Triumph in Israel

I'm happy to report that our "Access to the Land" Biblical study program with disabled men and women was an overwhelming success. It was a more arduous task than our program in 1987 since we had a larger number of wheelchair users. But this only resulted in a greater sense of accomplishment. Our expert guide, Scripture Professor Fr. Donald Senior, C.P., would outline each day's activities, describing the difficulties of managing particular sites, and asking the group if they wanted to try it. Inevitably, there was a roar of "let's go for it!". And go for it they did. Day by day, each person in a wheelchair was pushed manually on to our make-shift "accessible" bus, the chair elaborately secured with straps. This system was then reversed when we reached the various historic sites: the Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Wailing Wall, the Sea of Galilee (even a swim there), Nazareth, Cana, the Desert, Masada, the Dead Sea, and more. Driving along the highways and by-ways and at each location, Don lectured on the secular and Biblical history in minute scholarly detail. For people who are often so confined by lack of access and unable to get around even in their own cities or towns, one can imagine what a thrilling adventure this was for them.

Each disabled person had the assistance of a non-disabled companion. These helpers had the privilege of learning and experiencing what 'round-the-clock-efforts' people with disabilities must exert to bathe, dress, groom, eat, move around, -even maintain their wheelchairs or other equipment in order to function throughout the day. Also, a bonus lesson was provided in having with us our own modern-day Mary and Elizabeth, spritely young respectively at 75 and 71. What an enriching sight watching Mary carefully guiding Elizabeth, who is blind, to each ancient pillar, statue, stone, carving, - then taking Elizabeth's hand to the object, describing it. Watching Elizabeth touching and caressing the stones, statues, pillars - her head slightly tilted to catch every word and sound was a masterpiece cameo of the adaptations the human mind and spirit can make to allow wonder, learning, experiencing, to continue unabated despite a sensory limitation.

Even the professional nurses in our group, as well as those of us who are regularly involved with disabled people, got an in-depth education by this sharing of life, morning, noon and night. This education was not only on the conditions of life coping with a disability, but more than that, understanding the spirit in disabled people in cherishing and nurturing life, despite any limitations, and the incessant exertion necessary to live one's life as fully as possible.

This was manifested so strikingly in our group. Twelve of our participants use wheelchairs for mobility. Some are quadriplegics, others have upper body impairment which prevents full functioning. With few exceptions, the major biblical sites are most difficult to access, even for able-bodied persons, let alone those who are disabled. But none of the latter would be denied. Over uneven rocky/cracked pavements, through sand, on stones, over gravel and hills, lifting and pushing in tropical heat, using our portable ramps, all of us managed to get to those sites and to savor them as if we were the ancient Hebrews reaching the Promised Land - or the crowds of sick and disabled people tracking down Jesus in his day. It was a classic example of what the human spirit can do to transcend difficulties when there is collaborative assistance.

Some of the helpers have used the word 'Inspired' in describing their reactions. Usually, disabled people don't like to be put in the category of 'inspirers' . But they do appreciate it when able-bodied persons learn from them and their experiences. In theological circles, current parlance speaks of "reverse evangelization", notably, ministers of religion and others being evangelized by the people they serve. This certainly was true in this close encounter.

One of our nurses precisely caught this as she put it in a letter to me: "Last night we looked at the slides of the trip to Israel. I was struck by the faces of our disabled friends. There was a radiance and a joy in their expressions that jumped out at the observers. What a beautiful group of people they were. If we able-bodied are willing to learn, they have so much to teach us....There have been many graces showered on me in my life. Surely this is high on the list." This effect on us 'helpers' will never be lost. It is as enduring as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, The Dead Sea, the Golan Heights, the Desert, The Sea of Galilee - The Land!

As many of you know, Stauros is primarily involved with all the causes of disenfranchised disabled men, women, and children. Being a part of the Passionist Community at Catholic Theological Union (CTU), the largest Roman Catholic school of theology in the U.S., it has an effect on the entire school. The backbone of Stauros for the last 8 years is a disabled woman, Judy Benson, who has MS, and uses a wheelchair, is one of the country's foremost advocates. She volunteers her services at Stauros, advises and assists both faculty members and students, is invited to address various classes, and, in a nutshell, her presence has helped to sensitize CTU on all matters concerning people with disabilities. This in turn prompted the aforementioned Fr. Donald Senior, who was in charge of the on-going Israel Study Programs conducted for CTU students, asked us in Stauros if we would be interested in promoting a mini-study program in Israel with disabled persons. We jumped at it, and began raising funds for it. With Judy's expertise we were able to put the multiple pieces together on how to manage this unprecedented and formidable program. Our first program in 1987 was eminently successful, so much so that we could not do otherwise than try again. All our hopes and expectations were more than fulfilled in this second program. As far as we know, it remains the first of its kind.

