our plan for checking in on and supporting parishioners and neighbors in a disaster, whether ice storm, flood, wildfire evacuation, or heat wave?
- If our church offers shelter during a disaster, can we provide full wheelchair access to all shelter areas, electricity to operate medical devices, and ways to accommodate service animals? Have we communicated our accessibility arrangements to local emergency coordination centers?
For ideas and solutions to gaps that you discover, consult area disaster management groups, the DMC website, and/ or resources in the next section. Be sure to check the comprehensive article on Church Emergency Plans by Naomi Mitchum.
Article and photos by Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, Pacific Northwest Conference
| Climate Justice and Disability: Resources | |
Climate Change and the Health of People with Disabilities (1/17/2025) - US Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-people-disabilities
Digging Deep into the [Disability and Climate Change] Archive with Dr. Julia Watts Belser (05/15/23) Podcast – Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Research Program (DICARP) https://www.disabilityinclusiveclimate.org/enabling-commons/julia-watts-belser
Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction https://www.undrr.org/partners-and-stakeholders/disability-inclusion-disaster-risk-reduction
Disaster Mitigation for Persons with Disabilities - The Center for an Accessible Society http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/independentliving/disasterprep.htm#
Emergency Planning (for churches, disabled persons, and parents) – Naomi Mitchum https://www.naomimitchum.com/emergency-planning/
Emergency Preparedness and Disability Inclusion (9/11/24) - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/about/index.html#
Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support in General Population Shelters (11/10) FEMA https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_functional-needs-support-services-guidance.pdf
World Must Act on Unacceptable Failures to Protect Persons with Disabilities from Disasters (10/12/23) - United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction https://www.undrr.org/news/world-must-act-unacceptable-failures-protect-persons-disabilities-disasters
| In Memoriam: Tim Vermande | | |
Timothy Joseph Vermande, the first and only web manager and communications consultant for the Disability Ministries Committee, passed away unexpectedly on April 24th shortly after attending a quarterly DMC meeting.
Tim served the committee for 15+ years along with supporting the work of the UM Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministry and the Association of Ministers with Disabilities. He was active with many committees in the Indiana Annual Conference and in the Indianapolis community.
Tim helped shape the work and denominational presence of the DMC. Tim’s fingerprints will remain on the materials that the committee developed over the years. The committee's intent has always been to reflect the lived experience of disabled people and Tim was generous with sharing his experiences. He reviewed and proofread every newsletter article and handout we created, usually adding another angle that we hadn’t thought about.
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Tim had a strong sense of justice, grounded in his understanding of disability theology. Although he was prevented from following his calling of serving as a pastor, he integrated his skills with his teaching and communications work. In meetings he tended to be fairly quiet, not wanting to speak out unless he had something important to contribute. His demeanor helped keep deliberations calm. When the committee met in person, his subtle sense of humor meant that he was fun company when we went out to eat. The outings often became an opportunity for learning about the lack of public accessibility. He was acutely aware of the importance of our work, and the fact that society and the denomination still have a long way to go before disabled people achieve full inclusion and belonging. He taught by example what an accessible world could look like. For all of this we are grateful.
See Tim's full obituary for more details and to leave a tribute. For more history and photos check out the June 2023 article by Darolyn "Lyn" Jones: Tim Vermande's Good Fight: Protesting, Pew Cuts, and the Pandemic.
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Sept. 3, 2025,1:00 pm EDT
Online
Supporting Clergy and Disability Inclusion in Faith Communities
Faith Inclusion Network
The success of disability inclusion in faith communities largely depend on the faith leader. How can we equip clergy to successfully lead disability inclusion efforts in faith communities?
Join us for a roundtable discussion with Rev. Dr. Topher Endress, Rabbi Gabrielle Cohn, and Shaykh Hassan Natour about how we can support and equip faith leaders and their disability inclusion efforts.
Registration link
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September 27, 1:00 - 4:00 pm EDT
In-person, live-streamed, and recorded for later viewing
From Inclusion to Belonging: Creating Congregations that Embrace All
Haddonfield UMC, Haddenfield, NJ, invites you to an afternoon with Bill Gaventa, a leading voice in faith and disability ministry. Through a mix of presentations, discussions, and panels, we will explore the journey from inclusion to belonging, learning practical ways to transform our congregations.
The event will be in three parts:
- Where We're At: Issues and Trends in Disability Ministry – A look at the current landscape, challenges, and opportunities for ministry with the disability community.
- Tell Me Your Story: Personal and Theological Perspectives on Inclusivity – Stories and theology that challenge us to deepen our commitment to full belonging.
- Next Steps: Creating Congregations That Embrace All – Practical guidance and strategies for cultivating churches where every person is valued and empowered.
Registration link
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We have only scratched the surface in this review of disability and climate change. We would love to hear about your efforts and ideas and we welcome your questions. Contact us through the DMC email address.
Your input can guide us to create additional web resources as we strive to document and share best practices in all aspects of congregational and community accessibility. Lives depend on all of us working together to create safer communities!
Peace,
Disability Ministries Committee of The United Methodist Church
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