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Approximately 50 million people in the United States live with some level of disability. Those ranks will increase even more as the baby boomer population ages and begins to deal with the physical deterioration associated with aging, according to Steve Bundy, managing director of the Christian Institute on Disability. This organization is an outreach and educational division of Joni and Friends, the ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada, who recently observed the 40th anniversary of the diving accident that made her a quadriplegic.

While new church construction frequently incorporates accessibility features such as single-level architecture, elevators, and no steps, leaders of older churches face the more difficult task of increasing the accessibility of their structures. But leaders of any church who want to remove physical barriers must first remove mental obstacles.

"From our experience, when a senior pastor or a board starts thinking about these kinds of issues, they think, 'Wow, what is this going to cost?'" says Bundy. "We want them to start thinking first about what is already accessible. How can we minister without adding an overall financial burden to the church? Some of these methods can be done at a relatively low cost."

For example, if someone who is wheelchair-bound wants to attend a class held in the basement level or an upper floor and your church building doesn't have elevators, ramps, or lift chairs, the solution is to simply move the class, says Bundy. "Accommodate that person by moving the event to a part of the building that is already accessible."

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1992, changed the landscape of accessibility to public places in the United States. In general, churches are exempt from ADA. The law applies to the church if it has 15 or more employees and one of them has a disability. ADA also applies to the portion of the facility a church rents for a fee, which must then be accessible to people with disabilities.

Nevertheless, ADA has had an impact on churches by creating a set of standards for accessibility. Church leaders who desire to make their facilities accessible to all people now have a benchmark that they can meet—or exceed—to accomplish this goal.

If church leaders think both big and small, and consider all the possibilities, they should be able to increase accessibility to every area of the building. The first step is to conduct an accessibility survey. Evaluate every accessibility point of the church, both into and out of the building, and within the structure. Let's take a tour of a typical church, discover where barriers can exist, and present possible solutions.

Transportation: People with disabilities will often use their normal means of daily transportation to get to church. This ranges from driving their vehicles (some of which are specially equipped with driving aids and wheelchair lifts) to public transportation. Churches can help make people with disabilities aware of public transportation options and help with scheduling. On some occasions, a church will provide its own transportation using a van equipped with a chairlift, which can accommodate four people in wheelchairs.

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