During a recent family holiday we visited a well known Australian big city Catholic cathedral.
Upon seeing the series of steps at the front, we looked for disability
access and were rewarded with the familiar stylised wheelchair symbol.
We proceeded uphill to find the side entrance also had steps.
Continuing on, we made our way to the back of the church, where we
discovered a long ramp leading to a door.
We rang the bell, and waited.
And waited.
A security guard patrolling the perimeter found us, and a
short while later met us inside.
We finally entered the sacred building.
Later that day, a disability advocate shared the story of a
discussion with representatives of a local church, regarding disability
access to a church building.
The representatives said providing access
was not an issue for their congregation, because it had no members with
mobility issues.
The advocate gently explained that perhaps the design of the church
building precluded people who had movement difficulties from attending.
From personal experience, I am aware of the cost of building
modifications to improve accessibility.
No doubt costs are even more
prohibitive for buildings designed for wide communities, or of heritage
value.
Yet there are simple changes churches can offer people with
mobility difficulties.
Well-signposted disability car parks are a must.
Where it is
necessary to walk, hobble, or wheel a distance to a special entrance,
hand rails and cheery signs along the way help the path seem short.
If
assistance is required to enter, assign someone to be present to provide
support.
In certain cases, temporary ramps allow access to wheelchairs and
walking frames. Allocated spaces for wheelchairs reduce fears about
'being in the way'.
Movement is made easier if aisles are wide enough to
accomodate both a wheelchair, and someone mobile to walk around it.
Some of these suggestions cost money; but money is spent on providing
music, technology, art and other things that subtly invite people to
participate.
Compromises on updating or replacing resources, or
questioning the necessity of new purchases, could release funds to build
a more accessible church.
Some years ago, our parish catered for the extra numbers anticipated
at Easter by adding a chair to the end of each row, and including extra
rows of chairs at the back of the church and in the foyer.
Unfortunately, this had the unintended consequence of relegating people
with mobility issues, injuries or small children to the periphery of the
gathering as aisles were reduced to narrow tracks.
One can speculate what message could inadvertently be inferred by
people who may be attending church for the first time in a long while.
In London, the Anglican Church developed strategies
to ensure that people with disabilities are considered in worship.
The
Anglican Church in Australia is also working to enable greater participation by people with all kinds of disabilities in the life of the church. Churches are willing to take up the challenge, and an evaluation process forms part of the approach.
It is heartening to see similar moves
in Australian Catholic churches.
The Australian Catholic Bishops
established a Disability Council as part of the Bishops Commission on
Pastoral Life.
This signalled the priority and importance of addressing
issues of disability in the Church, and includes resources to assist the
involvement of people with intellectual impairments as well as physical
needs.
While entry to the aforementioned cathedral was not particularly
wheelchair-friendly, we were pleased to see there were wide aisles and
other technology designed to facilitate participation, such as large
flat screens attached to pillars that could assist people with vision or
hearing impairments.
There is a story in the Gospel of Luke in which the friends of a
paralysed man could not find a way to bring him into a crowded building
where Jesus was.
So they climbed onto the roof and lowered him on a
stretcher.
These friends worked hard to ensure that their friend did not
miss out on meeting Jesus.
Church members can take a cue from this example, by ensuring they
also bring people with injury, illness, impairment or disability to the
heart of their communities.
Moira Byrne Garton is a PhD student in political science at the Australian National University, and a policy analyst.
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