This 'Access to the Land' program, which only included 16 disabled people and 18 assistants, may seem to some as a very costly 'pious exercise' for a privileged few, and an event with no relationship to the social justice struggles for the civil rights of all disabled people. Not so!

Unfortunately, Churches have practiced a 'benign neglect' in not integrating disabled people into mainstream activities. Frank Bowe, the deaf author who chronicled the history of disabled people in his book, Handicapping America, writes: "The example set by Jesus in seeking out and helping disabled people inaugurated a new period of sympathy and pity towards persons with disabilities. Church men and women began to organize services for disabled persons, doing much that was needed but also creating a provider-receiver relationship that continues to this day to characterize charitable causes. By supplying food and shelter, religious groups assumed a position as providers, a position of superiority and control. The price was a stiff one for the receiver - dislocation, often, and subservience that carried with it a loss of autonomy and self-determination." (Bowe, Handicapping America, Harper & Row, p.6&7.)

Even up to recent times, Roman Catholic Church Law forbade disabled people to be Ordained, or to enter Religious Communities. This has changed, but in many instances, some Dioceses and Religious Communities still are reluctant to accept much less recruit disabled candidates. One of our Israel participants who has cerebral palsy related how he applied in his parish to become a Deacon, but was turned down. Fortunately, by reason of his Bishop intervening, he was accepted and has been ordained a Deacon. Among other ministries, he serves as a chaplain in a prison.

Currently, a landmark piece of legislation, The Americans With Disabilities Act, is winding its way through Congress and is expected to be signed into law by the President. It is a sweeping new anti-discrimination bill which equates denying a physically or mentally disabled person access to employment or to a building, transportation or communications services with denying access to someone on the basis of race, religion or gender. It is the culmination of a 25 year struggle by disability rights activists to secure freedom for persons who are now, or will become, disabled.

As Coordinator for our 1989 'Access to the Land' program, Judy reported that her greatest satisfaction came from two comments made by disabled participants upon returning home: "I was amazed that we were included in every aspect of decision-making while in Israel...every discussion, every planning session included our opinions and input...I never had my equality so openly acknowledged." And the second comment: "We, all of us disabled on the trip, were treated with such dignity..." That was confirmation that we had succeeded not only in conducting an important educational program for disabled persons, but that it could be administered in such a way as to affirm the humanity of those disabled persons who participated.

Through the 1987 program and this latest one we have seen some precious tangential benefits in catching the attention of the airlines, travel agents, hotel owners in Israel, and many travelers who asked how we were able to do this. In dealing with our travel agent and Pan Am in particular, we have helped to bring about greater sensitivity in airline 'accessibility' - testing their prohibitions, accessing the restrooms, methods of assisting a large group of disabled persons, etc. The same is the case with our agent in Israel. This second time around, the improvements were noticeable. The same was the case in Israel at the two hotels we use, and the bus arrangements. We even had a representative of a Belgian Bus Company bring their newest accessible bus for a demonstration. It has a hydraulic lift with built-in tie-downs to secure wheelchairs. Wherever we went, there were shop-keepers, people in the street, and tourists asking all kinds of questions on how we did this. The small army of souvenir salesmen crowding every major site swooped down on our group, but got entranced inspecting our wheelchairs and gaping at our crowd as if we had flown in from another planet. Even the camel grooms, hawking camel rides, lowered their price for our group, and, with all of us helping and praying, managed to get our most disabled friends atop these misshapen quadrupeds who even seemed to smile at this novelty.

What sadly occurred to us in that land was the fact that few, if any disabled natives were seen by us. Recent statistics report that there are 10,000 amputees alone in Israel. With the violence there, along with the rugged conditions of the land, there has to be a larger percentage of disabled people than in the more developed countries. In the U.S., one of every 8 persons has a disability. One can only guess what the percentage is there and what equipment is available to them.

One of our biggest benefactors for this program was CapCities/ABC. Through the generosity of its President, Mr. Dan Burke, and the staff in Israel, a cameraman and an assistant traveled with us for three days, filming all of our activities so professionally, interviewing participants, even lending a hand when a wheelchair was stuck. Before we embarked for home, I had a marvelous visit with the personnel in the Tel Aviv ABC office. They could not have been more gracious, as well as curious to hear all about our program, and even thanked me for giving them the opportunity to help us. They provided us with a bundle of tapes for broadcast and home use. As soon as we get them edited and reproduced, each member of our group will have a remembrance in living color of this peak experience. It will also be a very valuable 'tool' to publicize the causes of disabled persons.

From all of us, a thank you to all of you - our Stauros friends who supported this program by your contributions and prayers. Now we are looking ahead to another Israel Study Program if we can raise the necessary funds.