Story, Statistics, & Stuff

Our goal is to promote awareness of disability and encourage any accommodation or adaptation necessary to make everyone feel welcomed and wanted.

The best outcome:

Everyone feels they fully belong when there is clear access to the opportunities all members of the church family can freely enjoy. This includes uncomplicated entry and needs-based use for gathering spaces and restrooms. Because the distinct needs of each person are met, everyone can build relationships and use their unique gifts.

Positive interactions with the disabled help them feel welcomed and connected.

Our ministry was founded on this simple demographic: we are living longer than previous generations ever did. This creates an opportunity to honor and assist disabled persons more than we ever could.

Our story:

In 2017, Eric was officially diagnosed with Hereditary SCA1, an acronym for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1. Slowly, this disease acts to cripple its host with uncoordinated gait and overall muscular weakness that eventually disrupts the ability to speak, swallow, and even see since eye muscles are also affected. Most people have not heard of this particular condition, and a fair share of physicians have little if any specific understanding of its overall impact. But this is changing.

Recently, “Bill Nye – The Science Guy” revealed that members of his family have inherited a form of ataxia, and he is now raising ataxia awareness. Eric appreciates his vigilance in giving such personal voice to the ataxia experience.

As a caregiver, Eric’s wife takes on the brunt of logistics, planning the oversight of activities and maneuvering the myriad obstacles of otherwise unnoticed hinderances, including pushing a wheelchair at night while trying to avoid freshly fallen pinecones, or more commonly, scanning a parking lot for snowbanks piled over wheelchair access sidewalks, potholes, and once inside, restroom access and church sanctuary setup. Where will the walker/wheelchair be stored so it’s not in the way? Is there seating near the front where someone who cannot stand can still participate in a safe and meaningful way? She's been known to open a restrooms door and yell, "Anybody in there?" before holding it wide open so he can get inside.

A beautiful discovery: 

Eric embraces his SCA1 diagnosis as a unique gift few people receive. He believes he must use this infirmity to help others see the value in theirs.

STATISTICS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES*

14% of the overall US population have some form of disability

AGES 15 – 21, 7%

AGES 22 – 64, 11%

AGES 65 – 75, 25%

OVER 75, 50%

Yes, people may be living longer – but with this positive also comes the potential for disability.

The estimates further confirm the growing trend for longevity. In 2019, people were living over 6 years longer than in 2000, with a global average of more than 73 years of age compared to barely age 67 in 2000. However, on average, only 5 of those additional years were lived in good health.

Indeed, disability is on the rise. Usually, the diseases and health conditions that cause the most deaths are those responsible for the greatest number of healthy life-years lost. Heart disease, diabetes, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were collectively responsible for nearly 100 million additional healthy life-years lost in 2019 compared to 2000.

CAUSES OF DISABILITY BY CONDITION IN USA*

Mobility Issues, 42%

Heart Trouble, 7%

Lung / Breathing, 5%

Mental / Nervous, 5%

Diabetes, 4%

Hearing Problems, 4%

Vision Problems, 3%

Stroke, 2%

Cancer, 2%

Other, 26%

*WHO Website on Disability Statistics - 3/7/23 pp/ 2-3 “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” 4/30/2009

A secondary group of disability is called “hidden disabilities”. ** These are people with conditions that can limit daily activities but may not be readily visible. According to the disability chart from the World Health Organization referenced above, a good percentage of disabilities are not easily observed.

Common hidden disability issues include:

• Chronic pain
• Mental health challenges
• Neurological conditions such as epilepsy or multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Chronic illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or fibromyalgia
• Auto immune disorders
• Learning disabilities

**Understanding Hidden Disabilities in the Church. Taken from the website “Hidden disabilities Sunflower Initiative”

All this information is interesting, sure, but how does it impact the church? If participation in church activities is met with too many physical challenges, it may be easier to just stay home. Our church families can do better!

When disabled persons feel left out, sometimes all we need is a PATCH.

Pocket Pine Hill is all about...

Promoting Accessibility through Christian Hospitality.

A smile, a kind word, a helping hand...

these simple gestures can help people with disabilities feel welcomed and loved. But there’s more we can do.

