Dr Kelly Fleming

Life is a journey, each person's journey is unique.

disability

  • Helping Others

    I have found that one of the things that gives me great joy, peace and fulfillment is helping others. Although I may not be able to help others physically, I am able to talk to them. I can listen to them. They can trust me to open up about things that are important to them. Read more

  • Catching Up

    I took a short break from blogging to set up a plan for the upcoming year. This past decade has been difficult with all the losses I’ve been through. I’m a certified Pastoral Counsellor and up until my own world fell apart in 2013, I enjoyed was blessed to help others deal with their mental Read more

  • Rolling on the Trails

    How often do you walk or run? I can’t walk and I definitely can’t run. That doesn’t stop me from getting on the trails or taking long walks. Being outdoors is a challenge for me. I have anxiety about going out on my own when I don’t have a service dog. Right now, I’m waiting Read more

  • Fighting for Equality

    It has been some time since I have had a chance to write. As a Deaf person, I have spent the greater time of my life fighting against discrimination. It seems this fight is never-ending. I have spent the past 2.5 years fighting for my basic rights for access to an important communication method which Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 24

    Disabled people provide a powerful message to others through their bodies. Their physical presence is a way of preaching and living the Gospel. In every community, the presence of disabled people in leadership, theological studies and missionary work break through historically influenced stereotypes that exist within the Church. Their presence becomes a strong force of Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 23

    Missionary organizations need to rip up their stereotypical criteria sheet and welcome disabled people into the missionary field. It is only by doing this, that barriers will be shattered, just as the friends of the disabled man who tore off the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching, motivated by faith. We need to Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 22

    We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 21

    Joni Eareakson Tada, who had a diving accident in 1967 at the age of 17 which left her a complete quadriplegic, has spoken about her experience in outreach missionary work. Joni and Friends is an outreach ministry that provides wheelchairs to those in need in developing countries. Amongst other specialized ministries, this organization reaches into Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 20

    One large outreach ministry that is severely lacking in inclusion of disabled people is missionary work. When disabled people apply to be overseas missionaries, they are, for the most part, turned down. Missionary organizations have developed a criterion that matches the stereotypes of mainstream society. Missionaries are expected to be physically fit, physically strong, and Read more

  • Inclusion in the Church – Part 19

    Outreach ministry to the disabled community needs to focus on inclusion on the local level of accessibility and inclusion in congregations. Outreach ministry to disabled people and their families cannot be confined within the limits of the walls of a Church building. Jesus told us to go forth to the people, to preach the Gospel, Read more