Home : Materials That Make It Meaningful

Suggested Reading List

Here is an annotated list of books and journals that we like and think may be helpful to you:

G.L.U.E. Training Manual

by Barbara Newman
CLC Network (2009)

This practical manual will guide you through a step-by-step process, equipping you with a spectrum of tools for doing "ministry with" rather than "ministry to" people with disabilities. You'll learn how to develop a Church Inclusion Action Plan, train a support team for a specific person with a disability, share the vision of G.L.U.E. with your congregation, and more. Excellent support for the program is also available.

Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability

by Stephanie O. Hubach
P & R Press (2006)

Employing both her experience as a mother of two sons, one of whom has Down syndrome, and her deep biblical understanding, Stephanie Hubach encourages readers to change the way they think and act when it comes to disability. After challenging common perceptions about disability, Hubach describes the lives of families touched by disability, and she presents creative ideas for churches who want to be more embracing of people with disabilities.

Receiving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology, and Ethics

by Hans S. Reinders
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2008)

Is it our ability to think and to act that makes us human?  What about people with profound intellectual disabilities?  As he explores questions like these, the author challenges common perceptions -- from dogmas of Christian churches to dogmas of academic disability studies.  He argues that while we’ve advanced equality in matters of rights and justice, too often we have not achieved friendship with people with profound disabilities.  As Reinders confronts barriers that remain in hearts and minds, he transforms the way we think about our common humanity.

Light from Lucas: Lessons in Faith from a Fragile Life

by Bob Vander Plaats
Focus on the Family Publishing (2007)

How often we involved with a Friendship program have recognized the ability of our friends to be a blessing in our life.  In this book, the author shares “lessons in faith from a fragile life" that of his severely disabled third born son.  In reading Light from Lucas you will recognize the value of every life, no matter how fragile, to be the blessing God intended it to be, and you will be blest in the process.

Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities

by Erik Carter
Paul H. Brookes Publishing (2007)  

This book is a comprehensive guide enabling congregations to be truly welcoming communities for all people.  Sure to be a treasured resource for members of faith communities, Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities is a foundational resource that will help faith communities broaden their mission to include people with disabilities.

The Elephant in the Playroom

by Denise Brodey
Hudson Street Press (2007)

The Elephant in the Playroom is a collection of candid and touching essays by parents of children with special needs.  These parents share their struggles and triumphs in everything from finding a good school to if and when to medicate to sustaining hope for the future and more.

Reflections of Self

by Sondra Williams
The Gray Center (2005)

An insightful look at life from the perspective of Sondra Williams, an adult with high-functioning autism. Topics include information about what it is to have autism, as well as Sondra's perspectives on her 18-year marriage and her four children, her childhood memories, the therapy that has allowed her to discover and value her real self, and her faith.

Diagnosis Aspergers

by Nick Dubin
[50 minute DVD]
The Gray Center (2005)

A story of a young man who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrom only later in his years. Nicolas shares his story from struggling as a nonverbal three-year-old, to pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology, and all the ups and downs in between. With much support, he has overcome many obstacles to arrive at where he is today.

Hurricane Dancing: Glimpses of Life with
an Autistic Child

by D. Alison Watt, photographs by Carole Ruth Fields
Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2005)

This collection of poems from a mother’s perspective explores the struggles and joys of life with her autistic daughter. Accompanied by sensitive photographs that draw out the poems’ themes. Not just for parents of a child with special needs: all will grow from the poet’s insights.

The Sibling Slam Book

edited by Don Meyer
Woodbine House (2005)

Subtitled What It’s REALLY Like to Have a Brother or Sister with Special Needs, this book presents teenagers’ varying views on having a sibling with a disability in a fun notebook-style format

Disabled Fables

by Members of LA Goal
Star Bright Books (2005)

A unique and interesting collection of Aesop’s Fables retold and illustrated by artists with developmental disabilites. Each illustrated fable is accampanied by a section called “what this story means to me,” in which the author/illustrator reflects on how the story relates to his or her own life.

