Disability Ministry FAQs with Leah Whicker

“Do you think that creating inclusive children’s ministry requires creating a big program with a big budget?”   That is one of the questions that we are going to dive into today when we speak with Wonderful Works own Special Education Consultant, Leah Whicker. Leah is going to share with us what questions she hears most often when she coaches ministry leaders all over the nation. Lots of great stuff today to help you start or strengthen disability accessibility at your church. So, join us as we learn about the three tiers of support, how to train your ministry volunteers, and learn how you can get a free coaching session with Leah yourself!  Leah Whicker bio:Leah is the Special Education Consultant and Ministry Leader Coach for Wonderful Works Ministry. She has had a passion for working with children for as long as she can remember. After studying Early Childhood Education at The Ohio State University, she moved to Northern Virginia, where she started her career in education as a preschool teacher. Leah and her family moved back to Ohio in 2012, and in 2014, she began serving in her church’s Special Needs Ministry, 139 Kids. Here, Leah became the co-leader, specializing in creating positive support plans for children in the ministry. Leah attended Ashland University, where she earned an Intervention Specialist teacher’s licensure. She is passionate about equipping churches to have their own Disability Ministries. Leah is married, and she and her husband, Chris, have two children. To set up a coaching session with Leah please visit the coaching tab on the Adapted Discipleship Library. Recommended Resources from this Episode. Adapted Discipleship Library – Get tons of free disability ministry tools here. Recommended Training Videos for Church Teams. Download the Talking Points on the Adapted Discipleship Library):WW Positive Behavior SupportWW Setting ALL Kids up for SuccessWW Universal DesignWW TransitionsWW Invisible BuddyWW Welcoming a Student with Autism. Wonderful Works 5 Questions for Ministry Planning Video Series. Download the Talking Points on the Adapted Discipleship Library: Question 1 - What Do You Most Want to Accomplish Question 2 -Who Do You Need Question 3 – Where Are the GuardrailsQuestion 4 How Do You DecideQuestion 5 – When Do You Grow?  A quick note on disability terms:Before you listen, I wanted to talk to you about something important about our podcast, and that is how we will be referring to disability during our discussions. We want you to know that at Wonderful Works Ministry, we know that words matter. We will strive to use preferred language regarding disability. But we also understand that preferred terms change over time and also can be subjective and vary from person to person, even among those with a shared diagnosis. With this in mind, we ask that you understand that we, here at Wonderful Works, and our guests may use a variety of terms on this show and in our resources. Please know that we will always approach language with inclusion, dignity and respect, and we hope you will too. Thank for listening! One more quick note:The views and opinions expressed in our show are those of our guests and do not necessarily reflect those of Wonderful Works Ministry. Wonderful Works Ministry does not provide medical, legal, or therapeutic advice or services. Rather, we provide general information regarding disability ministry. The information provided in our content does not replace the advice of medical, legal, or educational professionals. Wonderful Works Ministry is not responsible for any information or services provided by third parties. It is recommended that you use independent judgement when considering any resource associated with serving those who have been impacted by disability. Thank you.