Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Program
How can I make my faith community more inclusive: Organizing
an Inclusion Committee
ORGANIZING AN INCLUSION COMMITTEE
For any faith community to make long-lasting,
appropriate changes, a planning structure will be needed. Enlist a group of
committed people, including those with disabilities, and create an on-going
committee focusing on disability issues and connected to the governing council
of the faith community.
People you can invite to serve on the inclusion
committee:
- a person with a disability
- a family member of a person with a
disability
- a decision maker in your faith
community
- a person with skills in contracting
or architecture
- a person with experience in grant
writing and fund raising
The inclusion committee could coordinate:
- a walk-through of buildings with
decision makers to list access barriers
- a survey of the congregation’s needs
- an audit of organizations and
ministries within the faith community to see if they address the needs of
persons with disabilities
- development of short-term and
long-range plans to increase accessibility and inclusion
- implementation of short and long-term
accessibility plans
- celebrating successes
Remember that making change at one point in time
does not necessarily answer the need forever. Devices may break, new ideas and
requests may come up and new members may join your faith community.
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