In recent years, a greater awareness of the need for disabled-friendly buildings has arisen. Most new structures are built with this in mind and in many countries, public buildings are required to provide wheelchair access and wheelchair toilets. Even so, there are often times when disabled people may feel uncomfortable in a church environment.
What does a Church Building need to be Disabled-friendly
People with mobility issues or wheelchairs and those with sight problems need level floors, wide doors and access ramps. Wheelchair toilets are a must and flat wide paths through garden areas are useful. The best way to determine what a particular facility is lacking is to ask disabled people who make regular use of it. It may be something as simple as a hand rail or it may require major renovations. At the end of the day, can we place a price on making our church user-friendly?
What other ways can a Church cater for the Disabled
There are many little actions that show people with disabilities that the church cares for them and is willing to accommodate their needs. Simple things like taking communion to someone in a wheelchair can save them the difficulty of maneuvering their way to the front. Seating deaf people in the front will enable them to lip read if there is no Sign Language interpreter present. What about taking a chair off the end of a row so a wheelchair can park there? There is no reason why people in wheelchairs should have to sit at the back week after week. Are guide dogs welcome to sit in the service and are large print notices or hymn books available for visually impaired people?
Are Services and Gatherings Punctual
While there is a place for flexibility, the needs and routines of people with disabilities need to be considered. If a person or group are dropped and collected by a bus at certain times, it can be disappointing for them to miss the end of a sermon or the chance to socialize after a service. If there is a special celebration service or similar happening, find out if their timetable can be adjusted for that Sunday. It means a lot to people when their circumstances are considered.
Going the Extra Mile for the Disabled
Church is so much more than a service or two on Sunday. We have Bible studies and ladies meetings, family picnics and sports matches, movie nights and bonfires. As far as possible, all these events should be disabled-friendly. It is often as simple as choosing a suitable venue or arranging transport for people to get there. Where I live in New Zealand, there are a group of people in the church who have made a ministry out of fetching intellectually disabled folk for their morning service. What a wonderful thing to do and what an impact it is having on the beneficiaries.
A Church will often attract Groups of Disabled People
If a disabled person feels at home at a particular church, they will normally tell their friends. This means that a congregation may have a group of people with similar disabilities such as blindness or intellectual disabilities. This is a positive phenomenon but don't let it become an excuse to limit social interaction. We all need each other and can learn from and help each other. Make an effort to be a friend to the disabled.
Where do Disabled Children fit in
Kids can react to disabilities in two ways; they tease the person or they befriend them and become a helper. If there is a disabled child in the Sunday school class, it is often a good idea to let them talk about their problem. Understanding it will mean their peers are more likely to help them when needed and become genuine friends with them. If the child is too young to explain their condition, a parent or caregiver could give a simple talk and invite questions. Children love to ask questions but often hold back if they feel it is inappropriate. Allowing them to discuss disabilities can make them understanding and caring.
A Story from the Bible
I love the story from Mark 2:1-4 (NIV) A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
Isn't that a wonderful picture of accommodating the disabled? The paralytic had friends who were willing to make a plan to get him to Jesus. They went as far as making a hole through the roof! Can we do any less for those who come across our paths?
There are millions of disabled people in the world and we brush shoulders with them every day. We see them in the supermarkets, walking the streets, on public transport and in doctor's waiting rooms. We also see them in our churches. Let's make an extra effort to reach out to the disabled and help them feel at home in our congregations. If renovations and changes are required or simply a greater sensitivity, let's step up to the mark and determine to make a difference.
In recent years, a greater awareness of the need for disabled-friendly buildings has arisen. Most new structures are built with this in mind and in many countries, public buildings are required to provide wheelchair access and wheelchair toilets. Even so, there are often times when disabled people may feel uncomfortable in a church environment.
What does a Church Building need to be Disabled-friendly
People with mobility issues or wheelchairs and those with sight problems need level floors, wide doors and access ramps. Wheelchair toilets are a must and flat wide paths through garden areas are useful. The best way to determine what a particular facility is lacking is to ask disabled people who make regular use of it. It may be something as simple as a hand rail or it may require major renovations. At the end of the day, can we place a price on making our church user-friendly?
There are many little actions that show people with disabilities that the church cares for them and is willing to accommodate their needs. Simple things like taking communion to someone in a wheelchair can save them the difficulty of maneuvering their way to the front. Seating deaf people in the front will enable them to lip read if there is no Sign Language interpreter present. What about taking a chair off the end of a row so a wheelchair can park there? There is no reason why people in wheelchairs should have to sit at the back week after week. Are guide dogs welcome to sit in the service and are large print notices or hymn books available for visually impaired people?
Are Services and Gatherings Punctual
While there is a place for flexibility, the needs and routines of people with disabilities need to be considered. If a person or group are dropped and collected by a bus at certain times, it can be disappointing for them to miss the end of a sermon or the chance to socialize after a service. If there is a special celebration service or similar happening, find out if their timetable can be adjusted for that Sunday. It means a lot to people when their circumstances are considered.
Going the Extra Mile for the Disabled
Church is so much more than a service or two on Sunday. We have Bible studies and ladies meetings, family picnics and sports matches, movie nights and bonfires. As far as possible, all these events should be disabled-friendly. It is often as simple as choosing a suitable venue or arranging transport for people to get there. Where I live in New Zealand, there are a group of people in the church who have made a ministry out of fetching intellectually disabled folk for their morning service. What a wonderful thing to do and what an impact it is having on the beneficiaries.
If a disabled person feels at home at a particular church, they will normally tell their friends. This means that a congregation may have a group of people with similar disabilities such as blindness or intellectual disabilities. This is a positive phenomenon but don't let it become an excuse to limit social interaction. We all need each other and can learn from and help each other. Make an effort to be a friend to the disabled.
Where do Disabled Children fit in
Kids can react to disabilities in two ways; they tease the person or they befriend them and become a helper. If there is a disabled child in the Sunday school class, it is often a good idea to let them talk about their problem. Understanding it will mean their peers are more likely to help them when needed and become genuine friends with them. If the child is too young to explain their condition, a parent or caregiver could give a simple talk and invite questions. Children love to ask questions but often hold back if they feel it is inappropriate. Allowing them to discuss disabilities can make them understanding and caring.
A Story from the Bible
I love the story from Mark 2:1-4 (NIV) A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
Isn't that a wonderful picture of accommodating the disabled? The paralytic had friends who were willing to make a plan to get him to Jesus. They went as far as making a hole through the roof! Can we do any less for those who come across our paths?
There are millions of disabled people in the world and we brush shoulders with them every day. We see them in the supermarkets, walking the streets, on public transport and in doctor's waiting rooms. We also see them in our churches. Let's make an extra effort to reach out to the disabled and help them feel at home in our congregations. If renovations and changes are required or simply a greater sensitivity, let's step up to the mark and determine to make a difference.