I have studied much of Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger of work on Social Role Valorization, I can see that SRV is understood as a social science paradigm. As person who has been the field in various capacities and as a person with a disability, I cannot reconcile biblical truth with how SRV views persons. For Scripture teaches that no matter who we are, we are of equal value before God. Not only are we equal before Him, but He is in control of all events. Colossians 1:16, Romans 8:28, Psalms 115:3 and other passages tell us that God is in control of all things. This means that He's in charge of where and how persons with cognitive disabilities function. On the one hand, we are to accept to each other as we are. On the other hand, we are to encourage each other to grow and change for the better. This applies all persons. I understand that there is a balance between God's sovereignty and our responsibility. We trust God to protect our belongings, but we also lock our houses. When something like a fire occurs, we do what we can to put it out and if needed we call on others to help us. Also, when it comes to those of us with disabilities, we should minimize our disabilities as much as possible. The apostle Paul provides beautiful balance of this in Galatians 6:2. It is here that he tells us that we are to help carry each other's burdens. Then in verse 5 he directs us to carry our on own load (which appears to be a paradox.)
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owever, when it comes to persons with cognitive disabilities, the advocates of SRV claim these persons should not engage in behavior that causes others to think less of them. However, we also find in the Scripture that God works though stigma and not just in spite of it. Many passages tell us this. Consider James talking about the sin favoritism. Exodus 4:10-11 and Matthew 25:31-41 contain other examples. We also find in Matthew 25:14-30 that God gives us differing abilities.
For Wolfensberger deviancy is in the eye of the beholder, and he is to careful to state that persons are not deviant, but the roles they occupy are. One of the tools God has given us to understand the world is general revelation (God revealing Himsef and His truth through His creation.) With this as a premise, I want to look at the relationship between abilities and roles. Looking at the nature of human development, we find that as we grow and gain more abilities, we are able to take on more and more complex roles. This is accepted for persons without contrived disabilities. But, when it comes to people with contrived disabilities we want to change the paradigm. We say that since these people cannot progress though normal developmental stages, we should teach them functional skills that are based on where they are chronologically (instead of where they are developmentally.) However, general revelation shows us that persons develop intellectually in stages, no matter who we are. When it comes to persons with cognitive disabilities, they are caught in one of the early developmental stages. Although the advocates the of SRV understand the dynamics of why and how persons with cognitive disabilities function, the way they want us to treat these individuals is not compatible with their developmental functioning.
I also understand that general revelation can be used to argue that since the tendency to devalue others comes all too easy to us, we therefore need to do everything we can to reduce our differences. However, the wealth of biblical evidence calls us to embrace and even celebrate our differences (rather than attempt toiminate them.) For instance, God points out our differences and how we are to respond to these differences when He casually mentions that "the strong" are to bear the burdens of "the weak" (Romans 12:3, 15:1.) For the supporters of SRV, the goal is to reduce the factors causing stigma. The ultimate goal is that these persons will be treated better by their non disabled counter parts. However, Scripture shows that very often God chooses to work though stigma. Three examples of this are Exodus 4:10-11, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, and the death of Jesus on the cross.
The very meaning of adulthood is that one becomes able to master certain skills and thereby grow out of immature ways of thinking and acting. With the end result being assuming adult roles. Human development is very complex in that we have the contributors of one's environment and genetics playing interrelated roles in how one develops through out life. For supporters of srv adulthood simply occurs because of chronological age and we should be instructing developmentally disabled individuals to engage in as much adult behavior and activity as is possible. According to Wolfenensberger, a good/positive ideology is needed when working with persons with cognitive disabilities. I wholly agree that we need to have a good ideology from which to draw upon for building relationships with these persons. However, there is a major difference between having a ideology that is based on truth and one that is simply based on how we wish things were. I am afraid that srv is in the latter category. One of the goals of supporters of srv concerns an increase in the amount of typical behaviors performed by those who have cognitive disabilities in the presence of socially valued persons. By doing this persons with cognitive disabilities earn the approval of the non disabled.
