Access InterVarsity is an accessible and disability inclusive space for all to belong, grow closer to Jesus and use their God-given gifts. Learn more about Access with this great video from 2020:
Urbana '22 Resources
This year, InterVarsity had our national missions conference with around 5,000 college students in Indianapolis, IN. After two years of online Zoom meetings with the national Access InterVarsity team, we finally got to meet our friends in person! We were especially joyful to spend time with Deb, who runs Access and has been mentoring us in many ways.
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| Ginger, Deb and Ira, arms wrapped across shoulders and grinning at the camera. |
Deb Abbs' disability Bible study guide, "Belonging" is available from IVP. (If you're part of an InterVarsity chapter, ask your staff to get a bunch!) We also made a free audio version of Belonging. (IVP has given us permission to share these files privately- don't advertise them or sell them for money.) Deb also has a new book out: "Life on the Spectrum: Faith. Hope. Love. Autism."
Deb and Robert started something new at Urbana '18: a Sensory Space where students have some peace from the loud worship music and booming speakers of the main sessions. This is especially helpful for folks with sensory processing issues, autism, ADHD, or even hearing issues like tinnitus. We streamed the services at a lower volume in one corner of the room. We also had a wide variety of resources available: fidget toys, earplugs, coloring books, plus comfortable seats to just sit and relax for a while during a busy and overwhelming conference. We had several gatherings for people with disabilities, mental health issues, and neurodiversity challenges to encourage each other and learn about God's good design for them.
Video description:
Michael, an Asian-American man with glasses, stands in a dark room with flashing lights. He looks upset! Then Ira, a black man with cerebral palsy stands in front of a closed door. He’s wearing a baseball cap and a big smile. He motions, and we run across the hall to see another door and a big banner that says, "SootheSpace: Urbana's Sensory Room."
Ira welcomes us inside and starts showing us some of the tools of the room. Three other people join to demonstrate a calming weighted beck wrap, and comfortable chair to sit alone in, and tables for coloring and play-dough. Ira ends, wearing big noise-cancelling headphones, with a welcoming gesture to invite everyone in.
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| Access Team at Urbana '22- a group of people in matching blue shirts that say, "Sensory Room: You Belong." |
Social Media
We have many places to connect on social media! Follow's Ira's facebook page: Access Ira. Access has an instagram, @accessintervarsity. Ira and I run a second Instagram for the Washington state area, @accessivwa (but everyone is welcome to follow!) You'll also want to follow Ira's videos on TikTok @accessira. (We do re-post those videos to instagram as well.) I film and edit our videos.
This summer (2023) we started a YouTube channel for longer videos. Ira has been doing a lot of interviews (let us know if you'd like to be interviewed!) Here's a great one where we re-connected with a Pierce College friend, Tamara. She shared a lot about her ministry and dreams. She's been going through some similar experiences where she said, "I don't pray for healing anymore."
"I have a sense that if the healing is ALL that I'm focused on, then I'll miss out on all that God wants to do in and through my life, and the work that God has for me to do- if I just focus on: "God, heal me! God, heal me! God, heal me!" I have been-- being in this body and having my disability-- I've been able to actually reach a whole lot more people for the Lord." -Tamara Fox
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