Barriers – 1
- Lynn McCann
- Aug 8, 2023
- 4 min read
In the UK we have been slowly breaking down the barriers to including people with disabilities. I remember as a student visiting a large institution called Calderstones – a residential hospital for adults with learning disabilities. I cried all the way home. That was in the 80s.
Now the old hospitals have closed down and we have care in the community. Whereas there are horrible stories like Winterbourne to contend with, there are also many successful and wonderful care organisations enabling people with learning disabilities live and be included in our communities. We have legislation and funding that enable people with LD to have some control over their lives and make decisions for themselves.
There is still a looooooooooong way to go. It is easier, however, to complain about what is not being done than join in and do something about it… That is why I support organisations like Count Everyone In https://www.counteveryonein.org.uk and Through The Roof https://throughtheroof.org who are doing some amazing work and are Christian organisations supporting churches to become more inclusive.
This of course is something very close to my heart. Years of leading a group for adults with learning disabilities at my last church was brilliant, but not many of them actually went to join the main church services or activities. It always seemed such a separate congregation. However, it has endured the lockdowns and is still going. When I visit and teach there, usually once a term, they are still loving Jesus and are a wonderful Jesus focussed community.
In my new church I am focussing on how we include people with additional needs in the main activities of the church, so that all we do becomes more inclusive. It’s a journey and a challenge but I am so grateful to God for leaders that want to learn too.
So as I reconsider the barriers to inclusion, I’ve updated this blog and am starting to write more up to date articles. Here is barrier number 1 –
Barriers – 1
Our church is open to growing and learning and doing what it can to include ALL people. It doesn’t happen immediately and despite an old building, accessibility is always on the agenda of that particular committee. But it’s not only physical accessibility that is a barrier. In a way that is the easiest thing to deal with.
No…it’s the hidden barriers we must examine…like language, for example.
As soon as you walk through the door in many places of worship there may be a warm welcome and then a set of notices and/or a hymn book is thrust into our hands. But what if you can’t read?
We read the Bible…it’s a big book with small writing and lots of it. But what if you can’t read?
We sing songs from sheets, books or screens. But what if you can’t read?
There are posters about events and meetings, prayer letters, newsletters, gospel tracts. But what if you can’t read?
There is also those who struggle with sensory overload – the background noise that many of us are able to filter out can seriously impact their ability to hear what is said. What seems like a quiet church to you might be sounding like a busy railway station to someone with acute sensory differences. They may be able to read, but they cannot tune in or hear what s being said. They can often end up with headaches or even become very distressed.
Then there are people who can’t hear you? Whether they have deafness through their life or acquire it as they get older there will be people who struggle to catch what is said, who can’t hear the greeting at the door, never mind the songs, sermons and prayers. But deafness is not always complete loss of sound – some people really struggle with tuning into speech when there is background noise. So sermons, conversations and readings can be very difficult to access.
This article from a deaf Christian is really good at explaining some of the challenges and issues around being deaf at church. https://theconversation.com/deaf-christians-often-struggle-to-hear-gods-word-but-some-find-meaning-in-the-richness-of-who-they-are-128845
All these are real experiences for people who have learning disabilities and other different needs in our church populations. Even more concerning, they are reasons why people don’t come to church, or don’t hear the gospel in the first place. By only relying on speech or having to read we are excluding people who need to be brought to the banquet. (See Luke 14 verses 15-23).
Are we up to it? Shall we ask the people with additional needs themselves what makes church good for them? Shall we go and find out where they are and bring them into God’s Kingdom with us and work out how to do that in a way that will make sense to each person? Shall we start a journey together and not be afraid of trying things, learning together from our successes and failures and building a church fit for God’s family?
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