Pastoral Relationship with People with Intellectual ... - Theses

22In beginning the process of more academic reflection on this pastoralissue, it soon became patently clear that I needed to make a declaration. Nomatter the shape of pastoral care that could emerge from this process of extendedreflection, it could only ever be a partial response to the ideal need for all peopleto freely grow and be sustained in healthy, human, God-given relationships. Suchrelationships ought not occupy the social margins, but be in the midst of a fullysupportive and inclusive social context.Nonetheless, while institutional living in various communal formsremains an option for people living with intellectual disabilities, a meaningfulmodel of pastoral relationship for such people ought to be seriously considered.1.2 Focus of the Extended ReflectionThe focus of this extended reflection concerns the development of aliberating, pastoral relationship with people with an intellectual disability wholive in institutional accommodation. Thus, it analyses the nature of therelationship between these people and those who seek to engage in care withthem. The analysis will reflect upon this relationship from two perspectives.Firstly, the extended reflection will consider the nature of thisrelationship. Through careful reflection upon significant institutional themes, aswell as analysis of contemporary narratives, as expressed in congruence with themedical model of disability, 8 the context for this institutional relationship will berealized.Secondly, a model of a mutually-enriching and liberating pastoralrelationship that can be developed within the institutional context will beproposed. This will be principally undergirded by a model of disability whichintegrates a social understanding of disability, 9 and the embodied perspective,insofar as this latter perspective describes what it means to bodily live with anintellectual impairment.This pastoral model will be derived from pastoral, theological reflectionupon the narratives of those who live with intellectual disability in an institutional8 The medical model of disability will be generically defined later in this chapter at 1.6.1Disability/Disablism and will be more fully discussed and defined in chapter 2.9 The social model of disability will be generically defined later in this chapter at 1.6.1Disability/ Disablism and will be more fully discussed and defined in chapter 2.