Save the date for Disability Awareness Sunday 2026, which takes place on 27 September.
This year’s theme, ‘One Body, Many Parts’ (1 Corinthians 12), invites churches to reflect on what it means to live not as isolated individuals, but as an interdependent body of Christ, where every person is valued, needed and gifted.
Bishop of Buckinghamshire, the Rt Revd Dave Bull, who leads the work for the diocese of equality, diversity, and inclusion, said: “St Paul taught us ‘you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it’ (1 Cor 12:27). This naturally includes our brothers and sisters with disabilities, each one of whom is an integral part of the whole.
“In the same teaching, we read ‘if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it’ (v.26). I believe this applies especially to the honouring of those with disabilities. For example, when a church invests in ramped access to its building, it removes a barrier to wheelchair users, but also helps those who find walking difficult, who bring a child in a buggy or who have visual impairment. When we take the time to make our buildings and gatherings more inclusive for those who are deaf, blind or neurodiverse, many others benefit as well.
“That’s why, this September, I want to encourage all churches to take time to reflect how they include, value, and benefit from people with disabilities.”
Young autistic Christian author Triona Brading is fronting this year’s initiative, calling churches to see disability inclusion not as an optional extra, but as a gospel issue. Triona is co-author of the forthcoming book Belonging without Barriers, due out on 20 March 2026, and author of the children’s book In His Image, which explores what it means to be neurodivergent.
For Disability Awareness Sunday, Triona is partnering with Through the Roof to create a new free resource for churches, available from April. The materials will include a video in which Triona shares her story of discovering at the age of 21 that she is autistic, and her conviction that being different does not exclude anyone from full participation in God’s family.
Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12, Triona says: “The eye can’t say to the hand ‘I don’t need you’. The head can’t say to the feet ‘I don’t need you’. Can you imagine body parts going rogue and trying to live independently of one another? That’s the thing about us as the Body of Christ. We need one another!”
The theme also explores the biblical vision of interdependence, depending on God and on one another. In a culture that often prizes independence and self-sufficiency, Disability Awareness Sunday offers a different picture: a Church where people bless and serve one another through their unique gifts, strengths and vulnerabilities.
Tim Wood, CEO of Through the Roof, said: “At its core, accessibility is a theological issue. The Church is the Body of Christ and every member is an indispensable part of it. In a world that often prioritises independence and perfection, the gospel offers a different vision: interdependence and grace.”
Through the Roof is a UK Christian disability charity whose mission is to see lives transformed through Jesus with disabled people. The charity supports volunteer Roofbreakers who are disability champions who help guide churches on a journey of Access, Belonging and Commission.
Disability Awareness Sunday provides an opportunity for parishes across the Diocese of Oxford to begin or deepen conversations about the inclusion of disabled and neurodivergent people in worship, leadership and community life. Churches can mark the day on 27 September 2026 or on another suitable Sunday.
Free resources, available in English and Welsh, will help churches show Triona’s video, involve disabled people more fully in services, and take practical steps towards becoming communities where every person belongs and can play an active part.
Check out resources from Through the Roof for Disability awareness Sunday.