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October 17, 2025 19 mins

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We explore how predictable transitions reduce anxiety and open ministry spaces to people of all abilities. Simple, low-cost tools like visual schedules, timers, and gentle cues build trust, increase engagement, and make the gospel more accessible.

• why transitions shape belonging and participation
• common barriers across sensory, cognitive, emotional, physical, and communication needs
• defining transitions across church settings
• using visual schedules with pictures and words
• verbal countdowns and multi-sensory cues
• visual, auditory, and tactile timers
• consistency with compassionate flexibility
• reducing sensory load in hallways and rooms
• giving clear roles to volunteers
• measuring success by access and engagement

For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the book The Indispensable Kid and Gospel Accessibility and Indispensable People


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Episode Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Hi, my name is Tracy Coral and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor, and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in him, and servehim with the gifts that he is
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans have adisability.

(00:24):
That's 25% of the population.
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics, biblical foundations,
perceptions, and world-changingideas.

(00:53):
Hey hey, and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
Today we're focusing ontransitions and transition tools
and how those can aid in ourministry environments, making
sure that we've consideredpeople of all abilities, how we
can best include them, make themfeel comfortable, and help them

(01:15):
to know and understand what'scoming next.
Transitions are crucial in anyenvironment, especially
churches, where diverse groupsof people come together, right?
We're not all the same.
We don't all think the same.
We don't receive the same.
We don't um have the same umprocessing.

(01:37):
Um, whether it is slower,faster, um, the way that we hear
or understand um transitionsimpact every single person.
So understanding this for peoplecan really um make for um a lot
of understanding, um providingaccommodations that can create

(02:02):
an environment where people feelcomfortable.
Um, so what are transitions?
Transitions refer to the processof moving from one activity or
environment to another.
This could be a transition fromthe car to inside the church,
from the worship service to aSunday school class, um, or it

(02:26):
could be uh transition withinthe same room from activity to
activity.
So um this could be um allkinds.
It depends in what environmentyou're in.
Um, kids, youth, um, if it's amain service, if it is an
outreach event, or just anyactivity really.

(02:50):
Um so we want to understand thatindividuals with disabilities
when it comes to certain things,transitions can often be
overwhelming.
So they the reasoning behindthat could be um an intellectual

(03:12):
understanding, um, a sensoryimpact, or emotional factors.
Understanding these challengescan really aid in a ministry
where um, you know, sometimeswe'll just look at um, let's
take a kiddo, for example,right?

(03:34):
If we have a a child in a roomand we say, okay, um, five
minutes guys, and this is whatwe're gonna do, and then that
particular child refuses toleave an activity.
Well, there's a lot ofconsideration to go along with

(03:56):
that.
Now, old school thinking is youwant what you want, so you're
refusing to move on, kind ofthrough pitch and a fit kind of
deal, and so you're just notdoing it.
And that's not the behavior thatwe're talking about, okay?
Um, we're talking about I amengaged in an activity, and my

(04:18):
brain will not allow me to go tothe next thing, or I need time
to think about what's nextbefore I move on to it.
Um, so that could be processingum and timing and um getting
yourself ready.
The other things that we canthink about are um I just got

(04:44):
comfortable and settled, and Iam in an area that I'm not
overwhelmed with the senses, andmaybe you're asking me to go
into an area that I might beoverwhelmed um sensory-wise, and
so um I need preparation forthat.
So let's let's look at thedifferent disabilities and how

(05:06):
that fully impacts what they doand how you can best serve them.
So, an individual with anintellectual disability, um,
also known as a cognitivedisability, um, such as um uh
this could be learning, thiscould be um impacting

(05:28):
individuals with Down syndrome,um, different things like that.
And um, they may under strugglewith the understanding of a
concept of time um andpredicting future events.
And this can make the act oftransitioning from one activity
to another confusing, it canfeel alarming, and the lack of

(05:50):
predictability can lead toanxiety or stress, emphasizing
the need for clear andconsistent transition tools.
So, oh another um thing toconsider is sensory processing
issues, where um thesetransitions become overwhelming
because changes in theenvironment bring new sensory

(06:13):
input.
So, lighting, sounds, smells,and this can be very distressing
and um to someone who isextremely sensitive to that
sensory stimuli.
So, transition transition toolsthat incorporate gradual changes
um and sensory-friendly cues canhelp with these challenges.

