Parish Welcome
We offer this Parish Welcome page to guide your efforts to build a welcoming community of faith. We offer practical tips for welcoming Catholics with disabilities and drawing on their gifts.
Basic knowledge about the U.S. Bishop's Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments for Persons with Disabilities, recommended narratives for understanding disability in the Church, and practical tools for ensuring Church access can dramatically help a parish to flourish.
Resources & Toolkits
Learn How to Write Alternative-Texts
Do you ever wonder if the alternate-texts on your emails or your website are helpful? Are they too descriptive? Not descriptive enough? This resource has examples of ideal--and not so ideal--alternate texts. Tips include:
Free Resources in Braille and Audio including Readings, Prayers and Responses for Sunday Mass
- Materials provided at no charge in braille, large print and audio. - Subscription services include monthly readings, prayers and responses for the Sunday Mass and selected Feast Days and Solemnities, as well as periodicals Catholic Review and Xavier Review. - Faith formation textbooks and workbooks for children and adults in braille. - Over 1,400 titles related to the Catholic Church, religion, spiritual and inspirational themes in braille and audio.
Simple Changes Make a Big Difference: Thoughts on parish access
Becoming a more inclusive church family can be as simple as saying hi. Every church wishes to be welcoming to all of God’s children, but the phrase “disability inclusion” may seem intimidating. As a person with a physical disability, one of the greatest blessings God has given me is the love of two faith-filled parents.
Accessibility through Creativity
When you think of accessibility, do you first see dollar signs? Are ramps and elevators the fix-all solution to accessibility? NO!!! Accessibility is much more than ramps and elevators. Accessibility is a new way of thinking and sometimes involves little or no cost.
Access Questions for Ministry Teams
The importance of thoughtful and careful planning for any ministry cannot be overemphasized. Planning should likewise be approached with creativity and openness. The following questions can initiate the planning process toward a universally designed ministry: What does it mean to create a church community open to all?
How to Help a Person Experiencing a Mental Illness
- Tips to help a person experiencing mental illness - Warning signs that may indicate mental illness
Interacting with People with Vision Loss
20.6 million American adults are blind or living with vision loss that is not corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses (National Health Interview Survey 2012). The following are some tips to facilitation interaction among people with and without 20/20 vision.
Guidelines for Working with American Sign Language Interpreters in Catholic Religious Settings
"This policy statement was developed in consultation with deaf persons. It reflects the expertise and extensive experience of pastoral workers and of interpreters who work in religious settings." - National Catholic Office for the Deaf- ‹ previous
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