,
owever, when it comes to persons with cognitive disabilities, the advocates of SRV claim these persons should not engage in behavior that causes others to think less of them. However, we also find in the Scripture that God works though stigma and not just in spite of it. Many passages tell us this. Consider James talking about the sin favoritism. Exodus 4:10-11 and Matthew 25:31-41 contain other examples. We also find in Matthew 25:14-30 that God gives us differing abilities.
For Wolfensberger deviancy is in the eye of the beholder, and he is to careful to state that persons are not deviant, but the roles they occupy are. One of the tools God has given us to understand the world is general revelation (God revealing Himsef and His truth through His creation.) With this as a premise, I want to look at the relationship between abilities and roles. Looking at the nature of human development, we find that as we grow and gain more abilities, we are able to take on more and more complex roles. This is accepted for persons without contrived disabilities. But, when it comes to people with contrived disabilities we want to change the paradigm. We say that since these people cannot progress though normal developmental stages, we should teach them functional skills that are based on where they are chronologically (instead of where they are developmentally.) However, general revelation shows us that persons develop intellectually in stages, no matter who we are. When it comes to persons with cognitive disabilities, they are caught in one of the early developmental stages. Although the advocates the of SRV understand the dynamics of why and how persons with cognitive disabilities function, the way they want us to treat these individuals is not compatible with their developmental functioning.
I also understand that general revelation can be used to argue that since the tendency to devalue others comes all too easy to us, we therefore need to do everything we can to reduce our differences. However, the wealth of biblical evidence calls us to embrace and even celebrate our differences (rather than attempt toiminate them.) For instance, God points out our differences and how we are to respond to these differences when He casually mentions that "the strong" are to bear the burdens of "the weak" (Romans 12:3, 15:1.) For the supporters of SRV, the goal is to reduce the factors causing stigma. The ultimate goal is that these persons will be treated better by their non disabled counter parts. However, Scripture shows that very often God chooses to work though stigma. Three examples of this are Exodus 4:10-11, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, and the death of Jesus on the cross.
The very meaning of adulthood is that one becomes able to master certain skills and thereby grow out of immature ways of thinking and acting. With the end result being assuming adult roles. Human development is very complex in that we have the contributors of one's environment and genetics playing interrelated roles in how one develops through out life. For supporters of srv adulthood simply occurs because of chronological age and we should be instructing developmentally disabled individuals to engage in as much adult behavior and activity as is possible. According to Wolfenensberger, a good/positive ideology is needed when working with persons with cognitive disabilities. I wholly agree that we need to have a good ideology from which to draw upon for building relationships with these persons. However, there is a major difference between having a ideology that is based on truth and one that is simply based on how we wish things were. I am afraid that srv is in the latter category. One of the goals of supporters of srv concerns an increase in the amount of typical behaviors performed by those who have cognitive disabilities in the presence of socially valued persons. By doing this persons with cognitive disabilities earn the approval of the non disabled.
Now I will at look at cognitive disabilities in the light of God's created order. Then I will consider what it means to accept disabilities in a fallen world. Colossians 1:16-17 instructs us that all things are in God's control. This would include the why and how adults with contrived disabilities perceive the world. Therefore, when these persons enjoy doing things that are more in accord with their developmental age level, they are simply being the persons that God intends for them to be. This also means that as for those of us that are involved in ministry with this population, we need to be helping others to understand their world in the context of the abilities of each individual. Instead of allowing the so called "valued" view the socially "devalued" as they have been doing, we need to challenge the perceptions of the "valued" people with the truth of God's Word.
While it is true that God has created us in such a way that we willdo our best when there is an incentive involved, this is only one side of the coin. The other side of the same coin recognizes that much of life is difficult. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5:45 that life is a mix good and bad experiences. Srv places a great deal of emphasis on making interactions between persons with cognitive disabilities as pleasurable as possible on the part the person who is in a socially valuable role.