(06:37):
Individuals with emotional orbehavioral challenges, um,
transitions can triggeremotional responses such as
frustration or agitation.
And the unpredictability of anew setting or activity might
make it seem a lot worse ormight make those feelings become

(06:58):
incredibly intense.
And they might be feelinginsecurity or discomfort, and
providing structure andpredictable routines along with
clear expectations can help easethese transitions.
Those with physicaldisabilities, you're gonna say,
What in the world are peoplewith physical disabilities have

(07:21):
anything to do with transitions?

And here's the thing (07:23):
logistical challenges, right?
If they're switching from onearea to the next or they're
doing one activity to the next,that's gonna require a different
um, you know, uh a change inroom and space.
How by getting there, how doesthat, um, who do I need

(07:43):
assistance?
Um, how will that work?
Um, do I have to get ready forsomething that I'm doing with
um, you know, assistive devicesor something like that that I
need?
Um, so those and preparations ofthose transitions um gives them
time to properly participate inwhat's coming next.

(08:04):
Individuals with communicationdisorders might find it
difficult to express their needsor understand verbal
instructions during transitions.
So visual aids, such as umsocial stories um or pictures or
visual schedules, all of thosekinds of things are really going
to benefit those individuals.

(08:25):
It supports comprehension,provides clear guidance, reduces
anxiety, and promotes smoothtransitions.
Um, so how are we going toincorporate these transition
tools?
Um, well, first you need to knowthat um these are practical
things.
Um, they're timers, they'reverbal warnings, they're visual

(08:49):
pictures, and all of thosethings can be provided at low
cost, minimal effort.
And um I would say the numberone thing or the most important
thing with that is to um remainconsistent with it.
So um before switching that allthe activities, five minutes and

(09:12):
then it's time for and you listwhat it is.
Um, two minutes, one minute,that kind of thing, um, to
utilize that strategy.
Having a visual schedule up inthe space, if that's possible,
is um very easy and easystrategy, again, helpful for

(09:32):
everyone in the room.
And I would use pictures andwords so that you're making
accommodations for a multitudeof people in one tool.
Um, here are again, here aresome main reasons that we're

(09:53):
doing this, right?
Um, we want to reduce as muchanxiety and stress as as
possible.
We take away theunpredictability and some of the
sensory load by doing this.
And those individuals are gonnafeel more secure, more
comfortable.
And that means that they'regoing to more readily be able to

(10:15):
engage and participate in whatis going on.
We also um that transition isgonna enhance engagement because
they're gonna know what'scoming, they're gonna have those
anxieties removed, they're gonnafeel supported, they're gonna
know what's expected.

(10:35):
So all of those things bring anenhancement to engagement
because we're taking away thebarriers of all the things that
not knowing what's coming orunderstanding what's coming or
when it's coming is taken out ofthe picture.
And this allows for spiritualgrowth, right?

(10:56):
Um, a brain that is alwaysheightened um and concerned or
worried will not engage orretain information anywhere near
as much of a relaxed being ableto um calm, feel secure, and

(11:17):
comfort that individual will.
So that's going to be incrediblyimportant because otherwise
they're going to be distractedor overwhelmed and um they're
not they're not thriving,they're surviving.
And so um we want to make surethat we're thriving because if
we're thriving, then we haveaccess, and access leads to

(11:38):
growth.
And so we want to make sure thatthat's what's happening.
Also, um, this using thesestrategies builds communities,
and you might think, uh, howdoes that work?
What do you mean?
Well, it's going to foster umrelationships and it's going to
create security um with the theindividual who's on the

(12:01):
receiving end and the individualwho is on the um communication
end, who's leading, directing umthat safety allows for
reception, right?
We can receive um from thosethat we trust.
And so building that trustbecause someone cares about how
you feel and how how you'reinteracting and what you're

(12:24):
receiving um makes a huge, hugetransition.
Um again, these tools aresimple, they are low cost, they
are easy to produce.
Um visual schedules, number oneeasy way to do this, right?
And how are you creating thisvisual schedule?

