Church steps
Imagine trying to negotiate these steps in a wheelchair to get to Sunday worship. (ID 15215692 © Ken Cole | Dreamstime.com)
How Hard Can It Be? Not As Hard As You Think!
“They have been told—in one of many different ways—that including them would be too difficult.”
This comment on one of my Facebook posts triggered Part 1 of “Helping People with Disabilities Belong.” In that article, I named just some of the ways that people with disabilities have been told that it’s just too hard to include them and ended with some broad ideas to help people belong. In this article, I get into a few specifics.
The First Step
It’s not that hard, really. All people are made in God’s image and are loved by God. Seeing all people through God’s eyes and loving with God’s heart may take some practice, but it isn’t difficult. Slowing down, taking time, listening well with heart as well as with ears are the keys to seeing everyone as someone who belongs in church and everywhere else. All people are people. All are worthy of love. An open heart is the first step. Pray for God to open your heart to a new relationship that might seem, on the surface, to be different from any you have considered before. But since everyone is created by God to be unique, it really isn’t different. It just might seem that way from outward appearances. God created us to be in relationship with each other. Live into that! I think you might be surprised by the new friendships you make.
The Second Step
Keep listening and pay attention to facial expressions and body language. If there is sadness when your new friend sees the inside of the sanctuary or they wince when the music starts, ask a gentle question. Maybe they see steps into the choir loft or they have to go through an alley to get into the building and they wonder if they are really welcome. Maybe loud music causes them pain. Don’t ignore the signals that all is not well. Care enough to ask. It might not be easy for them to tell you what’s going on and they may not tell you why at first. Be present, but don’t be overly invasive. Give them time to trust that you care about them.
The Next Step
It occurs to me that this might be the first step. On the other hand, you might need to develop a relationship first before you know what to look for, so do the steps in whatever order seems right for you.
Pay attention when you look at your church. Try to see it as if it were the first time you saw it. Do you see stairs going into the main entrance? If so, is there a sign pointing out the accessible path of travel? When travelling between the accessible parking places and the building, is it necessary to cross lanes of traffic? Is there a power door opener?
Conducting an Accessibility Audit might reveal problem areas and help you set priorities for changes to your facilities. Don’t forget to ask people who live with disabilities about what problems they experience! This might uncover some unwelcoming attitudes that are barriers to helping someone belong. Changing those attitudes (e.g. believing that things are fine even when they’re not) will take education and study and maybe a few words from the pulpit. This may take time, but it will be worth it!
The Step After That
Prioritize the changes that you uncovered in the previous step and make one change at a time. Allocate the necessary funds according to those priorities. Often a congregation will say that they don’t have the money to improve access, but they do have money for other programs and improvements. Your budget reflects your priorities! Make helping everyone belong your highest priority! And if the money really isn’t there, check with your district union, your annual conference Congregational Development office, your annual conference Disability Concerns Committee (Discipline ¶ 653), and/or the DisAbility Ministries Committee of The United Methodist Church. If you rent your church facilities out for public usage, the local city government may have grants available. It’s worth checking!
Please don’t forget to check out the resources (including the Accessibility Audit) available at umcdmc.org. There are many ways to help people with disabilities belong that are not expensive. And always remember, the most important thing is a welcoming heart!
Sharon McCart, M.Div. is a United Methodist deaconess. This post is republished with permission from the DisAbility blog, a collaborative effort of the United Methodist Church's DisAbility Ministries Committee.