Hollins University associate provost and religious studies professor Darla Schumm, Ph.D., has published her new book, Healing Ableism: Stories About Disability and Religious Life through Rutgers University Press. An author, researcher, educator, and international expert on the intersections of disability and the world’s religions, Schumm, who is blind, presents a unique and vital perspective in her latest work.
“In Healing Ableism: Stories about Disability and Religious Life, Darla Schumm explores the extraordinary stories of people with disabilities who struggle with the ordinary human challenges of faith and doubt, exclusion and inclusion, and injustice and justice,” Rutgers University Press writes. “Blending candid storytelling, cultural critique, and theory, Schumm invites readers to reflect on the experiences of people with disabilities in religious communities and organizations.”
Pulpits and sacred texts often offer teachings, parables, and metaphors regarding disability. The authentic voices of people with disabilities sharing their faith journeys, spiritual experiences, and religious life are rarely heard.
“I wrote Healing Ableism: Stories About Disability and Religious Life as both a counter to negative messages individuals and society often project about what it means to live with a disability, and to offer more positive images and understandings of disability,” says Schumm, who is a member of the American Academy of Religion board of directors. “While I focus my exploration on religious communities and organizations, I believe that many of the problematic patterns, practices, and attitudes I describe in the book show up in all kinds of organizations—educational, business, and others.”
Schumm’s book moves the important perspectives of people who are disabled to the forefront, inviting readers to consider that ableism, not one’s disability, needs healing. She adds, “I hope that all these different types of communities and organizations will find the interventions I suggest helpful in creating more inclusive, accessible, and equitable communities. I propose ‘accessible love’ as one strategy for healing the ableism so prevalent in our society.”
In addition to her two decades in the Hollins classroom, Schumm is the Hollins associate provost for curriculum and faculty engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the university’s faculty as chair of the Hollins faculty from 2019 to 2021. She has co-edited four books, including Disability and World Religions: An Introduction, a textbook on world religions and disability. Schumm was a 2021-2022 fellow of the Senior Leadership Academy, co-sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute. From 2017 to 2020, she chaired the Status Committee for People with Disabilities in the Profession for the American Academy of Religion.
Healing Ableism: Stories About Disability and Religious Life is available at Rutgers University Press, Amazon, and other retailers.
