Equipping Your Team to Support Kids and Students with Disabilities

Including children and students with disabilities is one of the most meaningful things a NextGen ministry can do. But without the right people and systems, it can feel overwhelming or even impossible. This breakout will walk you through a model for buddies and volunteers, give you practical tools for recruiting and training support teams, and leave you with sustainable strategies that make inclusion feel achievable.

sandrapeoples.com/ETCH

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Kids with disabilities are in our communities. Are they in our churches?

15-20%

Kids with IEP and 504 plans average 15-20% of a school district.

24%

In my district, it’s 24%.

This includes kids with a variety of diagnoses, but what they have in common is they all need help at school to learn and participate. It’s likely they will need help at church as well.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Types of Ministry Environments

Inclusive:

Students are included in typical classes and activities. They get help from a buddy who supports their needs. Sensory support is also available (like noise reducing headphones and a calming corner).

Specialized:

The classroom is designed to meet their needs and interests, and appropriate curriculum is used or adapted.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Why should we have buddies?

There’s a biblical model in Exodus 4:10-16

Moses had a calling he couldn’t fulfill on his own. God provided Aaron, who was strong where Moses was weak.

This dependence on others is a major characteristic of the Christian life. We weren’t created to do it all, all on our own. This also reflects “One body with many members” from 1 Cor. 12.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Role of a Buddy

1. Make the gospel accessible & understandable
2. Ensure safety
3. Provide support
4. Empower giftedness

5. Encourage socialization
6. Anticipate triggers & have compassion during times of stress
7. Work with teachers and ministry leaders to find solutions

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Who can be a buddy?

Age

At our church, teens over 14 years old and adults can be buddies.

Recommendation

Teens must be recommended by the youth minister or a small group leader.

Characteristics we look for: kindness, patience, creativity, empathy, and joy.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

How do we train them?

We have policies in place for all our volunteers that buddies also follow. There are additional policies about safety and privacy specific to our students.

Training

• Videos
• Shadowing
• Respite nights & VBS

Additional Suggestions:

• Ministry Safe
• CPI training (Nonviolent Crisis Intervention)

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

What do they need to be successful?

1. They need to know their role and how they fit into the structure of the class & overall ministry
2. They need to feel comfortable asking questions
3. They need a plan for lots of scenarios
4. They need to feel empowered to make quick decisions
5. They need tools, like a Buddy Bag

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

What do we put in buddy bags?

• sensory toys
• visual schedule
• noise reducing headphones
• chew tubes
• snacks
• info about the student you’re helping

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Curriculum: How to Make Adaptations

In some Lifeway options, there are adaptation suggestions in the teacher books. You can also help teachers & helpers make adjustments.

1. Focus on one goal for the lesson
2. Think of the multiple ways kids could get to that goal
3. Provide them with those multiple paths
4. Check for understanding
5. Then either go over the main idea in a different way or add to their knowledge

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Examples of modifications

• Have a word bank with answers
• Tell buddy the answer verbally
• Opportunities for movement
• Clear language and symbols (read from the Bible)
• Hands-on activities
• Group work

• Peer modeling
• Multimedia options
• Task with the ask
• Options for movement
• Give invitations & expectations

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

What do we know about behavior?

1. Behavior is anything a person says or does.
2. Behavior serves a purpose.
3. Behavior meets a need.
4. Behavior is communication.
5. Behavior that works will continue.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Steps for the ministry team to decrease distracting behavior:

1

Interpret the core need driving the behavior

2

Solve the problem and work to prevent the problem from occurring again

3

Work with the student (and parents when possible) to develop consistent and appropriate communication for expressing their needs

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Motivators for behavior:

1

A tangible object

2

A physical or sensory need

3

To escape a demand, an activity, or a sensory stimulation

4

To get attention from adults or peers

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Tools that Support Behavior

• Visual schedule
• Visual timer
• Clear expectations
• Rewarding what we want to see
• Sensory items
• Token system

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

ABCs of Behavior

A

Antecedent

what happened before?

B

Behavior

what was the behavior?

C

Consequences

what happened after?

You can change the antecedent or the consequence, the student changes the behavior.

Become a behavior investigator to interpret the need and support positive behavior choices.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Steps the team would take to support positive behavior:

1

Track ABC

2

Determine the motivation

3

Put sensory supports in place if applicable

4

Change the antecedent or the consequence

5

Observe and reevaluate

6

Make a plan with the child and parents

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

What if you don’t have enough buddies?

• You can train all your volunteers on inclusive practices
• They can be floater buddies instead of one-on-one
• Utilize teens
• Add paid buddies and fill in with volunteers around them.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

VBS Tips

Include a question on your registration form like this:

“We care about the safety and success of all the children in our ministry. To help us prepare, please let us know if your child has any allergies, learning disabilities, behavioral or mental health diagnoses, or other disabilities or special needs.”

Then:

• Follow up with parents for more info.
• Put buddies in as many rooms as possible and observe behaviors.
• Create a sensory room where kids can take breaks when needed.

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

How can we help them feel valuable & celebrated?

✓

Lots of specific, verbal praise

✓

Small thank you gifts

✓

Team bonding

✓

Opportunities for more training and using gifts

✓

Invite students/families to write thank you notes

✓

Make them feel like part of a bigger story

Equipping Your Team • Sandra Peoples

Resources:

• sandrapeoples.com/ETCH
• sandrapeoples.com/buddy-training
• Lifeway.com/disabilityministry (with the free Be All In children’s ministry inclusion guide)
• Accessible Church: A Gospel-Centered Vision for Including People with Disabilities and Their Families