A man with glasses and a gray button-up shirt smiling and gesturing with his hand in front of a purple screen that displays a numbered list.

INVITE DAN

A Speaker Who Has Lived the Question.

Dan Vander Plaats has spent 30 years speaking to churches, seminaries, nonprofits, and leadership gatherings about what it actually takes to include people with disabilities. Not as a program, but as a posture. His presentations don't start with policy or statistics. They start with people.

Dan's minor speech disorder meant he grew up not wanting to identify with people who had disabilities. But, he was one of them. That tension is where The 5 Stages was born, and it's what makes him unlike any other disability ministry speaker your audience has heard.

Invite Dan to Speak
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Signature Speaking Topics

  • Dan's signature presentation. Audiences walk through the 5 Stages framework, Ignorance, Pity, Care, Friendship, Co-Laborers, and learn where they are and what forward actually looks like. Grounded in Scripture, tested across six continents, and appropriate for church conferences, denomination gatherings, seminary events, nonprofit leadership days, and faith-based DEI audiences.

  • What does Scripture actually say about people with disabilities? More than most churches realize. This session explores the theological foundation for disability inclusion and why it matters for every community that takes the gospel seriously. Best suited for seminary audiences, church leadership teams, and faith-based conferences.

     

  • Awareness is easy. Belonging is hard. This talk unpacks the difference and gives leaders specific, practical tools to close the gap in their churches, schools, and organizations.

  • Ministry should happen with people who have disabilities, not just for them. This session reframes the entire conversation and challenges communities to reflect what the body of Christ is actually supposed to look like.

WHERE HE’S BEEN

Thirty Years, Six Continents

2014 — Calvin Institute for Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, MI
2015 — Disability Conference Canada, Woodstock, ON
2018 — Ireland World Meeting of Families, Dublin
2024 — Acts 29 Europe Conference, Riga, Latvia
2026 — Disability and the Church Conference, Washington, D.C.

plus engagements across the U.S. and Canada — Chicago, Grand Rapids, Calgary, Orland Park, and more — with Dan’s complete 19-stop speaking history available as a download.

See Dan's Full Speaking History
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Invite Dan to Your Event

Whether you're planning a conference, a church retreat, a leadership training, or a seminary course, fill out the form below and Dan will be in touch within 2 to 3 business days.

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See Dan in Action

Podcasts & Interviews

  • Book cover titled 'Theology in the Raw' by Preston Sprinkle, featuring a black background with a microphone icon and the title in gold and white text.

    THEOLOGY IN THE RAW

    “Disability, The Church, and the Gospel” with Preston Sprinkle and Eric Targe

    Listen Now
  • Book cover with a smiling woman with blonde hair wearing a red top, and the title 'Disability and Faith: Invited In' by Christine Boyle on a turquoise and yellow background.

    DISABILITY AND FAITH

    “The 5 Stages: Changing Attitudes Toward Disability” with Christine Boyle

    Watch Now
  • A smiling woman with a top bun hairstyle wearing a pink and white striped shirt, with a purple background that features the text "WONDERFUL WORKS TALKS" and a heart shape, along with a sound wave illustration.

    WONDERFUL WORKS TALKS

    “The 5 Stages of Disability Attitudes” with Barbara McNiel Stanley

    Listen Now
  • Logo for The Acts 29 Podcast with green background, white text and decorative wave lines.

    ACTS 29 PODCAST

    'Disability and Co-Labouring in Christ' with Phillip Moore and Johnny Pollock

    Listen Now

  • THE KITCHEN TABLE

    ‘Changing Attitudes about Disability' with Brian McIntyre Utter

    Listen Now
  • Podcast cover featuring Megan Gillmore and Dan Vander Plaats, titled 'Let's talk about Ableism,' with a church stained glass window depicting biblical figures in the background.

    RECONCILED WORLD

    'Let's Talk about Ableism' with Megan Gillmore and Dan Vander Plaats

    Listen Now

What People Are Saying

"The 5 Stages of Changing Attitudes is one of the most important tools I use both in church consultations through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and in disability ministry classes I teach at Liberty University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Church leaders often don't realize they are approaching disability ministry with ignorance or pity toward the participants they want to reach."

Sandra Peoples
Author, Accessible Church
Houston TX

"Nearly every meaningful conversation I've had about serving people with disabilities well eventually circles back to this model."

Brad Mowry
All Ability Director,
Fellowship of Christian Athletes  |  Frederick, MD