Seminar For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people Isaiah 566 Who needs accessibility You cant always tell when someone has a disability Disabilities come in many forms ID: 449840
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Church Accessibility Seminar
“For my house shall be called a house
of prayer for
all
people”
- Isaiah 56:6Slide2
Who needs accessibility?
You can’t always tell when
someone has a disability.
Disabilities come in many forms:
Visible
Non-visible
Permanent
Non-permanentSlide3
What is a disability?
People can have one or a combination of
the following:
physical disabilities
vision loss
deafness or being hard of hearing
intellectual or developmental disabilities
learning disabilities
mental health disabilities
other disabilitiesSlide4
Churches
Churches are at the centre of
communal life, ritual observance,
and spiritual practiceSlide5
Churches and Disability
Studies and anecdotal evidence on
people with disabilities support the:
importance of personal faith and spirituality
benefits of communal support from faith based communities
Churches are and can be an
important resource for people with
disabilitiesSlide6
Barriers to Accessibility
Barriers are:
obstacles that prevent people with
disabilities from fully participating in all aspects of society
visible — physical features of a building
invisible — attitudes, policiesSlide7
Barriers in Churches
1. Architectural and physical features of buildings or spaces that cause problems for people with disabilities.
In the Sanctuary
An inaccessible prayer platform
Lack of seating options for church attendees in wheelchairs
Poor lighting
In General
Inaccessible restrooms
Narrow doorways
Inaccessible floors/rooms
No elevatorSlide8
Barriers in Churches
2. Information or communication that prevents people from easily understanding information.
Intellectually challenging sermons/community lectures
Lack of plain language newsletters/registration forms/publications
Newsletters/registration forms/publications only
available in one format
Small-print Bibles and song booksSlide9
Barriers in Churches
3. Attitudes can discriminate against people with disabilities.
Congregational expectations related to appropriate church behaviour
Social stigma of people with disabilities
Uneducated perspectives on people with disabilities
Fear of people with disabilities
Cosmetic Inclusion - A tendency for the term inclusion to be used without a sincere attitude necessary to create a truly inclusive environment.Slide10
Barriers in Churches
4. Technology that is incompatible with assistive devices.
Churches websites that are incompatible with assistive software
Unavailable or broken assistive devices
Ushers and greeters lacking training on the use of devices offered by the churchSlide11
Barriers in Church
5. Systemic policies, practices or procedures that discriminate against people with disabilities
The presence of service animals in the church
The integration of non-Christian support persons into public ritual observance
Lack of leadership opportunities for congregants with disabilities
Segregated programming for people with disabilities
Hosting of programs in inaccessible roomsSlide12
Legislation
On June 13, 2005 the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was passed
Its goal is to develop mandatory accessibility standards to ensure that Ontario is accessible to people with disabilities by 2025Slide13
AODA
The act focuses on five key areas of
accessibility:
Customer Service
Information and Communications
Built Environment
Employment
TransportationSlide14
How Accessibility Standards Become Law
Standards Development Committees (SDCs) draft proposed accessibility standards for the five key areas
Proposed accessibility standards put forward for public review
Feedback incorporated
Final proposed accessibility standards submitted to Minister of Community and Social Services (MCSS)
Within 90 days all, part, or revisions of proposed accessibility standards enacted as legislationSlide15
Accessibility Standards for Customer Service
First standard to become regulation came into force January 1, 2008
Public Sector compliance by January 1, 2010
Private Sector compliance by January 1, 2012
Applies to all organizations and businesses with one or more employees
Churches will have to comply by 2012Slide16
Requirements
Establish policies, practices and procedures on providing programs and services to people with disabilities.
Use reasonable efforts to ensure that your policies, practices and procedures are consistent with the core principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.Slide17
Requirements continued….
Set a policy on allowing people to use their own personal assistive devices to access your programs and services.
Communicate with a person with a disability in a manner that takes into account his or her disability.Slide18
Requirements continued…
Allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal in those areas of the premises you own or operate that are open to the public, unless the animal is excluded. If a service animal is excluded, use other measures to provide services to the person with a disability.
Permit people with disabilities who use a support
person to bring that person with them while accessing programs or services that are open to the public or third parties.Slide19
Requirements continued…
Where program fees are charged, provide notice ahead of time on what admission, if any, would be charged for a support person of a person with a disability.
Provide notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities rely on to access your programs or services are temporarily disrupted.Slide20
Requirements continued…
Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who interact with the public or other third parties on your behalf on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.
Train staff, volunteers, contractors and any other people who are involved in developing your policies, practices and procedures on the provision of programs and services on a number of topics as outlined in the customer service standard.Slide21
Requirements continued…
Establish a process for people to provide feedback on how you provide programs or services to people with disabilities and how you will respond to any feedback and take action on any complaints. Make the information about your feedback process readily available to the public.Slide22
Churches Guide to the
Customer Service Standard
The guide is an important reference document for
church administrators and includes:
Suggestions on how church can meet each of the eleven specific requirements under the legislation
Templates for:
Creating accessibility policies
Receiving member feedback on accessibility
Providing notice of disruption of service
Please review this important document at
your convenienceSlide23
Author
The information contained within is based on the Accessibility Standards for Customer Services (Ontario Regulation 429/07) and was adapted and formulated by Christian Horizons for use in churches.