"Religion offers community
to our lonely human souls.
The house of worship represents
one place where the barriers fall
and we all stand equal before God."
--*Rabbi Harold Kuschner*

RELAX...
treat a person with a disability like
you would treat any other person.

A welcoming congregration or organization offers:
     Empowerment not pity
     Advocacy not avoidance
     Support not stigma

General Guidelines in Conversation

• Talk directly to a person with a disability, not to an attendant, companion, or interpreter.
• Use your normal speaking voice when communicating. Speak to adults as adults and children as children.
• Speak in your normal voice, face the person and speak clearly, not loudly.
• Identify yourself when greeting a person who is blind. Likewise, inform the person when you are leaving.
• Do not pretend to understand if the speech of a person is unclear. Politely request that they rephrase until the point is understood.
• If you have difficulty understanding what someone is saying, consider moving to a quieter place, away from the noise and distractions.

General Courtesy

• Use "people first" language (e.g., the child with Down Syndrome or the man with cerebral palsy) rather than referring to the disability first (e.g., Down Syndrome girl or crippled man)
• Be considerate of the extra time it might take for a person with a disability to get things said or done. If it appears that your conversation will last, sit down and make yourself comfortable.
• Be thoughtful in your discussions about the disability. Talk about the disability if it comes up naturally, without prying.
• Remember that the person's wheelchair is part of his/her space. Do not invade that space by leaning or holding onto the wheelchair.
• Work to control the reactions of personal discomfort when someone behaves in an unexpected way or looks somewhat different. Try to see the wholeness of spirit underneath and overcome the tendency to turn away or ignore the person with the disability.
• If someone is in need of help and you would like to help, do so. But do not proceed unless your offer is accepted. If you are uncomfortable, speak to the individual, then go and seek someone else to assist them.

Environmental Barriers

• Identify architectural barriers and develop special accommodations as needed.
• Consider some or all of the following accommodations:
  Large print worship aids like songbooks and bulletins, hearing amplification equipment, brailling room numbers and other signs, signing interpreters, accessible restrooms, TDD, trained greeters and ushers, audio and video tapes, and pencil and paper to communicate.

Education

• Educate the congregation about special accomodations that are available through posted signs, notes in worship bulletin, brochures, notice in visitor packet, newsletter articles, a word from the pulpit, and access symbols in the newspaper ads.
• Consider the following printed announcement:
  The congregration has a variety of resources available. These include large-print hymnals and prayer books, large-print Bibles, large-print or Braille bulletins, and audio loops. Please speak to the usher if you need assistance.
• Include information about special accommodations in the training of ushers, greeters, outreach leaders, ministry leadership, officers, and staff.
• Provide ongoing education and training for the congregration in this area.

Ministries and Programs

• Consider the formation of a committee, team or task force for the purpose of promoting accessibility and inclusion throughout your faith community programs
• Develop ministries and programs which serve to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.
• Work on being inclusive of persons with disabilities and their families when planning all faith community functions. Be sensitive to special needs such as wheelchair accessibility, transportation, etc. when selecting meeting locations, times and facility set-up.
• Consider ways to address the stress and isolation felt by families of persons with disabilities (i.e., respite programs, support groups, hospital visitation at the birth of a child with disabilities, retreats, worship buddy for a person needing supervision, etc.)
• Consider the accommodations or programs needed for a person with disabilities and their families to fully participate in the life and activities of the faith community (e.g., a special helper, specially trained teachers/aides, appropriate curriculum, adaptive toys, child/adult care during church activities, etc.)

Special thanks to the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.)
for references and ideas as found in
"That All May Worship - An Interfaith Welcome to People With Disabilities", or
"From Barriers to Bridges"