One simple thing can produce enormous results:

• Start with kindness.

Few people are intentionally unkind. However, sometimes disabled people experience unkindness even in churches.

"As a disabled person, I (Eric) have been treated kindly, but also I have had my needs seemingly ignored. I would love to have anyone ask me about my condition. It doesn’t cost much to make someone feel welcome."

• Schedule a regular Accessibility Assessment

A first step to enhancing accessibility is evaluating all existing facilities. Churches must regularly conduct thorough assessments of their buildings and grounds. Identify potential barriers that might hinder elderly and disabled members, such as

entryways, seating arrangements, restrooms and any other commonly used areas.

Follow-up with recommendations from ADA.gov

By pinpointing any obstacles, churches can prioritize necessary modifications and allocate resources efficiently. If needed, companies are available to help conduct an accessibility audit for a fee. For example, an organization founded in 1982, the National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) offers the blending of justice and inclusion for the disabled based on documents and teaching from the Catholic Church.

• Make easier changes first

Short Range

• Announce that you are a friendly church for the disabled and mean it. Test your website for accessibility and choose a dedicated person to manage its communication.
• Accessible church website images should include “alt text.” Alt Text is read aloud by a screen reader.
• Include a search box. This is essential for anyone who is legally blind or has low vision.
• Make all printed materials available online. 
• If your church has a portable microphone, encourage all speakers to use it. Also, consider installing a Hearing Loop. Many disabilities are invisible. Simply looking at a person cannot reveal if they have poor hearing, autism spectrum disorder, or chronic pain. Although microphones cannot completely solve accessibility issues for people who have hearing loss, a microphone can be connected to the hearing loop or another assistive hearing system.
• Provide assistive listening devices and ensure clear audio quality throughout any gathering space.

Long Range

• Improve outdoor and indoor signage.
• Create accessible entrances and exits.
• Ensure front of the church seating for mobility devices like wheelchairs and provide adjacent seating for caregivers.
• Remodel tight seating and narrow pathways, which can be restrictive to walker and wheelchair use.
• Build separate accessible restrooms or install electronic door openers for existing restrooms. Install toilet grab bars, too.
• Ensure parking lots have potholes filled and level pavement.
• There should be elevator access for other than main level classrooms, blood drives, etc., and for areas with only a step or two, a wheelchair ramp is essential.
• Create a calm seating area outside the sanctuary where the disabled and their caregivers can quiet any unease.

Greeter Checklist

Top of the List

• Ensure handicapped parking spaces, walkways and ramps are unobstructed.
• Unlock handicap access doors prior to gatherings.
• Ensure manual restroom doorstops are operable, or at the very least, provide individual rubber doorstops that are easily available.

Conversation Etiquette

• Speak directly to disabled persons.
• Introduce yourself by name.
• Ask how you may be of assistance.
• When given a response, offer your full attention, and, if possible, position yourself at their eye level.
• For those with hearing issues, don't shout or speak in the person's ear, but speak slowly and calmly.
• Point out where restrooms are located.
• Encourage without using excessive praise.
• Ask if the person wants communion brought to them. If yes, ensure that their request is answered.
• Provide seating options, not just one group space.

Physical Etiquette

• Consider a person's personal space; offer your hand in greeting and react accordingly.
• Never lean on a person's wheelchair or walker.
• Resist the urge to pet any service animal.
• For the visually impaired, say your name and tell them where you are standing.

Conclusion

Accessibility must be viewed as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time effort. Churches should establish guidelines and appoint individuals who are responsible for the continual assessment of accessibility.

Education is key to effect positive change where even small improvements will be noticed and appreciated. Compassion, patience, and ingenuity are essential to the creation of a welcoming environment for all.

Consider including members of the church’s youth group as greeters whose focus is specifically to the elderly and disabled.

The further a church family walks down the road of inclusion, the greater the cost and the more difficult the process may be, but the rewards will be eternal.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24).

Discover the joy. God doesn’t make mistakes. As we fully include all whom God has brought into the church family, our joy is made complete and our ministry made whole.

In the words of St. John Paul the Great, we must “…ensure that the power of salvation may be shared by all.”—John Paul II, Tertio Mlennio Adventiente, pp. 16