Prayers for People with Disabilities

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God;
and so we are.

1 John 3:1

Nearly 900,000 people in New York City live with disabilities. New York City’s Human Rights Law defines a person with a disability as anyone having a physical, medical, mental, or psychological impairment, or a history of such impairment, that limits any system of the body.

Lack of accessible transportation, unequal education, unemployment and underemployment, lack of affordable/accessible housing, poor health care, and lack of access to the internet are among the common barriers people with disabilities face. For example, only 41 percent of students with disabilities graduated in 2015, while 70.5 percent of students without disabilities did. And while the general employment rate is 70 percent, only 29 percent of people with disabilities are employed full- or part-time.

Let us pray on behalf of our neighbors who are disabled for we serve a God who is present and hears the cries of His people. Join us as we pray...

• for adults and youth in our city who are living with mental and physical disabilities—that they would know their worth and importance in our society because of genuine friendships and relationships within their communities.
  
  Lord, we ask that you would make your love known to our neighbors with disabilities. Would they see themselves as you see them: made in Your image. We pray for fruitful and deep relationships and friendships that would not only encourage them as individuals, but would also point them to You and Your truth.
   
• that schools, churches, and institutions would seek to support these individuals and their families through staff training, wheelchair accessibility, and collaborative partnerships.
  
  God, we pray that Your Church would be hospitable to every person who comes through its doors. Would you equip people with the knowledge and skills to properly support our neighbors who are disabled—and would those neighbors be surrounded physically, emotionally, and spiritually in such a way that they feel truly loved and cared for.
   
• that organizations like Center for All Abilities, Do For One, and Young Life Capernaum would be resourced to bring awareness to the needs of and services to our neighbors living with disabilities.
  
  Father, we ask that You would give us Your heart for our disabled neighbors, and we thank You for those organizations and the people in them who have answered Your call to love in word and deed. We pray that you would mightily provide for the organizations in our city that offer compassion, care, and resources to our disabled neighbors.