Not every parish has a disability ministry. Even for those that do, the disability ministries will not look entirely the same. These is no “one size fits all” ministry that can be applied to every parish. That being said, NCPD does recommend the following components as part of disability ministry in general.
A Team Approach
Disability ministry is wider than one parish committee like faith formation or buildings and grounds and also requires thinking about a wide range of needs that benefits from multiple perspectives. The ideal team will include persons with disabilities, family members of persons with disabilities, parish leadership involved in faith formation and liturgy, and clergy.
Evaluation
Though a parish can wait until a person expresses a need before making adjustments to be more accessible and welcoming, it is better to proactively work to identify and remove barriers so that persons who come to the parish do not experience those barriers at all. NCPD has created two resources that are useful in evaluating the current accessibility of a parish.
LAMB is a brief, bilingual checklist used to evaluate the following areas: Language, Accessibility, Meaningful Participation, Belonging.
Universal Design for Parishes (UDP) is a more extensive evaluation of barriers to belonging across four areas of parish life: Access, Hospitality, Sacraments and Faith Formation, and Gifts. NCPD is in the process of publishing this tool. To get a preview and learn more about the framework, view the recording of Universal Design for Parishes: A framework for making parishes everyone's home.
Ministry Goals
Remove barriers to belonging for persons with disabilities so the parish community includes the complete Body of Christ.
Evaluation helps the team identify barriers and the next step is to work to remove them. The following are some common barriers to belonging and suggestions for steps a parish can take to eliminate them.
-
No designated accessible parking spaces.
- Reline the row of parking spaces closest to a well-used door, following width and spacing guidelines at www.adachecklist.org.
-
Email is the parish's primary way of communicating upcoming events, using images that include the details.
- Ensure that electronic communications are screen reader accessible. If you can't include all details in an image's alt text, write it in the body of the email. Read Universal Design through Access.
-
The pastor enjoys using incense as often as possible.
- Advise the pastor that incense may prevent persons who are allergic or sensitive to it from attending Mass. Announce when incense will be used, if possible. Encourage offering and publicizing at least one incense-free Mass per weekend.
-
Hospitality ministers avoid talking to persons they see as different, afraid to say something wrong or offensive.
- Include the topic in hospitality minister training. This is a good resource.
-
No persons with disabilities serve at Mass or participate in parish activities. The parish does not know why.
- Communicate a desire for the participation of persons with disabilities and a willingness to make any required accommodations. Personal invitation is highly effective.
Potential Parish Ministry Components
Use bulletin announcements, prayers of the faithful, social media posts, and live events to raise awareness about disability.
Working with the parish catechetical leader
- provide volunteer catechists with information and resources that will help them teach learners with disabilities.
- invite persons with disabilities to participate in sacramental preparation, especially persons who did not prepare for and celebrate with their peers.
Build a resource library.
Develop support groups.
Provide respite care.
Connect parishioners who need a ride to Mass or a meeting/event with persons willing to drive.
Engage the homebound. Call, visit, and take the Eucharist to them. Find opportunities for them to participate in the life of the parish.
Hospitality minister training.
How Should I Start a Parish Disability Ministry? View this page for a list of ways you may start to build the ministry.
Resources
Every page on the NCPD website is a resource a parish may find useful. Under Resources For, click on Disabilities and choose one for related content. For example, learn about assistive listening systems by clicking on Deafness/Hearing Loss. The pages below are helpful thematic collections.