Episode 111: Blind Faith

Churches and other religious institutions are exempt from the Americans With Disabilities Act. Here's why that's BS.

Transcript

TRANSCRIPT OF “BLIND FAITH”

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MALE VO [00:03]
This is Bad Attitudes.

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LAURA [00:20]
Hello friends and strangers, and welcome to another episode of Bad Attitudes: An Uninspiring Podcast About Disability. I’m your host, Laura.

Have you heard the one about the service dog walking into the church? It’s not a joke, and it’s not remotely funny.

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As always, I want to remind you that disability is not a monolith. My experience as a disabled person is going to be different from the experiences of other disabled people. I am one voice for the disabled community but I am not the only voice.

[02:24]
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A story recently came out of Bryan, Texas, where a blind woman was denied access to a church because her service dog was not allowed in. Well, technically, according to church officials, the woman wasn’t denied anything, just the dog.

Mari Ramos is blind, and like many blind people, she has a guide dog to help her navigate the world. By denying access to her dog, Betty, the church also denied access to Mari, who NEEDS Betty by her side.

The church was not named because, surprise, the church didn’t break any laws.

Religious institutions are exempt from following the Americans with Disabilities Act, so they are within their, quote, “rights,” to deny access to service animals.

Courts have upheld religious institutions’ exemptions from the ADA because it might be seen as violating the First Amendment. An article from Respectability.org states, “Exempting religious organizations from the ADA’s equal access standards allows them to erect structures and deliver activities according to their religious convictions.”

Which, if you ask me, is complete and utter bullshit. How, exactly, does making structures and activities accessible to the disabled community run counter to religious convictions? Unless your religious convictions state that disabled people are to be purposefully excluded? THAT certainly seems to run counter to the basic tenets of most major religions.

Unfortunately, it’s not hard to believe that that WOULD be the case. I’ve spoken at length about the way extremely religious non-disabled people tend to view disabled people. We aren’t whole, we need to be healed, and we can only be healed by THEIR righteousness. The Respectability article goes on to interview a Catholic wheelchair user, who often heard other church members make comments about disability as a burden and being associated with sin.

If you ask me, the worst thing about God is his followers.

This is known as the moral model of disability, under which people are considered morally responsible for their disability, either as punishment for sin or as manifesting evil. When I was younger, I often wondered if I was being punished for the so-called “sins of my father.” I guess I’m more likely to be considered the manifestation of evil, at least under the moral model.

I’m okay with that.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that religious institutions are exempt from following the ADA. I also think it’s fucking ridiculous that they don’t have to pay taxes. I understand the reasoning. It’s supposed to be about the separation of church and state. If churches pay taxes, the government would be expected to take their thoughts on board regarding various legislation. News flash: Churches are already influencing politics. They need to pay their fucking taxes.

But, I digress.

There’s a lot of worry over the fact that people are leaving religion in droves, but, gee, I wonder why they’re leaving. Why wouldn’t someone stick around where they are clearly unwelcome? Why wouldn’t they keep coming back to have abuse heaped upon them?

I know the Texas church didn’t break any laws, but I wish its name had been released. I think people deserve to know when a Christian institution so clearly flouts Jesus’s message of acceptance.

Moreover, I think the average person would EXPECT a church or religious institution to WANT to comply with the ADA. How many church signs do you pass on average with a message like, “All welcome here.” I would bet money that the church in Texas at one point or another had a similar sign outside its door. 

I thought the commandment was, “Thou shalt not lie.”

According to the story, the reason the church did not allow Mari’s service dog in was because of a band and flashing lights. The church thought that wouldn’t be “appropriate” for a service animal.

I would really like to press church officials on what they mean by “appropriate.” Was the material too mature for the dog? Were they worried the dog might be offended? Or did they think the music and light show would send the dog into Kujo mode?

Obviously, there is a lack of understanding about service animals, how they work, and how they’re trained. Service animals undergo rigorous training to be able to behave in all kinds of environments, including loud and active environments — like a church service with a band and flashing lights. And it is up to the dog’s handler whether or not the dog can handle a certain environment.

Is it any wonder that a consistent refrain among disabled people is that we don’t feel welcome in the world we live in? The things we need to successfully move through the world, whether that’s a mobility device or a service animal, are looked upon with frustration at best and disdain at worst. The place that is supposed to be one of the most welcoming is just out here being like, “Nah.”

The church officials in Texas liked to split hairs and say they didn’t deny Mari, just her dog, Betty. Except Betty is Mari’s constant companion, and splitting them up is not an option. Or do you not know what “constant” means? While, technically, they didn’t deny Mari access to the church, they did so functionally. Mari might be allowed to go inside, but without Betty, she can’t. Ipso facto, or whatever Latin phrase is correct, Mari was denied access because of her disability.

The story portrayed Mari as sad and embarrassed, and I’m sure she was. What I would have liked to hear from her was anger. I think not enough disabled people are ANGRY about being treated like second-class citizens.

Don’t get me wrong, I know what happens when a disabled person expresses anger. We get labeled as bitter, and our concerns aren’t taken seriously. But if enough of us express our anger collectively, they might be.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll talk to you in the next one.

[08:52]
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