‘People in church see my wheelchair before they see my gifts’

Disabled Christians are not there to be ‘cured’, cared for or pushed to the margins, argues Naomi Lawson Jacobs, who issues a clarion call for creating an accessible church culture and a community of justice

I am a disabled and neurodivergent person. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic condition that affects my joints and results in chronic pain and mobility difficulties, meaning I use a wheelchair out of doors. I was also late-diagnosed autistic in my 30s.

When I was diagnosed autistic it helped me to understand myself; I began to embrace my neurodivergence and differences as a unique gift from God. EDS is a genetic condition, so I was born with it, but it didn’t affect me much until my 20s. I became disabled suddenly and have experienced chronic pain and used a wheelchair ever since.