It’s Learning Disability Week – why we need to do more to help Christians with additional needs grow in their faith

Author of Living Well With God, Jo Acharya explains why we all benefit from supporting those with additional needs.

Andrew loves to talk about trains. He struggles with social cues but can recite a dozen Bible verses from memory. Mary wishes she was "normal". She can’t read or write but prays sensitively for people in need and cares deeply about her friends. Laura has no speech and needs support with everyday tasks. She has a lively sense of humour and her smile lights up the room. Andrew, Mary and Laura are adults with additional needs, with unique challenges and unique gifts.

It was 18 years ago that I started a new job supporting adults with additional needs. At first I didn’t know how to "be" with them. I worried that I might accidentally patronise or offend somebody. I felt awkward trying to communicate with those whose speech was limited or hard to understand. But as I got to know the individuals I was working with, I quickly became more comfortable. Some had a blunt honesty I found refreshing. Others had a wonderful lack of self-consciousness that made me relax too. Working with people with additional needs gave me freedom to be creative and try new things, to take myself less seriously, to be more fully myself.