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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DISABILITIES
For the past 10 years, the NCCK Committee for Disabled Persons has held a joint conference with its counterpart from NCCJ (National Council of Churches in Japan). They alternate in hosting it. This year the conference was held in the Myongsong Retreat Centre in Jeju Island, April 30 – May 2. There were 30 participants from Korea and 23 were welcomed from Japan. The NCCK Disabled Peoples’ Committee had gathered all the presentations from the last 10 years into a book, printed in Korean and Japanese.
The theme of the Conference was “What is it to live as Disabled Persons in the Church Community?”
The day of arrival, the participants had meeting, greeting and orientation, then attended Wednesday evening Prayer service at YoungNak Church in Jeju City.
On the first full day, Miss Lee Ye Ja, the Chairperson of the NCCK Disabled Persons Committee presented the Keynote address with the title “Direction and Vision of the Mission for Disabled Persons after the WCC 10th Assembly”. She noted that the participation of disabled persons at the Assembly had significantly increased over other assemblies. They were active participants, represented as speakers, Bible study presiders, workshop presenters, etc., as well as having a Pre-Assembly event.
Rev. Lee had three suggestions for the churches’ mission to disabled persons: 1) to extend the mission to disabled persons, a change of concept is needed; 2) a policy needs to be established to enable disabled persons to participate equally in all events of the church; 3) extend a network for disabled persons beyond Korea, through Asia and the world.
Rev. Han Sung Hyun, who is a member of the NCCJ Committee presented a talk called “Barriers Over Communication”. He raised questions of terminology used to speak of disabled persons, which become barriers to full participation of people. He also talked about a social study of models for overcoming barriers. The Social model says that changes have to be made in systems so that persons can go forward into a barrier-free world, but the Cultural model says that persons must overcome the barriers in their way by freeing themselves from concepts that hold them back and live positively.
Fr. Hashimoto, a Priest of the Japanese Anglican Church and chair of the Japanese Committee expounded on the question of John 9: “Why was this man born blind?” He told the story of himself as a disabled person trying to make sense of his life with these words. As he came to accept his own disability, it enabled him to realize God’s love for him and his place as a precious child of God.
Rev. Choi Dae Yeol presented on “Faith and Disabled Persons in the Church Community”. The call of ecclesiology is to make the church one body in Jesus, overcoming what distinguishes between abled and disabled persons.
Deacon Park Seung You shared his life story. In his 20’s he experienced a car accident, and afterwards he faced serious prejudice and discrimination as a disabled person. He has considered ways for disabled persons to realize themselves as co-workers in the church community. A) change facilities so that there is a guarantee of the possibility of free movement for everyone. B) use education in the church community to change the concept of disabled persons, and C) the church family needs to hold the disabled, healing their traumas and giving them care.
The next day, before going home, the participants did some sight seeing, visiting the 4.3 Peace Centre and hearing the sad history of the Jeju Massacre, then visited a Children’s rehabilitation facility, and then the seaside. |
