Disability & belonging
The full participation of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the life of the Church and society.
Writer · Speaker · Advocate
The measure of a society is how it sees the human person.
Mark E. Bradford writes and speaks at the intersection of disability, human dignity, Catholic thought, and the technologies reshaping human life.
About
Dignity is not conferred by ability, independence, or social usefulness.
Mark Bradford has spent more than two decades in leadership, writing, and advocacy concerned with the dignity and flourishing of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He was appointed a Fellow of the Word on Fire Institute in 2023 and leads its Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Community.
His work draws together Catholic anthropology, bioethics, education, public policy, and lived experience. He is the founding president of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in the United States and the father of a son with Down syndrome.
Areas of work
Questions that shape how we live together
Human dignity & bioethics
Prenatal diagnosis, genetic technology, care at the end of life, and the moral meaning of dependence and vulnerability.
Faith & education
Catholic education, sacramental life, and communities formed to recognize the gifts of every person.
Technology & humanity
Artificial intelligence, human enhancement, and the enduring question of what it means to be human.
Selected writing
Essays & conversations
Book
Indispensable
A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Edited by Mark Bradford, this collection offers theological foundations and practical direction for communities seeking to welcome every person as an indispensable member of the Body of Christ.
Four 2026 publishing honors
- First placeCMA Book Award · Pastoral Ministry: Parish Life
- First placeCMA Book Award · Edited Collections: Contemporary/Modern Authors
- First placeACP Excellence in Publishing Award · Resources for Ministry
- Third placeACP Excellence in Publishing Award · Resource of the Year
Forthcoming from Word on Fire
On Down Syndrome
Contact
Begin a conversation.
For speaking, editorial collaboration, or advisory conversations concerning disability, human dignity, education, and emerging technology.
MBradford@wordonfire.org