Contact NCC News Service: 212-870-2228  |  E-mail mailto:pjenks@ncccusa.org   |  Most Recent Stories   |  NCC Home

A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities

Begins 11/14/2010
Horizons of the Spirit

New York, October 20, 2010 -- Making faith communities more accessible to persons with disabilities is the topic of a unique interfaith documentary that will air on many NBC-TV affiliates nationwide beginning November 14

 

A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities is presented by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC), a coalition of Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic faith groups, as part of NBC’s 2010 Horizons of the Spirit series. 

 

The issue addressed by the program is critical, as it is estimated that 1 out of 5 Americans has a disability, says The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches.  In the documentary, Kinnamon notes that both the faith community and the persons with disabilities lose when special needs aren’t properly addressed.

 

“There’s no substitute for face-to-face faith interaction,” Kinnamon reminds the viewers, noting that faith groups, of all the organizations in society, should be at the forefront of facilitating the full participation of those with disabilities in every aspect of community life.

Other faith leaders contributing include: Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis, Bishop Peggy Johnson of the United Methodist Church; Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America; Rev. Bill Gaventa, Director of Community and Congregational Supports at The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 

Others interviewed include Rev. Bill Bixby, Director Of Youth Ministry, ELCA; Imam Mohamed Magid, Executive Director, All Dulles Area Muslim Society and Rabbi Robert Levine, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, New York.

The documentary also features Rabbi Darby Leigh, spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Keshet in New Jersey and one of the handful of deaf rabbis in the world; members of ELCA’s DAYLE program where Definitely Abled Youth gather at the 40,000 strong triennial Evangelical Lutheran youth gathering; Pastor Beth Lockard, the leader of Christ the King Deaf Church; and Brandon Kaplan, a severely disabled boy with limited sight and speech who recently had the privilege of becoming a Bar Mitzvah.

 

NBC stations may begin airing the program at local times on November 14, 2010 as part of NBC’s Horizon's of the Spirit series, in cooperation with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC). The documentary is produced by Debra Gonsher Vinik.

A partial list of stations planning to carry the program is below. Additional stations will be posted at www.interfaithbroadcasting.com. Call your local station to ask that this important documentary be aired. A trailer can be viewed here.

On the Air   
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
KTUU TV02  NBC
Anchorage, AK
11/20/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
KSBW TV08  NBC
Salinas, CA
12/5/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
KTIV TV04  NBC
Sioux City, IA
11/14/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WMAQ TV05  NBC
Chicago, IL
11/25/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WNDU TV16  NBC
South Bend, IN
11/25/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WNKY TV40  NBC
Bowling Green, KY
11/14/2010  10:30 AM
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WNKY TV40  NBC
Bowling Green, KY
11/14/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WPTZ TV05  NBC
Plattsburgh, NY
11/24/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WICU TV12  NBC
Erie, PA
11/13/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WNNE TV31  NBC
White River Junction, VT
11/24/2010 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WBOY TV12  NBC
Clarksburg, WV
11/14/2010 
The following stations have indicated interest in the program. Please contact your local affiliate to ask when they will be airing the program.    
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WEYI TV25  NBC
Clio, MI
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WFLA TV08  NBC
Tampa, FL
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
KYTV TV03  NBC
Springfield, MO
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WITN TV07  NBC
Washington, NC
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WITN TV07  NBC
Washington, NC
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
KGW TV08  NBC
Portland, OR
 
A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities
WJAC TV06  NBC
Johnstown, PA

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 36 member faith groups -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org

Return to NCC Home Page