The Choice to Be Baptized: Supporting Spiritual Decisions in the I/DD Community

In the intellectual and development disabilities field, we often talk about the importance of personal choice. People with disabilities should have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

That includes the big decisions.

It also includes small ones.

What will I wear today? Choosing what to eat? Where will to live? Who will I spend time with? What medical care do I want?

These choices are important because every person deserves the opportunity to direct their own life.

But there is another deeply personal choice that is not discussed as often.

The choice to be baptized.
Spiritual Choice Matters, Too

For many Christians, baptism is an important step of faith. It is a public declaration of a person’s decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Just like other major life decisions, baptism should be approached with respect. It is a personal and spiritual decision. When a person with an intellectual or developmental disability expresses a desire to be baptized, that desire deserves to be heard, respected, and supported. (https://disabilityandfaith.org/should-we-baptize-people-with-intellectual-disabilities/)

At Echoing Hills, this is especially meaningful.

Our mission is to create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to know and experience Jesus Christ. Supporting someone’s desire to be baptized is one tangible way we can live out that mission.

It is an opportunity to say, “Your faith matters. Your choice matters. And we are here to support you.”

A Baptism in Southwest Ohio

In September, that opportunity became a beautiful reality in Dayton, Ohio.

Jax, an individual served, had been spending time with Echoing Hills Chaplain Donnis Meek. Through those conversations, Jax shared that she was ready to make the commitment that comes with baptism.

Donnis went to work making it happen.

A portable baptismal was purchased. The team worked together to coordinate Jax’s favorite music, prepare her baptism certificate, and create an experience that honored the significance of the day.

But this was about much more than organizing an event.

It was about listening to Jax.

It was about honoring her choice.

And it was about celebrating her faith.

Jax’s friends and staff gathered to witness the occasion. Members of Echoing Hills leadership were also there to celebrate with her.

As family and other members of the Echoing Hills community could not all be there in person, the baptism was livestreamed. This allowed everyone to participate as witnesses and share Jax’s special moment from wherever they were.

When Choice Becomes More Than a Word

In the I/DD field, we can talk about choice all day long. And for someone like Jax, it meant making a deeply personal decision about her faith.

Supporting that decision does not mean making the choice for her. It means creating an environment where she can express what she wants, understand the significance of her decision, and receive the support she needs to follow through.

That is what person-centered support should look like.

Living Out the Echoing Way

At Echoing Hills, we believe every person is created in the image of God, created with purpose, and created for relationship with Jesus and with others.

That belief shapes how we serve. (https://ehvi.org/about-us/mission-history/)

Jax’s baptism was a beautiful reminder that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not simply people who receive services. They are people with dreams, preferences, relationships, beliefs, and choices of their own.

They have a voice and a story.

And they have the right to make meaningful decisions about their lives.

For Jax, that warm and sunny September day was about more than getting baptized.

It was about making a choice.

And it was about having a community around her that said, “We hear you. We support you, we will celebrate with you.”

What a beautiful way to live out the Echoing Way.

And what a powerful reminder that every choice matters—including the choice to follow Jesus. The baptismal has been purchased and ready to travel! Who is next?