|
|
|
|
|
Home
Indicators of Welcome
These tools should be used flexibly and adapted to address the specific issues present in your congregation. Consider adding or rewording items so that it is easy for people to share their feedback. Remember that these tools are only guides and should be interpreted carefully. They offer only examples of areas a congregation might consider; some issues may be more relevant than others. Moreover, they do not provide a cutoff score indicating when your congregation is “accessible enough”; neither do they include a standardized score against which to compare your congregation to others. Their purpose is simply to guide you in reflecting more deeply.
The information needed to complete these tools can be gathered in a variety of ways. An attentive walk around the property and facilities is necessary when assessing architectural issues, but it should be coupled with conversations with individuals who use wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters, as well as users of other forms of specialized equipment. Team members also might visit the various events and activities that occur throughout the congregation each week, looking to see how people with disabilities currently are involved in or precluded from participating. Progress is sometimes exceptional in one area but slow in others, so it is important to look systematically across your congregation. For example, it is not uncommon for teachers of a preschool program to do an outstanding job of including children with disabilities as the same time as youth leaders struggle to welcome teenagers with disabilities into the high school group. Finally, blank copies of the reflection tool might be shared with team members, as well as other members of the congregation, to be filled out individually. Once returned, response can be examined to identify commonly held perceptions.
Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers, Families, and Congregations, by Erik W. Carter. Copyright 2007 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc, All rights reserved.  Erik-Carter-book.pdf You can purchase this book directly from the Covenant Bookstore, or at the publisher's website.
|
|
