Thanks to the Chicago office of Joni and Friends, including our good friends Karen Roberts and Sandy Hay, we are pleased to provide the following hand gestures that symbolize each of The 5 Stages.

The gesture for Ignorance is one where each hand represents a person. The hand in front is a person without disabilities, and the other hand, held far away and even in an opposing direction, if helpful, is a p[erson who lives with disabilities. the front hand is ignorant and completely apart from the other.

The hand gesture for Pity again uses each hand to represent a person, with the top hand representing a person without disabilities, looking down in pity upon a person who does have disabilities. The gesture signifies the assumption that the only way in which relationship happens is in one direction, downward in pity, in an impersonal, and still distant, way.

The hand gesture for Care is a well-understood offering of cupped hands. The hands represent the act of giving to someone else, in a personal fashion.

The hand gesture for Friendship is clasped hands, with each hand again representing a person. These hands now signify and equality in relationship, a togetherness and interwoven relationship that is truly mutual.

The final hand gesture, representing Co-laborers, brings us back to the beginning. Now, both hands go out, together, as friends. They go out in service to God and to bless others.

Thank you again to the Chicago office of Joni and Friends for this wonderful resource. They developed this resource in collaboration with their contacts in Ethiopia.