Today is World Down Syndrome Day, so having a disability advocate on the podcast seemed perfect. I’m so excited to be chatting with Lindsey West of Uniquely Catholic. Lindsey and I talk about how her son’s autism diagnosis got her started on her advocacy journey, what steps parishes can take to be more welcoming to our brothers and sisters with different abilities, and why “different, not less” is such a Catholic sentiment. Intersectionality is important to the Catholic Feminist Podcast and fighting for the rights of ALL of our sisters, no matter their skin color, poverty level, or abilities, is a key tenant of our view of feminism. Next month is Autism Awareness Month and if something in this episode resonates with you, I hope you can either reach out to Lindsey or put something into action in your own parish.
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Topics discussed:
- How Lindsey's son's diagnosis kickstarted her advocacy journey
- What autism is and how it manifests
- The issue with "silo ministries"
- How the average Catholic woman can love her sisters with disabilities a little better
- How Lindsey started helping parishes understand the need for more disability integration