There are lots of small changes that make a big difference, which can make ideal actions for any church. Here are some ideas grouped around the structure found in the Enabling All Awards supporting churches to grow in accessibility through three key areas:
Empowering People
Engage with individuals (with their consent) to understand their specific barriers and needs. Listen to the experts, the people with lived experience
Embracing the Space
Consider an accessibility audit, take action on reasonable adjustments, and clearly communicate what your space offers and what it doesn't.
Embedding Accessibility
Make accessibility part of your church culture—an ongoing journey that’s regularly discussed and acted upon, whether in a group or as part of your PCC.
Empowering People
- Speak to people we know who may already have suggestions for challenges they have.
- Agree as a PCC that all those leading worship invite people to remain seated if they are more comfortable every time they invite the congregation to stand.
- Test hearing loop
- Plan Sides people/ Welcomer training to inc. to explore guidelines and resources.
- Sides people to help people up/down steps as part of welcome.
- Sides people to remind each row that it is fine to remain in their pew to have Communion brought to them.
- Encourage each person who has limited mobility to sit somewhere that they can remain seated and still see, esp. during Eucharistic prayer.
- Re-print service sheets to include pictures which make it easier to follow when words muddle.
Embracing the Space
Look how your use the space, which can be done by doing an accessibility audit. This might highlight opportunities
Add things to the space
- Make multiple copies of the services in large print and coloured paper.
- Make a church Memory Box (& Fiddle Pinny) available to offer to anyone who may find it hard to sit through a service, or who is feeling disorientated through Dementia or memory loss.
- Have an accessible trolley, table or visible bags with Colouring. Headphones, fiddle toys, sermon sheets,
- Hearing Loop
- Portable ramps
- Monitors for the screen
- Pictures as well as words for those who find that easier than reading on service sheets and powerpoint.
- Signage to the toilets and back again.
- Visual Timetable available or on screen.
Remove things for the space
- Clutter from the accessible toilet,
- Items stored on the floor
- Things when they are broken
- Unnecessary trip hazards.
Change how you use the space
- Lighting levels
- Sound levels
- Add extra groups or services with different focus, eg less words, or a quieter service
Tell people about your space
- People need to know what's in your space and the changes that are happening.
Embedding Accessibility
- Regularly during the notices invite feedback from anyone with comments or suggestions of what doesnt work well for you if you have some kind of impairment.
- Add Accessibility as a PPC agenda item and discuss a different segment every meeting
- Hold an accessibility service yearly
- Keep putting the activities out every week.
- Consider different worship services with different expectations on ability- whether specific or not. eg using makaton, short talks, craft and food, or a quiet service.
- Join Enabling All Awards for another year.
- Celebrate all of these with notices, parish magazine, social media.
- Invite specific groups in your area to advise you.
- Communicate about what you have done
- Whatever things you have put in place tell people
- On your church near you page, website, and social media.