(12:46):
You're identifying keyactivities.
You are going to chooseappropriate visuals that will
represent them.
You're gonna organize them in aschedule, which doesn't have to
have times because sometimestimes, if you're not consistent
on them, can actually bring ummore anxiety to someone who's

(13:06):
anticipating what's supposed tohappen at a specific time if it
doesn't.
So sometimes just listing theactivities is most beneficial.
Um, then you're going to umorganize that schedule and
display it in a prominentlocation, right?
If it's hidden in a way and theycan't see it, it's not very

(13:28):
helpful.
Also, you can involve theparticipants by showing them,
talking to them, um, discussingthose activities.
Um, and if um it works with thatparticular individual, it can
actually be interactive.
Um, they could put up theschedule, they can take it down
as each thing is completed, um,or they can mark it off somehow,

(13:52):
however you choose to um createit and share it.
Um remember to be cautious andthoughtful to um update it
regularly as needed, right?
If you change something in theschedule and it's not changed on
the visual schedule, it willactually cause more um hurt than

(14:13):
help because um then you'regonna have to go through why you
didn't do that thing and explainall the things and it's going to
um create a little bit oftension there.
So consistency is vital, um, butflexibility is also necessary,
and um, you might have to fromtime to time accommodate

(14:34):
unexpected changes, but thinkabout the transition in that,
how you can explain it, use someother strategies that we have um
talked about, and um just knowthat not everything is going to
be perfect, and that's okay.
Um, but if you try to be asconsistent as possible and um

(14:56):
across the board andcommunicating the transitions
and communicating the the theneed and the changes and and
what is coming, um consistencyis gonna be key.
But again, from time to time,it's gonna mess up or
something's gonna go offschedule, and you can work
through things um in that way.

(15:19):
Um you are gonna want toconsider some visual timers for
transitions.
So um a visual schedule isgreat.
Um, verbal warnings arewonderful, but visual timers are
much more concrete.
So you can use um digitalcountdown timers with numbers on

(15:40):
it.
You can use sand timers, youcould use um some color changing
timers.
Uh, there's all kinds of likeface timers that you know, the
face disappears or the face isis put together on the on the
face of the the timer.
Um, the color changing ones is,you know, it might be green when

(16:02):
it's go and red when it's stop,all different kinds of things
like that.
Also consider um auditory cuesthat you can use for transition
time, such as um chimes orbells.
Um, you don't want them to beharsh sounds, you want them to
be um soft and pleasant, and um,they can signal the end or the

(16:23):
beginning of activities.
You can also have pre-recordedmessages or um songs that you
use to um indicate changes, andyou can even combine some of
those visual and um auditorytransitions to help.
Um, also, this uh for anindividual who may not be able

(16:46):
to hear um or struggle with uhvisuals, you can use um
vibration um alerts, uh wearabledevice that vibrates.
Um it can provide a tactile cuein addition to the visual or
auditory.
Um I've seen watches um thatchildren wear.

(17:08):
So not only do they see and theyhear, but they feel it.
And that feeling um is a switchin their sensory.
So that helps with um that helpswith that type of uh switch up.
And um transitions become alittle bit easier because it was
almost an alert to the to thebody, to the core, not just in

(17:30):
your ears, not just in youreyes, but also in your feeling.
And it kind of um how wedescribe it with our son is like
it's like flipping a switch umto show it.
So these tools, all of thesetools, everything that we talked
about today can be tailored tomeet the needs, the specific
needs of individuals.
These are general options thatyou can utilize.

(17:53):
But again, as you get to knowthe person that you are serving
that you're ministering to, youwill get to know what works best
for them.
Um and we do our best to opt offoffer those things again, all of
these strategies, low cost,minimal effort, um, but
consistency is key, um, supportis key, and it all leads to a

(18:17):
security that is going tobenefit and make the gospel
accessible.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I've absolutely not.
But we are going to continuethis conversation so that people
of all abilities can have theopportunity to know Christ, grow

(18:39):
in him, and serve him with thegifts that he has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeople.com andvisit Amazon to purchase the
book The Indispensable Kid andGospel Accessibility and the
Indispensable People.
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