News from the Center
The Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing played a significant role at the 2026 Disability and the Church Conference, held April 20–23 at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Key Ministry, the national conference convenes annually to inspire and equip pastors, ministry leaders, advocates, parents, caregivers, and people with disabilities working to build more accessible and supportive church communities.
Bailey Thompson, a contributor to the Center’s Bridges to Belonging project, recently authored an opinion piece in Good Faith Media exploring what it means to practice truly inclusive worship. In “Blindness Is Not Brokenness,” Thompson challenges common assumptions about disability within faith communities and invites churches to move beyond deficit-based views. Drawing on personal experience and theological reflection, the piece highlights how accessibility, intentional design, and a posture of belonging can reshape worship spaces so that people with disabilities are not simply accommodated, but fully valued as essential members of the body of Christ.
Baylor's Bridges to Belonging project recently concluded its inaugural two-year congregational cohort, equipping churches across Texas to create more accessible and welcoming ministries for youth and young adults with disabilities, mental health conditions, and chronic illnesses. Through interdisciplinary collaboration among the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing, Truett Theological Seminary, and the Center for Church and Community Impact, church leaders engaged in worship, training, and research-informed practice that led to meaningful changes in awareness, accessibility, and belonging.
Baylor University’s Erik W. Carter, Ph.D., FAAIDD, The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and a leading voice on disability, faith and flourishing, will receive the 2026 Leadership Award from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) during the 150th AAIDD Annual Meeting in June in Chicago.
Baylor University has released a YouTube playlist featuring talks from its inaugural TEDxBaylor University event, which brought together a dynamic lineup of speakers from across the Baylor campus and the Waco community sharing innovative ideas, groundbreaking research and inspiring personal stories.
Faculty affiliates and graduate students from the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing (BCDF) were prominently represented last month at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) Conference in Long Beach, California. The annual conference, hosted within the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), brings together researchers and practitioners from across the world to share evidence-based strategies that improve education and life outcomes for individuals with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities.
Baylor University announced a $30 million gift from the Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas, to the University’s School of Education, supporting scholarships, expanding faculty research and providing resources to grow academic programs. In recognition of their transformational gift and enduring commitment to the University, the School of Education will be renamed the Moody School of Education. Today’s announcement recognizes the largest single gift to Baylor’s School of Education in the academic unit’s 107-year history.
Baylor Magazine featured the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing's work in the intersection of faith and disability. When Everyone Belongs, explores how disability, faith, and belonging intersect at Baylor and beyond through the Center’s collaborative initiatives. This story illustrates the ways our work is equipping churches, schools, and workplaces to move beyond accommodation toward true belonging—recognizing people with disabilities as essential to the flourishing of every community.