Exceptional Teaching: A Comprehensive Guide for Including Students with Disabilities

by Jim Pierson
Standard Publishing (2002)

Author Jim Pierson, respected authority on ministry with children who have special needs, provides helpful information on seventy-seven diagnoses, with the goal of helping you create a positive, inclusive learning environment for children with special needs in a church education context. Straightforward textbook format includes definitions, teaching tips, and stories.

The Power of the Powerless

by Christopher de Vinck
Crossroad (2002)

Originally published in 1988, this much-celebrated book tells the story of the author’s brother, Oliver, who had severe disabilities, but who also taught the people around him the deepest lessons about life, love, and faith.

Angel Behind the Rocking Chair: Stories of Hope in Unexpected Places

by Pam Vredevelt
Multnomah Publishers (1997)

This is a mother’s account of the journey of having a son, Nathan, who has Down syndrome, and of finding joy and hope in the midst of disappointment and stuggle. Honestly and humorously told, her story is especially recommended for parents of children with disabilities.

Expecting Adam

by Martha Beck
Berkley Books (1999)

The conception and birth of Adam, who has Down syndrome, changed the life of his family in deep and dramatic ways.  Expecting Adam is his mother’s account of the spiritual discovery that led them away from lives dedicated to professional success at Harvard and toward a whole new way of seeing and being.

You Will Dream New Dreams

edited by Stanley D. Klein, Ph.D. and Kim Schive
Kensington Books (2001)

A book of short personal stories by parents of children with disabilities. The stories contain bits of wisdom, ways families coped, and what they learned from their experiences.  A good book for anyone who has a friend with a child recently diagnosed with a disability, giving great advice in an inspiring manner about how to respond. Easy read, very inspiring, and will touch your heart and hopefully the words you speak!

The Picture Communication Symbols Guide

by Roxanna M. Johnson, M.A., CCC
Mayer-Johnson Co. (1995)

Learn how to use Picture Communication Symbols, comprised of simple line drawings and symbols, to better communicate with friends who have difficulty with language.

Adam: God’s Beloved

by Henri Nouwen
Orbis Books (1997)

This is a must-read for Friendship leaders and mentors. The story of the author and his friend, Adam, explores the ways our friends help us to become more intimate with God. It also leads us to think more deeply about the mutuality we experience in our Friendship groups.

No Disabled Souls: How to Welcome People with Disabilities into Your Life and Your Church

by Jim Pierson
Standard Publishing (1998)

This book is an easy read for those wishing to begin a disability ministry. It will encourage you through stories to rethink how you view people with disabilities and their role in your life and church.

His Name is Joel: Searching for God in a Son’s Disability

by Kathleen Deyer Bolduc
Bridge Resources (1999)

Kathleen Deyer Bolduc writes about her son Joel, who has moderate intellectual disabilities and mild autism. She says in her introduction, "This is the story of my search for God in the midst of disability; the story of my attempt to make sense of something utterly senseless - a beautiful boy with a damaged brain." It will help Friendship leaders and mentors to understand a parent's perspective.

Journal of Religion, Disability and Health

edited by William C. Gaventa, MDiv, and David L.Coulter, MD Haworth Press

Articles are from many different sources and provide the reader with perspectives on issues relating to people with intellectual disabilities. A subscription is $60.00 a year. www.haworthpressinc.com/web/JRDH/

The Pastoral Voice of Robert Perske

edited by William C. Gaventa, MDiv, and David L. Coulter, MD
Haworth Pastoral Press (2003)

This is a collection of writings by a chaplain working in a state institution in the 1960s. Robert Perske writes about training seminarians and working with the people who lived in the institutions. Even though some of the language is outdated, many of the thoughts expressed are still very valid for us today. Recommended for chaplains, pastors, and seminary students, as well as Friendship leaders.

*co-published simultaneously as Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, Volume 7.

On the Road to Congregational Inclusion: Dimensions of Faith and Congregational Ministries with Persons with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

This is a bibliography and address listing of resources and organizations for clergy, laypersons, families, and service providers. It is the largest compilation of resources we know of and is downloadable here.

We will be adding new titles periodically, so watch this space….

Friendship Ministries encourages you to evaluate resources listed on our website yourself. We can assume no liability in the recommendation of any product, service, or organization. Please note that not all resources are written from a Christian perspective.

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