The April 2021 edition of Living Lutheran magazine included an article I wrote, titled “The Power of an Autism Diagnosis: Tips to Make the Church More Accessible.” I’m thrilled to be getting the word out about autism accessibility in the church, beyond the two articles I’ve written for the Sparkhouse blog. As I explain in the post, I love being autistic, and autistic people will be autistic regardless of whether we get diagnosed; the beauty of a diagnosis is that it helps us understand why we are the way we are, and thus gives us tools we can use to advocate for ourselves.

I hope I can be part of a shift in the church when it comes to accessibility, as well as when it comes to acceptance and celebration of disabled people as we are. Those of us who are Christian must remember that disabled folks are the imago dei to exactly the same extent as everyone else—not despite our disabilities or on the condition that we pray for healing, but as we are—and that it is indeed Christ-like to make sure everyone who wants to access our church community can do so. All are not welcome until everyone has access.