Srv's understanding of deviancy and its application to these persons is violation of God's creational design. The reason srv rejects the concept of mental ages is not because the concept is not true. The reason for the rejection is that they don't like the results that follow from such a position. Srv's reasoning is that when society sees adults behaving in ways that are in accord with their developmental age, it will think less of them. This will result in people in society treating them badly. Scripture presents us with two seemingly conlicting truths about disabilities. The first, views disabilities as a product of the fall. The second, views them as part of God's intenational creational design.
We are taught in Scripture that suffering and pain were brought into the world as a result of the fall and that includes disabilities of all kinds. Because we are all created in God's image, when we come into contact different aspects of our humanity, we experience frustration. This happens for both non Christians and Christians alike because we know instinctively that things are not the way they are suppose to be. This is in accordance with Romans 8:23. We live in a society where we believe that if there is a problem, there must be a corresponding solution. However, when we encounter persons with various disabilities, this is a reminder of our limitations and we are not okay with that.
Scripture also makes it clear that God creates persons with disabilities (Exodus 4:11, Psalms 139:16, John 9:1-3.) Other Scriptural passeges also tell us that evil is under God's control. He is also the maker of the poor. You may wonder why I make reference to the poor, it is because the very nature of intellectual disabilities often precludes these persons from participating in the social/economic flow of society that would allow them to rise above being poor. One of the major reasons persons with these kinds of disabilities remain dependent is their lack of social/economic potential. The fact that God's Word is so clear about how purposeful He is in creating persons with disabilities, leads me to draw the following conclusions about mental ages and adults with intellectual disabilities..
First of all, I view living with an intellectual disabilities as a calling (in the same way that God calls persons to be teachers, bankers, professors, pastors etc.) In the case of disabled intellects, God works by withholding these abilities so that these people are not able to function in certain ways. In terms of the callings listed in parenthesis, God grants abilities so that these people can take on the above mentioned roles. Job 2:10 asks a rhetorical question, "Shouldn't we accept good and evil as being from the Lord. Paul speaks on the same subject in Philippians 4:12 about being content when our blessings are abundant and also when we are in need (we see these states as being good and bad respectively.) Applying these truths to persons in this condition recognizes that God is in charge of how and where persons with contrived disabilities function. Just as we (as asociety) applaud people without disabilities for their talents and skills, we need to embrace persons with intellectual disabilities as being an equally valuable part God's creational design.
The second one is in contrast to srv, which views treating adults in developmental stages as stigmatizing. I will make the case for using these stages as tools for developing a better understanding of these persons and how we can help meet their needs in the best possible way. We use developmental stages for our understanding of persons in general, from birth through adulthood. But srv wants to eliminate this paradigm when it pertains to our understanding of adults with intellectual disabilities. Developmental stages are not only a fact of social science, but more importantly, they are intregal to how God has created us. Therefore, to reject mental ages as they relate to adults with intellectual disabilities is to violate God's creational design of people in this condtion.
Instead of trying to eliminate and trying to minimize factors supposedly leading to stigma, we need to embrace the stigmas. By embracing them, I mean we need to accept that concept of mental ages is valid in working with adults with this disability. We should be treating them according to their abilities and the imitations as measured by their "mental ages." When we do this, we are acting in accordance with Matthew 7:12.
We need to work on interpreting the stigmatizing behavior others who are not disabled. Helping them to see that much of their behavior may not be considered appropriate to their own chronological level. In many of these cases it is apparently okay to behave in an "inappropriate" manner. Often, people in these situations are simply letting themselves go and being the genuine persons that God created them to be (having a great time doing it.) Guidelines for acceptable and non acceptable behaviors should be: 1) Is the behavior a danger to self and/or others? 2) Does the behavior in any way violate God's moral law.
Finally, although srv considers social devaluation as a human response to negatively valued differences, the Bible has a very different take on the matter. It teaches us that this approach is wrong because it shows a disregard for the intense value of this part of God's creation.
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