All the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement.Since all souls are of great worth, Mormons don't tend to react to disability the same way as other people and other cultures have throughout time.
The article points out that many of Jesus' miracles were performed on disabled people and he showed great compassion towards them:
Yet in the New Testament, Christ consistently showed his compassion for the lepers, the blind and the lame. Dyches explained that Christ healed those who were blind or dumb or ill. In fact, 21 of the 30 recorded miracles were performed on people with disabilities, she said.What bothers me is that disabled people are often not helped to progress whether spiritually, emotionally, intellectually or socially. I see this among members but leadership obviously feels differently.
I knew a woman who operated a successful Montessori school. She had a daughter with Downs Syndrome. The girl astonished everyone because she was so high-functioning. I heard, unconfirmed, that the mother felt she had promised her in the pre-mortal life that she would assist her in this one because of her disability. This girl was always well-dressed, even stylish, her hair styled, etc. She was astonishingly sharp in so many respects, despite her disability.
This girl was high-functioning because her mother had always worked extensively with her. I've seen so many disabled people left to just exist. Their needs are cared for but they aren't really assisted to progress. Often they are left to watch movies, television or to amuse themselves as they see fit.
But, just because they aren't capable of everything doesn't mean they aren't capable of anything. Surely, these people should be assisted to progress just like we assume those without disabilities ought to progress.
If everyone in this life is capable of "enlargement" then obviously we have a moral responsibility to assist them.
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