Keith Dow
Keith lives in the woods just South of Ottawa with his wife and three children. As Manager of Organizational and Spiritual Life with Christian Horizons, he is honoured to participate in the faith journeys of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Keith completed his PhD in Theology through Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Under the supervision of ethicist Dr. Hans Reinders, Keith’s dissertation examined the ethics of Christian caregiving at the intersection of disability and theology. Keith also holds a M.A. in Philosophy at the Dominican University College in Ottawa and is a credentialed pastor with BIC Canada.
Bio last updated June 30th, 2021.
Articles by Keith Dow
How MAiD Aids Ableism
By Keith Dow
February 25, 2021
Bill C-7’s expansion of medical aid in dying encodes into law discrimination against disabled Canadians by treating them as less worthy of life than the able-bodied, Keith Dow writes.
Ableism is the prevalent discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities and it is like a poisonous rot that eats away at the roots of opportunity, care, and life-giving supports for the disabled COVID-19 has exposed the frailty of many of these points of connection and care, and Canada’s inadequate, and at times abysmal, support for people with disabilities introduces additional layers of suffering for at least one in five people across our country, many of whom also suffer the effects of overlapping prejudice and marginalization Nondisabled prejudice eats away at potential opportunities for meaningful employment and perpetuates social systems that keep disabled people living in poverty, making basic life necessities – let alone additional comforts – difficult to access and sustain
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COVID in a Lifeboat
Chantal Huinink, and Jasmine Duckworth, Keith Dow
May 19, 2020
Chantal Huinink, Jasmine Duckworth, and Keith Dow consider the ethics of disability in a time of pandemic crisis.
Chantal believes that so-called pandemic ethics and fears of scarcity have the potential to further devalue the lives of Canadians with disabilities and individuals with disabilities around the world The thee perspectives shared by Chantal, Jasmine and Keith have nuances that differ from one another...
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Curing Our Moral Virus of Loneliness
Keith Dow
March 16, 2020
As Prime Minister Trudeau urges Canadians abroad to come home and his cabinet ministers press to reduce the size of permissible gatherings, Convivium contributor Keith Dow encourages us to be aware of the needs of our neighbours.
What are some of the signs of hope in your neighbourhood? How have you seen people been “come together” – often virtually – to combat the increasing threat of isolation and loneliness? How might this be a time when those who have been most marginalized are recognized as vital contributors and member...
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The Crash of Sacred Disruption
Keith Dow
August 14, 2018
Through spiritually enriching re-encounter with Biblical story, Convivium contributor Keith Dow finds an opening to overcome crippling limitations in “hyper-normalizing” narratives about physical disability.
While I could never recount or predict the ways that diverse perspectives have shaped or will shape my narrative, I am thankful for people like Rabbi Julia Watts Belser who generously and insightfully share their stories I cannot help but wonder how often I have turned down opportunities to experien...
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Baby Steps for Gerber
Keith Dow
March 6, 2018
Recently, the Gerber baby food company chose a child with Down syndrome as its “spokesbaby.” But as Keith Dow of Christian Horizons asks, while the winner’s extra chromosome paints an adorable picture for disability advocacy, will the small step begin a journey of lasting social change?
Plenty of stigma and misinformation still exists, but I am grateful for images and stories that tell the truth about the lives of people with Down syndrome like little baby Lucas, like Penny, and like hundreds of thousands of other beautiful people around the globe We need companies like Gerber to g...
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Putting Christ In Perspective
Keith Dow
December 22, 2017
The glories of Renaissance painting have given us an image of Jesus at odds with the Saviour who walked beside the poor and dispossessed, writes Convivium contributor Keith Dow.
Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi stands in sharp contrast to the portrait of Jesus from Popular Mechanics’ article The Real Face of Jesus in 2015 What might it look like to shift our perspective from unattainable ideals of the human body to perceiving the unique and intricate beauty of everybody created in...
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Answering I Kissed Dating Goodbye
Jessica Walters, with Brittany Beacham, Keith Dow, Paul Oleniuk
August 4, 2017
Four Convivium readers whose young lives were shaped by Joshua Harris’ influential book respond to Hannah Marazzi’s interview with the author.
I was angry reading even the title I Kissed Dating Goodbye, I was angry at Joshua Harris, and the more I read of the article, the angrier I became (despite Harris’ willingness to reevaluate his own book) and what has shaped my dating life, engagement, and now marriage, is Joshua’s urgent request tha...
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Stories Yet To Tell
Keith Dow
July 26, 2017
"There is a story of faith in Canada that we see and hear, and a story of faith in Canada that words cannot express. Mystery and revelation trace their way through every account given of the divine. Opacity and transparency similarly dance through each of our own life-stories: the words, and the bodies, upon which we are written."
Faith in Canada would be an impoverished faith if it were not for these untold stories, just as Canada would be an impoverished nation if not for its story of faith There is a story of faith in Canada that we see and hear, and a story of faith in Canada that words cannot express ...