INDIAN DISABILITY ECUMENICAL ACCOMPANIMENT (IDEA)

Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (IDEA) was birthed by the then NCCI Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation of the National Council of Churches in India with faithful commitment to the liberative Gospel of Christ in accompanying ‘Persons With Disabilities’ (PWD) in order to affirm their respect, equality and dignity

The NCCI affirms that, Persons with disability (both physically and mentally challenged) are created in the Image of God, and therefore full and active members of the church. They are also full citizens of the State and therefore are entitled to all basic rights of a citizen.

The NCCI asserts that the Church is the Church OF all and the Church FOR all.  Therefore by initiating IDEA, the NCCI reaffirms that “A Church without the disabled is a disabled church”, and therefore churches need to be aware and concerned about the facts of disability. This is because, the church as a body of Christ will be disabled without the presence and agency of the disabled.

NCCI also affirms that the churches have pioneered for long in expressing their compassion by engaging in several charitable activities. Drawing insights from the gospel narratives, the NCCI affirms that ministries among persons with disabilities should have the liberative motive of ‘realizing’ communities of equals.

Therefore, the Working Committee, Executive Committee and the General Body of the National Council of Churches in India deems it urgent to facilitate the Indian Christian Faith Communities and the Society in addressing the issue of disability responsibly in the contemporary context by approving IDEA as a Standing Forum of the NCCI through the resolution no 35/EC/2014. Earlier in 2011 the General Body of NCCI approved the  Sunday before Advent as the Disability Advocacy Sunday.

At the juncture of entering the next century and as a gesture of radical solidarity with the discriminated and marginalised communities  in its 100th year of faith Journey, NCCI launched IDEA as one of its urgent concerns on 6th Nov 2014 at the NCCI Centenary Celebrations in Nagpur.

Download NCCI-IDEA Disability Policy Guidelines

Mr. Nelson Nazarit Nag

Program Executive, NCCI-IDEA
NCCI. P.O. Box # 205,
Civil Lines, Nagpur – 440 001.
Email: idea@ncci1914.com