Rev. Dr. McKenney will be presented with the 2025 Reimagining Spirituality Leadership Award by the Religion and Spirituality Interest Network of AAIDD at the Network Forum on June 23, 2025.
We are pleased to announce Rev. Dr. Sarah McKenney as the 2025 recipient of the Reimagining Spirituality Leadership Award! This award recognizes the creative ways she has promoted opportunities for people with disabilities for personal spiritual growth, developing enriching relationships, and participating in spiritual or religious community.
As Spiritual Support Coordinator at Stone Belt Arc, Rev. Dr. McKenney leads the organization’s first-ever Spiritual Support Program. Specifically, she developed and led an innovative Spiritual Engagement Coach pilot program that paired trained coaches with people to support their spiritual goals. The program has shown measurable outcomes in belonging, joy, and well-being, with many participants transitioning to natural community supports. She created a replicable model that is designed to be a potential Medicaid Waiver service, and now hopes it gets picked up as such.
In addition to this groundbreaking work, Sarah accompanies people through grief and end-of-life care, training both staff and families to walk alongside them during major life transitions. She earned her Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Disability and Ministry in 2024 and her Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in 2012. She brings over fifteen years of experience and currently serves as Vice President of the Religion and Spirituality Interest Network of AAIDD. As someone with disabilities herself, Sarah brings a unique and embodied perspective to her work, experiencing the world through the lenses of dyslexia and ADHD.
We are grateful for Rev. Dr. McKenney’s bold and compassionate leadership in reimagining spiritual support, and we look forward to celebrating her work at this year’s forum.
AAIDD Religion & Spirituality Network 