Usually, this column deals with technology that helps disabled people get on with their lives. As we observe various religious holidays during December, I thought this week I would step back and look at how places of worship can be made accessible to people with disabilities. These people want to be welcomed into places of worship just as they do other buildings where people gather and work. While newer churches, temples, and mosques are generally more accessible for people with disabilities, older places of worship can prove difficult to enter. Bear in mind that there are visible and invisible disabilities, physical and sensory ones, intellectual and psychological.
Some disabilities are temporary but are nevertheless severely limiting while present.
Other disabilities are permanent but need not be limiting as long as attitudes, architecture, and technology are accommodating. Welcoming disabled people into a place of worship recognizes our equality before God and strengthens a community. It starts with getting people to the church, temple, or mosque on time. The lack of accessible transportation is a major barrier that prevents disabled people, notably seniors and the mobility-impaired, from attending services. Some communities provide accessible vans and taxis to take disabled people to services.