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Access

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  1. Access I am a mother with a physical disability, and I have a son who is also physically disabled. Every time we go to a restaurant or a supermarket or any other place, we have to be carried up and down the stairs. This attracts a lot of attention. It is really degrading and makes us feel less human. —A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities

  2. Getting in the Door Some congregations delay making necessary restroom changes, thinking them “less important” than other building projects. But, in the language of many people with disabilities: “If we can’t go, we won’t come!” —That All May Worship

  3. The Americans with Disabilities Act • Public Law No. 101-366 • Signed into law on July 26, 1990 • Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 • The ADA defines disability as: • A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual such as walking, speaking, and breathing • Having record of such an impairment • Being regarded as having such an impairment

  4. Titles of the ADA • Title I: Employment • Title II: Public Services • State and Local Governments • Public Transportation • Title III: Public Accommodations • Title III does not apply to religious organizations or entities controlled by religious organizations, including places of worship • Title IV: Telecommunications • Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions

  5. Key Phrases • Reasonable Accommodation: The principle by which employment and public accommodations are made accessible to qualified disabled people…unless it can be demonstrated that a particular adjustment or alteration would be unreasonable or impose an undue hardship. • Undue Hardship: The point at which an employer/entity is no longer required to make accommodations in employment/service since the action involved would require significant difficulty or expense.

  6. Audits and Assessments Assessing Accessibility

  7. Assessing Accessibility • Americans with Disability Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) • UMC Accessibility Mini-Audit • Available on the UMCOR Health website • Local Church Accessibility Survey • Available on the GBOD website • Community Health and Environment Checklist • CHEC and CHEC-HOW

  8. Change Takes Time A Success Story

  9. How Much Is It Going to Cost? Disability as a line item in the budget

  10. Tzedekah, Tzedek, and Tikkun Olam • Tzedekah = charity • Tzedek = justice or righteousness • Tikkun Olam = fixing of the world • Accessibility is cause, not for a fundraiser, but for political protest. The needs of individuals with disabilities should be indicated as a line item on the annual budget. We must be integrated in black ink. —Finkler, 2004

  11. More Than Ramps and Elevators Simple and cost-effective changes YOU can make

  12. Simple changes • Set aside parking spaces in your parking lot or in front of your church for people with disabilities. Mark these spaces with an “Accessible Parking” sign. • If there are steps into your chancel or sanctuary, consider having a communion station on the floor in front of the steps. • Develop a section of disability resources in your church library.

  13. Simple Changes • Encourage everyone to minimize perfumes and aftershave. • Cut the ends of several pews so that wheelchair users can sit with their friends and families rather than being segregated in the back or front of the worship space. • Survey your cleaning supplies being mindful of those with chemical sensitivities.

  14. Simple Changes • Explore ways of working with other religious communities on projects related to disability access and ministry. • Visit accessible congregations (of any religion or denomination) in your area, noting especially the non-architectural ways these congregations demonstrate their accessibility and inclusion. • Encourage parishioners to designate memorial gifts for accessibility projects.

  15. Simple Changes • Hold all community activities in areas accessible to everyone.   • Plan an adult education segment to discuss the social barriers to inclusion. • Apply brightly colored, textured strips at the top of all stairs. These strips alert people with limited vision that they are approaching stairs.

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