Small Changes, Big Solutions at Church of the Way

By Bebe Baldwin

Small changes have added up to big solutions for people with disabilities at Presbyterian Church of the Way.  When a leg injury forced Director of Children’s Ministry Joanne Shingledecker to use a wheelchair for a week at Synod School, she experienced firsthand the barriers many people face every day.

Joanne is a member of the Presbytery Disability Concerns Ministry, but as she directed children’s programs seated in her wheelchair, she realized that she had more to learn.  Discoveries like not being able to get her wheelchair into a “handicap” restroom surprised and shocked her.  Her experience set off changes at Church of the Way.

In many important ways, Church of the Way was already welcoming for people who use wheelchairs or walkers.  On arriving at church, they could choose from twelve handicap parking spaces.  Six are extra wide and are posted “Vans only.”  There are no steps to the main floor and an elevator serves the lower level.  But Joanne knew that disability takes many forms, like her own inability to turn on the restroom faucets because of arthritis.  She pondered, “What more do we need to do?”

Joann Shingledecker.

She wrote an article for the newsletter, Notes along the Way.  She appealed to volunteers to form a task force to study accessibility at the church.  Eight persons, including high school senior Ian Laedtke, responded.

The task force met monthly for four months. They used the Congregational Audit of Disability Accessibility and Inclusion, a self-study guide developed by Presbyterians for Disability Concerns.*  They visited North Como Presbyterian Church to check out the wheelchair cutouts in the sanctuary.  “Asking people to line up in their wheelchairs at the rear of the sanctuary is not acceptable,” said one task force member.

The study revealed a number of surprises.  The group discovered that a step in the fire exit made emergency evacuation from the sanctuary impossible for people who use wheelchairs.  They discovered that the tile floor in the sanctuary made kneeling difficult for some elders and deacons being ordained.  They discovered that it was impossible to get a wheelchair into the men’s “handicap” restroom!

Volunteers came forward with solutions.  One built a ramp for the fire exit.  Others are sewing kneeling pads for ordinations.  Ian suggested a logical and simple solution for the men’s restroom.  Re-hanging the door from the opposite jamb was enough to make space for a wheelchair.

But inclusion goes beyond access to the church building.  Gluten-free bread is offered so that no one is excluded from the Lord’s Table.  Lenten suppers always include gluten-free choices.  The choir seating is fragrance-free, and on Easter fewer lilies adorn the sanctuary.  The lilies that remain have had their stamens picked off.

But how about children with disabilities?  Can they be included in the church school?  At Church of the Way, the answer is “Yes.”

The workshop rotation method used at Church of the Way makes it possible for children with all abilities to participate.  A fourth grader with Down syndrome brings his own unique gifts and interests to the creative activities.  Mike Schroeder, who uses a wheelchair and “speaks” through his computer, interacts with children to help them become comfortable with persons who look and sound “different.”

A vigorous adult education program has helped to create awareness in the congregation.  The PTCA Disability Concerns Ministry has presented two adult education series.  Speakers addressed subjects that included information on specific disabilities, adjustment to loss, and the difference between “healing” and “curing.”  Ann Schroeder writes a bi-monthly newsletter column on disability issues.

Joanne’s advocacy based on personal experience, strong leadership by the task force, dedicated service by volunteers – these have made it possible for an “accessible” church to become even more welcoming.  But perhaps what has been most important is the congregation’s willingness to make changes.  Church of the Way offers a powerful model for congregations that are serious about inclusion for all people.

Bebe Baldwin is an Honorably Retired Teaching Elder and Chair of the PTCA Disabilities Concerns Taskforce.

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Category: InPrint, Presbytery News