Churches often are not accessible because they are exempt from accessibility, and I would argue that most churches are less accessible than a doctor’s office. It is frustrating that churches are so inaccessible because disabled Christians do exist, but often can’t go to church due to their lack of accessibility. I don’t see that changing any time soon because there is no law that forces churches to follow ADA accessibility guidelines. No business should be exempt from accessibility because disabled people can’t access your business if it’s not accessible, and whoever’s idea it was to exempt churches is harming the disabled community. Some churches do try to make their facility as accessible as they can for disabled people because they know that disabled people won’t go to church if they are not accessible, but most churches don’t even try. Accessibility matters in all businesses, even in church, but sometimes people think they are accessible because they think accessibility ends at ramps, and don’t know what it means to be accessible. How can churches be more accessible? In this post, I am going to talk about a few ways you can make your church more accessible.
Don’t get rid of your virtual services– During Covid, most churches had virtual services because they were required to have them, but some of them got rid of their virtual services when they weren’t required to have them. Virtual services make your church more accessible because not all disabled people are able to drive to church, and some of us in the disabled community may be too sick to go to church. As a physically disabled person, I am able to go to church most weeks because I go with my parents and have someone to drive me. If I didn’t have that, I would not be able to go to church unless I used public transportation, which is not super reliable. Virtual services benefit everyone, not just disabled people, because it allows people to worship when they aren’t feeling well. Don’t get rid of your virtual services because when you do, it’s only accessible to some people.
Make communion accessible- My church does communion once a month, and I am only able to participate because my family makes it possible. Communion at my church is not accessible because you have to walk up to get the condiments and then walk back to your seat. I don’t know my church does it this way because of Covid, but I do know that when the elders went to each row and passed out the condiments, it was more accessible for me. As a physically disabled person, it can be very difficult to carry things back to my seat, and if it wasn’t for my family, I wouldn’t be able to participate in communion due to its lack of accessibility. Communion needs to be accessible because disabled people can’t participate if it’s not, and if anything, you need to make it very clear that assistance is available if needed. Disabled worshipers shouldn’t be forced to not participate in communion due to the lack of accessibility.
Have gluten-free options every time– It would be impossible to have communion that accommodated every food allergy because you can’t accommodate everyone, and can only do your best to make it accessible for as many people as possible. Some people who go gluten-free have no medical necessity, but a lot of people do have allergies and need to avoid it to avoid getting sick. My church sometimes has gluten-free options, but it’s not every time, and there have been a couple of times when communion isn’t gluten-free. Communion should be gluten-free every time because consuming gluten is dangerous for some people, and when it’s not gluten-free, people with allergies can’t participate.
Make sure you have subtitles on your virtual services- My church still does virtual services, and I am grateful that they do because there are some weeks I am not well enough to attend church. My church’s virtual services are accessible to me as a disabled person, but I wouldn’t say their virtual services are accessible because there are no subtitles. The lyrics to the songs are displayed, but when the pastor starts to speak, there are no subtitles for the sermon, which can be an issue for people with hearing impairments. Some disabled people cannot hear what you are saying, and if you don’t have subtitles, they are not able to listen to the sermon. It is relatively easy to add subtitles, and many platforms allow you to do it automatically, and you just need to have that feature turned on. When I create an Instagram reel, I am able to add clear subtitles in seconds and may only have to make a few edits, which takes a few minutes to do. Clear subtitles throughout your entire service are important because some people need them to know what you’re saying. You are leaving out disabled worshippers when you don’t have subtitles because only some people can access them.
Make sure your social media is accessible- Most people have somewhat of an idea of how to make their facility accessible for disabled people, but when it comes to social media, accessibility is an afterthought. Most people will find your church from your social media accounts, and if it’s not accessible for disabled people, it says a lot about you, and some disabled people may not visit your church. Make sure you have subtitles on every video you make online and image descriptions on every photo you post. Some disabled people need these types of things, and without them, we can’t understand what your post is about.
Your facility needs to accommodate wheelchair users- I am able to walk into my church without difficulty, but once I am in the sanctuary, it is very difficult for me navigate. There is a lot of equipment that is in the way, and it’s not very accommodating for wheelchair users or anyone with physical disabilities. If a disabled person has to sit in the middle of the aisle because that is the only place their wheelchair fits, it draws attention, and we aren’t going to church. No disabled person likes being the way because people tend to bump into you a lot, and it’s not a great experience. I don’t fully blame my church for an inaccessible facility because they are renting a space and are not able to do a renovation to make it more accessible. Inaccessibility isn’t just a problem for my churches, but most churches don’t make it easy for disabled people to access their building. Disabled people need to be able to easily access your building because if we can’t, we are going to go elsewhere.
If you ever wondered why you don’t see a lot of disabled worshippers, it’s because churches are not required to be accessible and don’t accommodate the disabled community. Accessibility matters and benefits everyone, and you should want to be accessible even if you don’t technically have to. If your church is accessible, you are probably losing more worshippers than you think because you are not accommodating the disabled community. I am one disabled individual, and this is not a complete list of every possible way you could make your church more accessible, because not all disabled people have the same access needs. I think that the biggest problem isn’t that most churches aren’t accessible, but most of them don’t even try. Please don’t ignore accessibility because it’s so important if you want disabled people to go to church. How do you think we can make churches more accessible for disabled people? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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