Bell, who is the son of a preacher, uses a wheelchair himself, and he works closely with the Purdue Breaking New Ground Resource Center to improve church accessibility. According to Bell, the original church members weren't uncaring about people with disabilities. In the late 1800s when a lot of these churches were built, people like me didn't survive the type of injury that I have. Plus there was no reason to accommodate people with severe disabilities. Bell suggests that congregations that are struggling with the issue should look at it from a different perspective.
Churches can look at the modifications as a mission project.
They don't need to get on a plane or a boat to reach out to people. Still, Bell concedes that the issue can be difficult for many small churches. It's often the case that these churches are maintained by a small group of elderly people, and they view modifications to assist people who are disabled as an overwhelming undertaking. According to Delks, holding down costs is a high priority for many rural churches looking to solve accessibility problems. Jennifer Byerly, agricultural safety and health specialist at Purdue, says that churches can look for low-cost methods to deal with accessibility issues.