Resolution on full Inclusion and Justice for People with Disabilities - Presented at Annual Conference 2025
Aldersgate is advocating at annual conference, This Resolution was presented at the North Georgia UMC annual conference 2025. It had a few friendly amendments but this is the original resolution. When the conference handbook is completed we will add the final version.
Resolution on Full Inclusion and Justice for People with Disabilities
Submitted to the North Georgia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church
June 5, 2025
WHEREAS, the United Methodist Church affirms in our Social Principles that every person has sacred and inherent worth and is created in the image of God (¶163, Basic Rights and Freedoms, Preface, Book of Discipline 2020/2024); and
WHEREAS, people with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers to full participation in society, including in the Church, in education, in employment, and in access to health care and public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, yet enforcement and implementation remain inconsistent across the nation; and
WHEREAS, the 2020/2024 General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted Resolution 4286, “The Church and Disability,” calling the Church to renewed commitment to the full inclusion, participation, and empowerment of persons with disabilities in all aspects of church life; and
WHEREAS, policies implemented by current government leaders—including attempts to decimate Medicaid,[1] roll back disability protections in education, create a database based on private medical records of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and reduce federal oversight of disability rights enforcement—have disproportionately harmed people with disabilities, undermining their dignity, access, and rights. These same policies also included defunding or deprioritizing federal support for research and innovation that has historically improved the lives of disabled people through advances in assistive technology, inclusive education, and community-based care models; and
WHEREAS, the teachings of Jesus call us to be a Church where the last are first and all are welcomed at the table of grace and justice;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church reaffirms its commitment to full inclusion, participation, and leadership of people with disabilities in every aspect of church life and ministry; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the North Georgia Annual Conference calls upon government officials to remember their responsibilities to protect the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this conference calls upon all United Methodist local churches, boards, commissions, and agencies in The North Georgia Annual Conference to audit and address physical, attitudinal, and systemic barriers that prevent the full inclusion of people with disabilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The North Georgia Annual Conference repudiates public policies—such as those enacted or proposed during current administrations—that diminish the civil rights, protections, or services essential to the well-being of people with disabilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this conference urges United Methodist members of The North Georgia Annual Conference to advocate at local, state, and national levels for legislation and public policy that protect and expand the rights of people with disabilities, including robust funding for Medicaid, inclusive education, accessible transportation, and equitable employment opportunities.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we recommit ourselves to the vision of a Church and society in which all people, of all abilities, are not merely accommodated but are fully embraced as beloved children of God, vital to the life and leadership of the Church.
Submitted by:
Nancy Johnson, President, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Anne Hanson, Executive Director, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood
Dondra Davis, Co-Chair, Conference Disability Awareness Committee
Abigail Burle, Co-Chair, Conference Disability Awareness Committee
Dana Ezell, Vice President, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Chris Rapko, Vice President, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Whitney Brown, Treasurer, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Max Caylor, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Mary Alice Collier, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Bob Crouch, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Whitney Hair, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Gué Hudson, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Bobby Jones, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Elizabeth Nall, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Scott Parrish, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Marian Wilder, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Mary Yoder, Aldersgate/Camp Collinswood Board of Directors
Mark Crenshaw, Lay Member
[1]18 percent of Georgians receive Medicaid, and 3 in 10 disabled Georgians utilize Medicaid for healthcare and home and community-based services. See Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, “Medicaid in Georgia” and The Kaiser Family Foundation, “Medicaid in Georgia,” <https://files.kff.org/attachment/fact-sheet-medicaid-state-GA> (Accessed on May 17, 2025).
