Parish Disability Advocate

It is important to be as visible and approachable as possible so that parishioners know that they can contact you for assistance regarding accessibility. Many persons with disabilities can advocate fully for themselves and may not need assistance. In order to ensure that parishioners contact you if they need help, make sure there are various ways for them to do so. Here are some ideas:

Weekly presence in parish bulletin and posted on website

• Example: Our parish desires the active participation of all members of our faith community. If you or your family member could benefit from an accommodation to facilitate your participation, please contact [Insert name of Parish Contact]. We are eager to assist you or your family member in any way that we can. [Email, Phone number]

Invite discussion with persons with disabilities and their families

• Invite parishioners to request accommodations that could offer them or their loved ones the ability to fully participate in the life of the parish. You can create an accessible online and paper survey that persons can fill out. Include questions about accommodations on all parish and program registration forms. 
  • See sample forms and general advice for Catechetical Registration Forms.

Marketing for events, leadership roles, service opportunities, etc.

• In your marketing materials include a statement such as "Please advise us if you require any accommodation." The statement can include a list of accommodations the parish has available (e.g., large print worship aid, assisted listening device, sensory items).
• Make requirements for service opportunities and groups clear. Examples include:
  • All women over 21 welcome!
  • Possible tasks include: stacking cans, filling bags, directing traffic, and reading to children.
  • Be aware that the retreat center is not fully accessible. Contact [name, contact information] for more information or assistance.Advocate and Serve as a Resource

Raise Awareness

We all have different experiences and background knowledge that shape how we interact with others. Lacking personal experience with disability, we may make assumptions about what a person can do or what their life is like and assumptions are often wrong. Use NCPD resources to raise awareness and limit assumptions about disability.

Be a Resource for Parish Staff

Ideally, every person making decisions at the parish will make them based on universal design--limiting barriers so that all have access. However, experience shows us that if there is not a designated person at the table reminding decision-makers to think about all populations, there will be barriers that could have been prevented. 

Creative Outreach

Plan events that accommodate persons with disabilities. Publicize these events at parish picnics, parish bazaars, as well as at local disability organizations and public schools. Consider participation in ecumenical events. 

• Offer a prayer service or faith formation opportunity at a local hospital.
• Offer a sensory-friendly Mass or prayer service.
• Offer a monthly movie night or community building event and include captions, a sign language interpreter, etc. 

Learn about current resources and network with other parish disability advocates and your diocesan director for support.

Assessment

Though a parish can wait until a person expresses a need before making adjustments to be more accessible and welcoming, it is better to proactively work to identify and remove barriers so that persons who come to your parish do not experience those barriers at all. NCPD has created two resources that are designed for surveying accessibility of a parish.

LAMB is a brief, bilingual checklist used to evaluate the following areas: Language, Accessibility, Meaningful Participation, Belonging.

Universal Design for Parishes (UDP) is a more extensive evaluation of barriers to belonging across four areas of parish life: Access, Hospitality, Sacraments and Faith Formation, and Gifts. NCPD is in the process of publishing this resource. To get a preview and learn more, view the recording of Universal Design for Parishes: A framework for making parishes everyone's home.

Catholic Organizations

• National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD.org)
• National Catholic Office for the Deaf (NCOD.org)
• National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA.org)
• Xavier Society for the Blind (Xaviersocietyfortheblind.org)
• Catholic Celiac Society (www.Catholicceliacs.org)

Catholic Publishers (visit NCPD.org/publishers)

• Loyola Press
• Our Sunday Visitor
• Pflaum
• RCL Benziger
• Sadlier
• Twenty Third Publishers
• University of Dayton

Helpful Documents--reorder start with ours, USCCB, Vatican!!!!!!!!(U#@QUT$()tU#TW

• Pastoral Statement on U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities(NCPD.org/Pastoralstatement)
• Welcome and Justice (Available on the USCCB website)
• Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities, revised 2017.
• Remarks of Pope Francis during a Papal audience with the participants of the October 2017 conference, “Catechesis and Persons with Disabilities” organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (Available on Vatican website)
• Pastoral Response to Mental Illness (https://www.ncpd.org/resources_and_toolkits/pastoral-response-persons-me...)

Remember to consult with and listen to the person who has reached out to you; there is no “one size fits all.” It is important to remember that every disability is different and every person with a disability is unique. It is often said, if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. This is true for every disability. The best way one can effectively support a person with a disability is to get to know them individually. Pay attention to the specific requests, gifts, and needs of the person who has reached out to you.