The Accessible Altar Podcast

Robyn and Stephanie keep talking about the Bible, this time about how it can be hard to read (or hear preached) when you are Disabled or Chronically Ill. They have some suggestions and look at Mark 2.1-12 as an example passage. Full Transcript Reading Scripture as Good News while Disabled (pdf of the suggestions)

Stephanie and Robyn talk about the Bible, disability, and how stories of the resurrection offer insight into God's thoughts about and participation in embodiment. The conversation touches on many passages but with extra focus on John 20.19-27 Full Transcript

Robyn, Stephanie, and returning guest Ian Lasch talk continue to discuss sacraments and disability, looking more specifically at Baptism and other sacraments.  This is the second part of a longer conversation. The Rev Ian Lasch is an autistic priest in the Episcopal Church who takes great joy in living out the priestly vocation to serve as “pastor, priest, and teacher.” He is currently studying for his PhD through the University of Aberdeen's Centre for Autism and Theology, and his dissertation is on autism and the imago Dei. He is married to Loren, also an Episcopal priest, and father to two young boys. Full Transcript Hear more from Nathan Leigh who composed our music (link). See more art from the Rev’d Stephanie London who created our title graphic (link)

Robyn, Stephanie, and returning guest Ian Lasch talk about the sacraments and disability theology. This is the first part of a longer conversation. The Rev Ian Lasch is an autistic priest in the Episcopal Church who takes great joy in living out the priestly vocation to serve as “pastor, priest, and teacher.” He is currently studying for his PhD through the University of Aberdeen's Centre for Autism and Theology, and his dissertation is on autism and the imago Dei. He is married to Loren, also an Episcopal priest, and father to two young boys. Full Transcript Resources: Autism Consecrated Autism and Theology Podcast Hear more from Nathan Leigh who composed our music (link). See more art from the Rev’d Stephanie London who created our title graphic (link)

Stephanie and Robyn continue their conversation with Kristen, turning more specifically to considerations for accessibility in our worship spaces and services. Kristen Tossell Pitts is an Episcopal priest and school chaplain whose vocation focuses on the intersection of spiritual formation and Gospel-centered justice. She currently serves as the Chaplain and Director of Spiritual and Cultural Learning at Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, Maryland. Kristen lives with lupus (SLE) and other autoimmune conditions, as well as ADHD. She and her wife live in Maryland with their toddler, cats, poetry collection, and mildly-chaotic native plant garden. Full Transcript

Stephanie and Robyn are joined by the Reverend Kristen Tossell Pitts for a conversation about how being disabled shapes their leadership. Kristen Tossell Pitts is an Episcopal priest and school chaplain whose vocation focuses on the intersection of spiritual formation and Gospel-centered justice. She currently serves as the Chaplain and Director of Spiritual and Cultural Learning at Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, Maryland. Kristen lives with lupus (SLE) and other autoimmune conditions, as well as ADHD. She and her wife live in Maryland with their toddler, cats, poetry collection, and mildly-chaotic native plant garden. Full Transcript Resources: Universal Design (6 minute video)

Stephanie and Robyn discuss the documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. We discuss our deep love for camp culture, the history of the camp the title refers to, and how a community formed in the 1970's helped shape disability activism and the world we all live in. Significant admiration for Judy Huemann happens. Full Transcript Resources: Crip Camp (film page) Ed Roberts and Independent Living podcast episode  The Power of 504 (Documentary on YouTube, captioned)  504 Sit-In  Camp Jened

Stephanie and Robyn are joined by Sharan to discuss her diagnosis journey and how the grief involved is informing her faith. The Rev. Sharan Knoell is the pastor of Valley United Presbyterian Church in a small-town community that straddles the Pennsylvania - New York border. Prior to 2014, Valley United was three Presbyterian Church (USA) churches. Sharan walked them through the merger, selling a church building, and renovating and newly-constructing the third...across state and denominational borders. She has a Masters of Divinity graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and also has a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University. Sharan has an autoimmune disease of blood vessel inflammation, GPA vasculitis, that she was diagnosed with in 2018. She almost lost her life to the disease twice in 2018 shortly after diagnosis, but she relies on infusions and her kitchen-counter pharmacy to manage the disease today. A native of the Philadelphia area, she lives in upstate New York with her husband, Ty, and her beagle-Jack Russell rescue, Shiloh. Full Transcript Resources: Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline You Don’t Look Sick by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman The Wounded Storyteller by Arthur W. Frank

Stephanie and Robyn are joined by the Rev'd Teresa Kim Pecinovsky to discuss her gorgeous children's book Mother God . They discuss the importance of good theology and diverse representation in the church and in children's literature. Born in South Korea and raised in Iowa, Teresa had a brief stint as an ESL teacher in Japan, then landed in Houston, teaching early elementary and earning a Master of Education from the University of Houston. As a Vanderbilt Divinity School and Disciples Divinity House seminarian in Nashville, one of her most unexpected moments was reading Schleiermacher at 5 a.m. while pumping milk for her 4-week-old infant (don’t ask her what she remembers about Schleiermacher now.) For the past three years Rev. Teresa has accompanied patients, families, and healthcare colleagues through hospice chaplaincy. Mother God is her debut picture book published by Beaming Books. Teresa is also excited to be a contributing writer for the upcoming Shine Story Bible through MennoMedia and Brethren Press. She and her spouse have two adorable and exhausting young children. Full Transcript Links: Teresa's Website (scroll down for the link to the Scripture Guide) Teresa is @tkpcreates on Instagram and Twitter

In this part of Robyn and Stephanie's conversation with the Rev Ian Lasch they talk about the impact of disability theology on Ian's diagnosis process, the implications of diagnosis and diagnostic criteria, and the Bible. Full Transcript Links: University professor appointed as Chaplain to The Queen