The General Commission on Religion and Race shares this ten-point guide from The United Methodist Church’s Disability Ministries Committee showing what disability allyship looks like in practice, from listening deeply and presuming competence to planning ahead and speaking out.
"Dos and Don'ts for Disability Allyship" is a two-page reference sheet by Deaconess Lynn Swedberg (updated August 2023), laid out as a two-column table with ten principles. Each pairs a "DO" with a list of what to avoid.
The ten principles are: listen deeply, ask questions and listen, presume competence, anticipate and notice, plan ahead and communicate, speak out and accept consequences, advocate, explore creative alternatives, check your privilege, and keep on learning. Running through all of them is the idea that allies should center disabled people's own voices and leadership: believe what they say, talk to them directly, don't assume what they need or insist on helping, and involve them from the start. The sheet also stresses practical follow-through (budgeting for accommodations, not treating ADA compliance as the finish line), a willingness to speak up and face pushback without seeking credit, and humility about one's own ingrained ableism, including apologizing and moving on after mistakes.
This content was originally published by the General Commission on Religion and Race; republished with permission on ResourceUMC.org on October 12, 2026.