A Critical Analysis of how the Lives and Experiences of Persons with Disabilities and/or their Communities Express Prayer in Distinctive, Constructive, or Liberative Ways

Within the theological study of disability, prayer has most often been discussed in the context of creating inclusive liturgy, deconstructing harmful approaches (prayer used to “heal” someone with a disability), offering complimentary therapy to manage pain or promote psychological well-being. Prayer, as an individual spiritual practice by disabled people, remains underexplored within the field of disability theology. Prayer as a way to transcend the physical pain and social isolation that often accompanies disability (due to the social construction of disability). My paper explores the liberative aspects of prayer (transcendence) for disabled people. Drawing on her personal experience of disability, Susan Wendell articulates the need for transcendence from the “rejected body.” Simone Weil expands Wendell’s conception of spiritual transcendence, offering prayer as a mode of spiritual transcendence from affliction. I argue that prayer can lead to spiritual transcendence, which alleviates suffering for disabled people through union with God.