More Congregations Make Accessibility
a Priority
By David Hadlich
Accessibility
seems to have reached most areas of a person’s
life. Restaurants, movies theaters, and other places of business
make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. This
is not always true for places of worship. Older buildings, which
we all know comprise a great many of the places of worship, are
especially difficult to modify.
The National Organization
on Disability (NOD), based in Washington D.C., began a campaign
in 1998 to recognize congregations committed to including people
with all types of disabilities as full and active participants
with the theme “Access: It begins in the Heart.” Since
its inception, over 2,200 congregations are officially registered
nationally, with 59 in Minnesota.
Becoming an officially recognized accessible congregation is accomplished
by committing to the following principles: People with disabilities
are valued as individuals, having been created in the image of God;
Endeavor to remove barriers of architecture, communications and attitude
that exclude people with disabilities from full and active participation;
encouraging everyone in the congregation to practice their faith
and use their gifts and talents in worship, service, study and leadership.
(From the Accessible Congregation Commitment form)
The NOD does not have
an enforcement of these principles, but Lorraine Thal, Program
Officer for the NOD’s Religion and Disability
Program, states, “We expect a long term commitment from congregations
to this program, and we are very comfortable with respondents being
both truthful and honorable.” To be certified, a congregation
needs to fill out a questionnaire and make the commitment to follow
the Accessibility Congregation principles.
People with disabilities face many obstacles to regular worship
attendance. Starting with reliable and regular transportation, which
is a major concern, to the actual times of the services, many obstacles
other than physical ones are faced. When one arrives, the accessibility
of the building, the size of the print in the bulletins, whether
or not the service is signed, and whether or not people with disabilities
can participate in all aspects of the service are other concerns.
A quick phone survey of area churches revealed that, even though
many churches consider themselves to be accessible, other barriers
may exist for full participation by a person with a disability.
Church plays a major
role in many people’s lives. Belonging
to a congregation and participating in the activities offered is
no less important to a person with a disability than it is to a person
without a disability. It is critical to an individual with a disability
to not only be able to attend, but to also speak, sing, and participate
in ways that many congregations ask their members to do.
Some neighboring congregations
have made a commitment to share a van to help transport individuals,
and other congregations have “paired” people
with and without disabilities to assist in just getting to church.
Congregations need not
be perfect, just set achievable goals and make a commitment to
action. To join, a congregation needs to commit to using the gifts
and talents of people with disabilities in worship, service, study
and leadership. There is no cost to join the Accessible Congregations
Campaign. The NOD will send a packet of information to any congregation
interested, and will send a certificate suitable for display. The
congregation’s name and city will be listed
on the NOD’s Web site as an accessible congregation.
One of the 59 listed congregations in Minnesota is the Minnehaha
United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. Being physically accessible
for ten years, they joined in the Accessible Congregations Campaign
six years ago, and have continuously made modifications to become
even more accessible. From having flexible seating in the first three
rows, to keeping a wheelchair onsite for visitors, this congregation
has the backing of its national synod as well as the support of its
members.
For more information on accessible congregations in your area, visit
www.nod.org. Click on the Religion and Disability Program link about
halfway down the page, and then click on the Accessible Congregations
Campaign about halfway down the next page. This will bring you to
a link for state by state listings. The Minnesota congregations listed
are more than happy to talk to you about attending a service.
Look for a follow-up article next month. Access Press welcomes any
input on this subject, as we may begin a listing of accessible worship
spaces in future issues.
