Crippling Assumptions: Disability, Mental Illness, and the Myth of the Able-Bodied Disciple

Individuals with intellectual disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of depression and anxiety (Mrayyan et al. 2019, 1), yet communication deficits often render these conditions undiagnosed and untreated. Conventional mental healthcare, which prioritizes medication and controlled environments, fails to address their holistic well-being. While recent literature explores spiritual care as a tool for alleviating mental distress, individuals with intellectual disabilities are often excluded due to assumptions that cognitive impairments preclude meaningful spiritual engagement (Bertelli et al. 2020). This paper challenges such assumptions by employing a disability-enabling hermeneutic (Swinton, 2011) and a somatic reading of biblical narratives, alongside the author’s autoethnographic experience as a primary caregiver for a son with Down Syndrome. God, as revealed in Scripture, meets individuals within their unique capacities. These findings advocate for spirituality as a viable resource for individuals with intellectual disabilities while challenging exclusionary attitudes in church communities and the privileging of hyper-cognitive spiritual practices.