Supporting churches to include people with Autism and Learning Disabilties

About

Hi, my name is Lynn.

I’m a person created by God.  I love Jesus and became a Christian after an amazing encounter with God in 1989. And then…wife, mum to two twenty-somethings, a specialist autism teacher, writer and escaper to the mountains of the English Lake District.

I work as a freelance specialist support teacher/consultant to churches, schools and other organisations.  I am passionate about making churches accessible to all disabled people and anyone with additional needs. I want to help people understand each other and how to reach out, help people know they belong and give them practical resources and help to make it happen. I believe in ‘Nothing About me, without me’ and have a group of friends with many different abilities that join me in helping churches to think about and include them.

I’m also a writer – of this award winning blog (am still excited about that!) and of the blog on www.reachoutasc.com/blog (all about autism).

Premier digital Most Inspiring Leadership Blog 2014

I am the author of a few books for teachers and a board game.

I am working on a similar resource for churches…watch this space!

I try to make complicated things simple and share them with others. I am a bit too enthusiastic sometimes but passionate about seeing people with autism spectrum conditions and people with learning disabilities grow and learn and live lives they love.

2ways2live

I am also passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in accessible ways, and telling others we are all created by God and loved very much by him…no matter what hinders us in life.

ALL opinions are my own and I am not pretending that I can help everyone or know everything!

Comments on: "About" (22)

  1. mark kent said:
    October 20, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    i am a adult with aspergers.married 13 years.we have 3 children.i all so have m.e.
    i take part in a lot lot research.I HAVE RESULTS.i have met in person..uta frith.i write letters
    like,what is it like being a norm..ee father.2,pages.and ooh,what a life.2,pages.if you mite be
    interested in seeing..ask me…, DO YOU DO A NEWSLETTER…

    Like

    • includedbygrace said:
      October 23, 2012 at 6:52 PM

      Sorry i did not reply sooner – was poorly! I am just starting on blogging and am not doing a newsletter yet…something I need to think about. Thanks for your comment.

      Like

  2. Sarah said:
    January 18, 2013 at 1:57 PM

    Hi Lynn, I couldn’t find an email address on your site, would you be able to email me at sarahlothian17@hotmail.com please? I’m hoping you might be able to help me with an article for Christianity magazine. Many thanks. Sarah.

    Like

  3. Cara grant said:
    June 12, 2013 at 8:45 AM

    I love the clarity and directness of your writing! Your passion for Jesus, for people, and for God’s word shines through it (as through your life!) I was inspired and encouraged..
    Keep writing! 🙂

    Like

  4. Diane Holding said:
    June 7, 2014 at 6:44 AM

    Hello Lynn

    Thank you for inviting me to your blog, it’s such a priviledge to learn from you (& all the other leaders) at Good News Group, I’m looking forward to pondering over your opinions & observations on here 🙂

    As you know God has only recently put a dream in my heart to reach out to our additional needs community & I’m on a whole new learning curve, so if anyone reading this has any pearls of wisdom I’d be most thankful.

    Diane.

    Like

  5. j nightingale said:
    May 9, 2015 at 10:56 PM

    Hello, just stumbled across your blog whilst trying to prepare some resources to help my daughter in sunday school tomorrow. She is 3 with Down Syndrome. Do you have any resources, or ideas of how to engage little ones such as her, or any links/contacts? Thank you.

    Like

    • includedbygrace said:
      May 10, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      If you look on my website http://www.reachoutasc.com there is a churches tab, and there are a lot of links and resources on that. There is also the Spiritual Child Network on Facebook you can ask to join with lots of great sensory play ideas. http://www.godlyplay.uk might have some ideas too. I would recommend the book on my website by Alice Buckley called ‘Play Through the Bible’ as she is a mother of a boy with Down’s Syndrome and has tried out all the ideas she’s written about with her own family.
      Hope this helps! 👍

      Like

  6. biblicaeurope said:
    June 24, 2015 at 2:18 PM

    Hi Lynn. I have just come across your blog when researching around the topic of Church and Disabilities. Biblica Europe are currently working with Prospects and the Torch Trust to develop a Bible accessible for those with disabilities. We are raising money for this project at present and my job is to promote it through social media platforms and on our blog. I wonder would you have written a blog post on accessibility to the Bible or would it be something you would want to write for us? I am keen to have specialists like yourself who work in the field create a guest blog for us. Thanks very much. Laura Nelson.

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  7. Dr Geoff Foster said:
    July 27, 2015 at 9:58 AM

    For the last 4 years, my wife and I have run a Deaf discipleship group each week in Mutare using Zimbabwe sign language. My mother attends St Andrews, Leyland and I shall be there September 1-6; I wondered if it is possible to meet up with some members of your team,I have followed your blogs the last few years since reading about your work in Christianity

    Like

  8. Matt Lloyd said:
    June 16, 2016 at 7:13 PM

    Thanks so much for the article. It sounded like a great day and so many of the things you said tallied with me. I started using a wheelchair 3 years ago and still have moments in church when I don’t feel people ‘get it’. It can be isolating. It was lovely to hear about your day. in fact my friend and I (his son has muscular dystrophy) started a website called ‘inhisgrip.net’ and, like you, we try to post about disability. keep going and God bless! matt

    Like

  9. elizabeth david said:
    October 1, 2016 at 2:40 PM

    Came across your blog while researching the upcoming Enabling Church conference. I love your passion and desire for people with special needs to be accepted and to come to know of our heavenly Father’s love, being included in the church and society.
    God bless and look forward to reading more. We may meet up at the conference.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Disability.Inclusion.Church: Week 5 – Fearfully and wonderfully made said:
    February 21, 2018 at 12:06 PM

    […] Lynn McCann is a freelance specialist support teacher/consultant to churches, schools and other organisations. She also provides resources on Reachout ASC […]

    Like

  11. Pastor Andrew Gardner said:
    September 25, 2023 at 3:20 PM

    Hi Lynn,
    I am a Pastor in Lancaster, Hope Church, and we have a wonderful young lady who plays cello in our worship team and is asking can we have some form of Autism Awareness seminar. She is autistic herself and wonders if we can meet to discuss if and how this might happen.

    God bless

    Andrew Gardner

    Like

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