Removing barriers in church environments – both figuratively
and literally – is a crusade Bob Anderson looks forward to on a daily basis.
It is the focus of his work as director of the religion and
disability program at Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Ala., an eight-year-old
nonprofit organization addresses issues dealing with individuals with physical
disabilities.
Removing barriers in church environments – both figuratively
and literally – is a crusade Bob Anderson looks forward to on a daily basis.
It is the focus of his work as director of the religion and
disability program at Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Ala., an eight-year-old
nonprofit organization addresses issues dealing with individuals with physical
disabilities.
“Our mission is to provide opportunities for people with
physical disabilities to live healthy, active lifestyles and participate fully
in their community,” Anderson explains.
As the former chaplain at a rehabilitative hospital, Anderson
says he became acutely aware of the many challenges individuals with physical
disabilities face in the able-bodied world.
He says he especially was in tune with the limited accessibility
people with physical disabilities face when seeking a place of worship where
they can easily maneuver their adaptive devices such as a wheelchair, scooter
or walker.
Anderson adds that the childhood memory of his wheelchair-bound
cousin raising money door-to-door for a ramp so he could enter his church without
the indignity of being carried also continues to inspire him to take his cause
to churches.
As part of Andersons job, he visits churches that are
interested in learning how better to include people with disabilities or in
making sure their facilities are compatible to the needs of the disabled. “A
growing number of churches are increasing their ability to welcome and include
people with disabilities and their families,” explains Anderson, a member
at Vestavia Hills Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.
“People need access not only to buildings but to the programs
and activities of the church as well.”
Toward that end, the foundation offers several general services,
including basic education about ministry and disability for a congregation,
on-site consultations regarding basic facility accessibility needs and detailed
action plans regarding ministry possibilities and opportunities.
Attention also is given to the best way to tap the expertise
of people with disabilities and their families and where to find educational
resources to start disability ministries.
Anderson says statistics indicate the number of persons with
disabilities is on the rise. “Nationally, the country has seen an increase
from 18 to 22 percent,” he says. “Sixty-three percent of older adults
have some type of disability.”
With the aging of baby boomers, Anderson says he believes these
figures will continue to increase. “By the year 2010, the first group of
baby boomers will be retiring,” he points out. “Now is the time for
churches to start preparing for this.”
Unlike other institutions, churches are not required by law
to prepare for such persons. Indeed, churches are exempt from the Americans
With Disabilities Act, a federal law passed in 1990 that forced businesses and
public institutions to comply with federal guidelines for accessibility for
the physically disabled. Thus, there are a great number of churches that are
not accessible to people with disabilities, Anderson notes.
However, that may be changing, Anderson says. The demand for
conferences and workshops on the issue is rapidly growing, the Alabama Baptist
worker notes.
Education is the key – helping churches understand why
the issue is relevant and what can be done and what persons and families with
disabilities look for in a church.
“Even something as simple as the wording in your church
bulletin can make a difference,” Anderson says. “Its just as
easy to say, The congregation may sit or stand as it is to say,
Will the congregation please stand?
“Many people assume that they have no church members with
disabilities because they do not see them. (But) Thats just not the case,”
Anderson continues.
Following the attitudes encountered, not having access to restrooms
is the number one reason a person with a disability will not return to church,
he adds.
“I once had a man tell me that is was easier for him to
get his wheelchair into a bar than into a church,” Anderson says.
“Weve got to change that.”
Indeed, for most people, a quick trip to a public restroom
is no big deal. But to a person with a physical disability who uses a wheelchair,
scooter or other assisting device, it is a frustrating experience more often
than not.
“One of my pet peeves is having to struggle to get into
position to wash my hands in the sink and then turning to see the paper towel
holder at the other end of the room – usually out of my reach,” Emily
Van Vakenburgh of Huntsville, Ala., says of the experience.
Linda Lamberth echoes Van Vakenburghs sentiments.
“I tried going to the restroom at a McDonalds the other
day, and I couldnt get my wheelchair through the stall door which was
supposed to be in compliance,” she says.
“Ive been in a wheelchair for the last six years,
and the way some people treat you because you sit in a chair all day is amazing,”
Lamberth continues. “I dont think of myself as disabled. I just happen
to sit a lot.”
Education is important when it comes to understanding disabilities,
says Chris Aldridge, pastor at Derma Baptist Church in Derma, Miss., and a leader
of workshops on church-and-disability issues.
As the father of a child with Downs Syndrome, Aldridge
understands the issues firsthand.
He offers the following suggestions for congregations:
Do not be afraid to ask questions.
Be open and interested in finding out about a disabled
persons special needs.
Become informed.
Get involved socially with disabled persons.
Never compare one persons disability to another.
Offer emotional and practical support.
Allow disabled persons to vent their frustrations.
Keep communication lines open.
See the person and not the disability.
Some churches already are making changes.
Denise Smith is the mother of a 15-year-old son with special
needs. She praises her church – Brewster Road Baptist Church in Birmingham,
Ala. – for the sensitivity and awareness they have for their special needs
members.
“My son is fully included in everything here at the church,”
she says. “He goes to youth camp in the summer. I was worried about him
going, but our youth minister said that it was the churchs responsibility
to take care of him during camp. Ive never had anyone try to discourage
him from participating in classes with other children. Hes always participated
in all church and school activities.”
Some churches are further down the road in their efforts to
start ministries for persons with disabilities.
For instance, The Church at Brook Hills and Shades Mountain
Baptist Church, both in Birmingham, have developed active disability ministries.
The ministries are continuing to branch out into specific areas, such as a “buddy
ministry” for special needs children during Sunday School and church time
and “kids night out, respite ministry” for parents of special needs
children.
The ministry is undergoing phenomenal growth, says Ron Pittman,
buddy ministry coordinator at Brook Hills Baptist Church. “We have around
20 buddies right now, and the phone keeps ringing with people wanting to get
involved.
“This ministry has been a blessing for the children, families and workers,”
Pittman says. “It has spread by word of mouth, … and weve had several
families join the church as a direct result of this ministry being offered.”
(BP)