N.O.D. announced today that the Accessible Congregations initiative reached its first goal. However, the organization makes it clear the program, which began in 1997, is far from over. There are about 440,000 places of worship in the United States, so the three-year effort represents about 0.5 percent of the country's places of worship. While making churches accessible is part of N.O.D.'s wider campaign of encouraging participation of people with disabilities, the Accessible Congregations campaign has a deeper meaning. According to Thackery, many people with disabilities may have taken inaccessible churches as a sign they weren't welcome.
Accessibility begins in the heart.
Congregations have made a stand to being physically welcome. Many people realize that their churches now are much friendlier places. Take our quiz .