Only asking.
Only I have heard that they make a special efforts to recruit disabled people in my area.
Were there any disabled people in your congregation?
by badboy 14 Replies latest jw friends
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tazmaniac
I seem to remember a push back in the early '90s to reach all blind and handicapped people in our territories. Not too many disabled came in. Had many that became disabled after being in and growing old.
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mineralogist
Three in ours, who hardly ever come to the meetings anymore. Do you know more details about this?
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blondie
There's a push to make contact with nursing homes where many disabled live in this area. One or 2 in a wheelchair in most congregations. Older KHs still aren't accessible. One I went to had no accessible stalls for wheelchairs. A student came and found that out the hard way and had to go home. The restrooms are still not accessible 3 years later.
By disabled to you mean deaf? Some areas make a more concerted effort to recruit among the deaf population. Many JW congregations for the deaf are 50% hearing and 50% deaf because so many hearing "go where the need is great" learning ASL. There was a group in this area but it was disbanded due to lack of interest. The elders find it distracting for someone to sign to someone in the back of the audience. One elder thought all deaf people could lip read, ha.
But recruiting the disabled specifically, no. Caring for their physical needs takes too much time and few at the KH want to do it.
Blondie
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badboy
I only know that they seem to have been a special effort to recruit the disabled in my area,some disabled people and/or their mothers came into jws,I even saw one with a smart suit etc etc,but it seems they gave up on him because he wasn't up to scratch.
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Nosferatu
There was one disabled person in our KH. He had a stroke, and one side of his body was paralyzed, but he could still walk - but very slowly with a cane. I believe he had the stroke after he came into the troof.
The thing was, at our old KH, the ladies bathroom was upstairs, and the mens was downstairs. This poor guy had no choice but to use the ladies bathroom.
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avishai
Yeah, my bro. is high functioning autistic. When he was little, they would'nt let him nap in the B room, even though it was nearly impossible w/ his meds for him to stay awake. They would'nt give him a bible study, and treated him with disdain in general.
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mineralogist
Some areas make a more concerted effort to recruit among the deaf population.
I just noticed the WT is semimonthly in ASL on Video and DVD
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Jahna
When I was a child there was a congregation within the congregation of deaf persons. Several people including my aunt translated the public talks for them then they would gather around in the back of the hall to have their own watchtower study. Today there is still a portion of the DC that caters to the deaf population and I have always been impressed by watching how they do all of the translation of the talks, and demonstrations. It also helped time fly by giving me something to see instead of the blur in the middle of auditorium.
Jahna -
badboy
Blondie, I understand that buildings should be accessible to disabled people, I sure hope they follow the letter of the law,the KHs.