As 2020 came to a close, I thought to myself, “I’ll be glad to get past this year.” Much of the world had been in lockdown. COVID-19 was in full force. People were dying, especially the elderly and immuno-compromised. We had no vaccine. Our top medical experts seemed unclear about the nature of this virus…
It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally available for purchase: The Bible and Disability: A Commentary, ed. Sarah J. Melcher, Mikeal C. Parsons, and Amos Yong. I just received my author’s copy in the mail today (I wrote the section on Luke-Acts). It will be available in stores October 1, 2017, but you can order in…
Four hours after my son Sean was born, our pediatrician informed me that she thought he had Down syndrome. That was a hard pill to swallow, but just as hard was breaking the news to my wife, Harriet, who was still in recovery from a C-section. All at once we were shocked, frightened, saddened, and…
Not long ago I wrote a post on faith and disability resources. A friend of mine was kind enough to point out some resources I had left out. (Thanks, Lynn Swedberg!) The first list wasn’t supposed to be exhaustive by any means, but these additional resources are important, and I’m glad to provide links to…
As we learn more details regarding the Australian parents who left a twin with Down syndrome with a surrogate mother in Thailand, the story goes from bad to worse. Here’s an excerpt from an article in the Washington Post: David Farnell, who has three children from a previous relationship, said the problems began when they found out before…
This morning I had green pepper cheese grits with eggs over easy and fried potatoes. It wasn’t the healthiest meal I’ve ever eaten, but it was worth it—pure culinary heaven. My two sons, Luke and Sean, and my wife, Harriet, had “Tim’s Favorite,” pancakes with blueberries and bananas. They loved it. “Tim’s Favorite” is named…
Imagine that there was a pre-natal test, commonly recommended by medical personnel, to identify children who would experience depression throughout their lives. Upon receiving a positive test, parents were counseled: You know, you might not want to go through with this pregnancy. You’re headed down a very difficult path. You may very well see your…
The corporeal is for people with disabilities the most real. Unwilling and unable to take our bodies for granted, we attend to the kinesis of knowledge. That is, we become keenly aware that our physical selves determine our perceptions of the social and physical world. These perceptions, like our bodies, are often nonconforming and disclose new categories and models of thinking…
March 21 (3/21) is World Down Syndrome Day. This date was not chosen at random. Rather, it represents the fact that, while most people have 46 pairs of chromosomes, some people have a third copy on the twenty-first chromosome. This third copy causes Down Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21. Some other facts: It’s not “Down’s…