Partnering with Other Professionals

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend two separate trainings for catechists (religious education teachers) in the Archdiocese of Washington. The purpose of these trainings was to offer practical tips for the volunteers working as catechists to help meet the diverse learning needs of all the children in their classroom. The trainings were given by educational and health care professionals; one a special education teacher, the other a speech and language pathologist. These professionals gave very practical strategies that the volunteer can use in their catechetical setting. Topics covered classroom management, setting up the environment, sensory processing issues, and modifying and adapting the curriculum, just to name a few. Some of the strategies I recognized from my time in occupational therapy school and some of them were new to me from the pastoral and educational fields.

The take away message that I received was that children who have special needs or require accommodations in the classroom at their school should also have the same accommodations in parish religious education programs. Health care and educational professionals were willing to give of their time to share what common accommodations in the school setting are and how to implement them appropriately into the religious education classroom.

This caused me to reflect on the valuable experiences that can result from health care and educational professionals collaborating with the lay faithful working in ministry. After attending these trainings I began to reflect and came up with a short list of ideas with the help of some of the professionals I spoke with and from the information I learned at the trainings. Perhaps you have some more to add from your experience.

For priests, parish administrators, and staff

• Reach out and network with the health care and educational professionals in your parish. They can be a wealth of knowledge when thinking about how to better reach children with diverse learning needs in your religious education programs as well as persons with disabilities in your parish.
• Make an announcement in the bulletin asking for contact information of these health care and educational professionals. Build a database of willing and interested professionals to call upon to host trainings on their area of expertise or volunteer in some other capacity.
• Host a meet and greet event for health care and educational professionals at your parish. This would be a great opportunity for everyone to get connected and share ideas on how to proceed (start a committee, host trainings, and support each other in their work…)

For health care and educational professionals

• Reach out and make yourself available to your parish community. The knowledge and experience that you have can be of great benefit to your parish. Maybe a disability ministry exists, or maybe your parish has a specific need that you can help with. By reaching out and offering to help you might be surprised how you’ll be able to serve and what you’ll learn.
• Many of the people that I have spoken to in church ministry are always looking for professionals to share their gifts and talents. Check with your local diocese and see if there is a disability ministry office. These offices usually host events for people with disabilities and their families that you could be a part of, if your schedule allows.
• Host trainings or even an informal presentation about your area of expertise for volunteers and parishioners. This is an excellent way to share your knowledge and to raise awareness about your profession and the people you serve.

For persons with disabilities and their families

• Talk with your health care providers (OT, PT, Speech Therapy, Doctors, Nurses, etc...) and educators and let them know that your faith is a priority for you. For example when setting goals in OT, mention that you or your child participates in church activities and religious education and that it is an important part of your family life. The professionals that you work with should respect this and work to help you to meet your goals in this area.
• If you know of a Catholic teacher or practitioner who is living out their faith, perhaps you could suggest to them to share their talents with their local faith community.
• If you feel comfortable and have the time, share with your parish catechetical leader or other parish staff that your child has special accommodations in the classroom or is receiving therapy. Perhaps you could connect your child’s public school teacher or medical personnel and parish catechetical staff or volunteer to share tips that work for your child in order for them to learn the best.
• Consider how you can be of service to the parish. Share your time and talents by becoming a greeter, lector, a member of the choir, or any other area of church ministry.