Skip to main content
NCPD Logo
  • Support NCPD
  • Sign up for E-news!
  • Home
    • Who We Are
      • Governance Board
      • Staff
      • Committees
    • Press Releases
  • Resources
    • Find a Diocesan Director
    • Catechesis
      • Inclusive Lenten Activities
      • Adapted Faith Formation Activities
      • Catechetical Publishers
    • LAMB: Inclusive Participation Assessment Tool
    • Catholic Schools
      • Professional Development
      • Funding Models
    • Clergy
    • Dioceses and Parishes
      • Accessible Design
      • Gluten and Alcohol Intolerance
      • Work with NCPD
      • Parish Welcome
      • We All Belong
      • Symposium 2019
      • Find a Diocesan Director
      • Mentorship
      • Sensory Friendly Liturgies
    • Ethics and Public Policy
    • Families
      • Prenatal and Postnatal Support
      • Physician-Assisted Suicide
    • Partners
    • Roman Missal
    • Purchase Resources
  • Disability
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Blindness/Vision Loss
    • Deafness/Hearing Loss
    • Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
      • Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
    • Mental Illness
      • Mental Illness and Wellness
      • Mental Illness Theological Framework
      • Suicide
      • Homilies
    • Physical Disability
    • FAQ
  • Events
  • Conference
    • Conference Exhibiting
    • Conference Program Ads
  • Affiliates
    • About Affiliate Membership
    • Check Affiliate Status
    • USCCB REGIONS
  • Courses
    • Course Library
  • In the News
    • E-News Publications
  • En Español

Universal Design on a Diocesan Level

Essential Components

There is no question that organization and structure are essential to an effective ministry with people with disabilities. However, there is no oneway to structure this ministry, as evidenced by the variety of configurations currently operating in dioceses throughout the country. We are witnessing the downsizing or consolidation of many programs, and in some cases, directors have been required to assume responsibility for additional ministries. These trends have made clear the need for creativity and openness to change when considering how best to create a welcoming and inclusive community of faith for all, including Catholics with disabilities.

While NCPD's mission of encouraging full and meaningful participation by people with disabilities in the life of the Church community has never wavered, the models and recommendations outlined in this section reflect NCPD's evolving judgment of how best to infuse disability concerns and perspectives into the consciousness, planning, and programs of every level of the church community.

Structures, and the direction and speed in which this ministry evolves within any diocese will vary according to a number of factors, including the following:

  • vision, mission, and ministerial focus of the Ordinary;
  • size and demographics of the diocese;
  • availability of funds;
  • additional duties outside the disability ministry which have been assigned to the diocesan director (hereafter referred to as “the director”);
  • number of staff persons in this ministry;
  • programs currently in existence; and
  • needs that are particu­lar to a local population (e.g., presence of an institution, group home or a school for the deaf).
Program Type: 
Diocese/ Parishes
Resource Type: 
How To Article(s), Policy
Format: 
PDF/Doc/Online Article/Spreadsheet
Source Type: 
Organization
Language of resource: 
English
NCPD Logo

National Catholic
Partnership on Disability

Advancing the Meaningful Participation
of Persons with Disabilities in Church and Society

Contact us: 415 Michigan Avenue, N.E., Suite 95
Washington, D.C. 20017-4501; ncpd@ncpd.org; (771) 203-4477

NCPD is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit corporation.
EIN: 52-1262317

Copyright © NCPD - National Catholic Partnership on Disability | Website: CEDC