Learning Disabilities and the Church
An interview with Rebecca Fast
by Christine Guth        

Rebecca Fast has been serving as an ADNet Associate since August, developing resources for ADNet's website related to learning disabilities (LDs).  Originally from Ontario, Rebecca is currently finishing her senior year at Goshen College. She has distinguished herself by facing the challenge of her own learning disabilities and becoming an award winning speaker. Her speech, entitled "Misunderstood Minds: Wasted Human Potential" was the winning entry in the 2005-06 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. Connections recently interviewed Rebecca about her interest in advocacy for people with LDs.

Connections: What inspired you to become involved with ADNet?
 Rebecca: I first learned about ADNet when Paul Leichty contacted me following my speech for the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Speech competition. I was impressed by ADNet's mission and Paul's dedication in working towards these goals. I see my advocacy work for individuals with LDs as fitting in with ADNet's mission. In this year I hope to begin laying the foundation for ADNet's informational resources and advocacy around LDs.

Connections: Where have you spoken publicly about LDs?
 Rebecca: I have spoken in classes at Goshen College, in churches, and at universities. I have talked with educators working with students who have LDs, to parents helping their children with LDs and to individuals living with LDs. The responses have been very affirming, positive and at times, quite moving. I feel very fortunate when listeners approach me following my speech and share with me their own experiences with LDs. A typical response I hear is, "That was me. You spoke directly to me and my experiences."

Connections: How did you realize you had an LD and what difference did it make to find this out?
 Rebecca: I was in grade 11. I studied for weeks and weeks for a biology test and ended up failing it badly. I was ready to quit school because it felt like the work I put in had no correlation to the end results. When I threatened to quit school, my parents sent me to a psychologist to get testing done. It came out that I had a nonverbal learning disability. The results of these tests came as such a relief to me. Knowing that I have a LD continues to help me to know I am not stupid and has allowed me to do more effective studying. One important thing I learned is that I process and remember information best when heard or learned verbally. This meant for studying, that instead of putting posters all around my room to get information in a visual way, I used a tape recorder to record myself reading my assignments and then played the tapes back to memorize my notes.

Connections: How do you see LDs affecting congregational life?
Rebecca: People with LDs may not be able to read the bulletin or other print materials. Children with LDs may react negatively to activities in Sunday school that require skills they don't have, so they act out in order to get out of doing that activity. Someone may not be able to get out to church activities because of a sense of direction that is severely impaired. In retrospect, I think that I had a tendency to take metaphorical language at face value. This led to many interesting conversations with my parents!

Connections: How can we be sensitive to people with LDs in our congregatio ns when we may not know who they are?
Rebecca: Churches can be good communities of belonging and support for people. A congregation can help set a child up for success in Sunday school by playing to the child's strengths. Finding an area of strength and giving a person an important role that builds on that strength contributes to their feeling of success and of being appreciated. These are approaches that work whether or not the person has a diagnosed disability. The church can be an important place for a person to get away from a sense of being flawed and defective, and to receive affirmation for the gifts they have to offer the community. When those who are responsible for pastoral care in the church are sensitive to LDs, they can help to create networks of support for individuals that match people's strengths with another person's area of difficulty.

Connections: What if you have someone--a teenager for example--who does not want attention drawn to his or her disability?
 Rebecca: The resistance, especially for teenagers to naming and acknowledging their disability can come from past negative experiences and/or the societal stigma attached to disability. This is an opportunity for congregational education, open discussion about the diversity of humanity. When the label "learning disability" is not seen as a negative marker, people may begin to feel more comfortable talking about their disabilities. I think of the hymn, "There are many gifts but the same Spirit."

Connections: How can becoming informed about LDs help churches fulfill their mission as the body of Christ?
 Rebecca: In Colossians, Paul writes, "Through God all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible" (Col. 1:16). For me, this verse is about the invisibility of learning disabilities. I believe that learning and becoming informed about LDs can help us carry out the work of Christ in advocating for the dispossessed among us. Mennonites and other Anabaptists, above all, with their commitment to peace and justice, need to include these invisible people in their concern.

Connections: Help us to understand why you describe people with LDs as "dispossessed."
 Rebecca: People with LDs are vulnerable. They often experience significant stress and anxiety secondary to their disability. As students, they have high failure and dropout rates. Suicide and jail rates are also disproportionately high among people with LDs. People with LDs often internalize unhelpful messages such as, "I have been dumb ever since I can remember." Some vulnerable groups benefit from advocacy because they are visible to those who want to help, but the invisibility of LDs make advocacy less available. The invisibility LDs also makes them invisible to each other, which makes it harder to develop group identity and a unified message. When you have a learning disability it's also hard to advocate for yourself because the disability often affects skills needed for self-advocacy. On the flip side, if people do get help and accommodations in their schools, they have great potential to achieve success.

Connections: What is your vision for a congregation that is carrying out the work of Christ in relation to people with LDs? What does such a congregation look like?
 Rebecca: I picture a congregation that recognizes and affirms the diverse areas of skill and strength that people with disabilities have. Open acceptance of a person's LD in the church community can be a first step toward a person's self acceptance. A congregation might begin by listening to someone who has a LD, listening to a personal story to become aware of the challenges the person faces. Adult education classes can raise awareness of people with LDs as a group who need and deserve justice. Gifts discernment committees can interview individuals with learning disabilities to learn their strengths and find ways to use these strengths in the service of the congregation.