The documents that our nation holds with most respect, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights shapes our democracy and remain a vital symbol of the freedoms we honor as citizens and in our American culture. We are still creating a more perfect union, and one of the ways we do this in practice is how we view each person as an individual, both in federal law and promises we make to each other in our church and spiritual communities.
As a Unitarian Universalist, I am always exercising the rights expressed in our country’s Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly and petition of our government. For example, how many Unitarian Universalists speak out against injustices by protesting and writing letters to government officials? This is one of the ways we are free to practice our own beliefs and be a contributing member of our society. But what happens when you feel like you can only practice some of these freedoms in a smaller, maybe less significant way because of your body and mobility issues? I have honestly struggled with this, and I know there are people that can relate to my story.
As I have written, I live with Spina Bifida. I use a wheelchair and my freedom of accessibility is something I am always working on and trying to accept where my body is in each moment. There are moments where I know I can’t drive somewhere I want to, just to be free from my house and the same things I do to keep busy, but I am grateful for what I do have in my life.
I don’t feel detached from my peers, friends, and church community as much as I used to. In fact, my church community was probably the first to say they will meet me where I am at – spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes physically too. The people at UUCFM are with me in spirit when I say “I feel stuck,” but there are always ways I feel lifted emotionally and comforted in and by my faith with them.
I mention feeling less significant to a larger purpose, in respect to my disability. In the practice of my freedoms of speech and religion, I have found ways to raise my voice when facing and witnessing injustice of accessibility, and even as a bisexual woman – with sexism, ableism, and sometimes instances of homophobia. I know I can be more free in Unitarian Universalism to express these feelings and reach out to someone who is willing to be with me wherever I am in a moment of feeling dehumanized. I am free to reconnect to the still, small voice inside of me that says “Breathe, and be free again.”
Our church is actively involved in several civil rights groups and holds social justice actions occasionally. Most of the time, I am able to attend them if they are at church or close to it. But I feel helpless when I want to commit to something I am passionate about, but cannot be there physically. At this point, I usually resort to Facebook posts and blogging, and it feels less significant than being a body on a streetcorner, but I am still being heard and sharing my passions and commitment to social justice.
My freedom of speech is exercised by being with others and opening discussions on labels society puts on people, and how we can re-shape how individuals feel about “those who are different” by risking vulnerability. As you may have noticed, I frequently say “living with a disability (or Spina Bifida)” and not “confined to a chair” or any other self-limiting phrase. It is my choice, and it is respected in our church community.
Language and the freedom to use my own voice is the best way I can hopefully spark a bit of change and evolve our country’s ideas of what it is like to live with a disability. With any social group, there is always dissonance in what should be considered “right” in addressing people, but the first move is to engage in conversation and to respect where each person is at on their path to freedom.
A Haiku for Inclusion:
I ask you to help
Let me know you are with me
Look me in the eye
There is still more work to be done in our democracy and in our hearts and minds. Join with me to create a more loving and truly free space to be this Independence Day.
- Alison Carville -
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