The Religious Case for Accessibility

Staff Writer
Audio – The Religious Case for Accessibility

Let's talk about the religious case for accessibility.

The backdrop for a religious case for accessibility is the fact that many places of worship, churches, temples, mosques, and shrines have architectural and interactive barriers that put a divide between those with and without disabilities. Discussing this topic, this table of contents will be followed.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The religious case for accessibility focuses on digital products, services, and environments that are used by those who gather in prayer and worship.  

Religion here includes every ecclesial community, and organized religion, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, African religions, Sikhism, Buddhism, Shintoaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Bahai Faith, and Jainism to mention but a few. 

Currently, many religious organizations have not realized the need to integrate accessibility into their practices. Integrating accessibility will reduce or eliminate some design barriers, digital frictions, and environmental upheavals that people with disabilities encounter while accessing those places of prayer and worship.

a brown case with different religious designs showing carved images that are not only visual but also tactile.

The religious case for accessibility acknowledges that some religious organizations have different ways of understanding frameworks of disabilities which slightly differ from the known theoretical models of disability.

Theoretical Models of Disability

Different theoretical models of disability provide a variety of angles and frameworks to understand disability. Arguably, no model is comprehensive but links with other models to form a comprehensive framework for understanding disability. For example,

The Medical Model - considers disability as a ‘problem’ that belongs to the individual.

The Social Model – considers disability issues as a socially created problem and a question of the full integration of individuals into society.

The Biopsychosocial Model – attempts to account for the social and biomedical models of disability.

The Economic Model – considers disability from the perspective of an individual’s inability to engage in work.

The Functional Solutions Model – aims to remove, or at least reduce, the impact of the functional limitations of the body using some adaptive or assistive technologies.

The Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model – seeks to derive an individual’s identity from membership within an in-group of like-minded individuals.

The Charity Model – views people with disabilities as pitiful, and unlucky people who need help from other fortunate individuals.

These models paint pictures of how society responds to disability matters.

Though religious organizations are members of society, they operate on different truth assumptions about the relationship between the individual and their maker. Therefore, to better appraise the religious case for accessibility, this writing claims that a new theoretical model will help capture and invigorate the religious case for accessibility.

As a Christian, I will base the religious case for accessibility as coming from Jesus who according to Christian theology and belief, came to serve and not to be served. Thus, I view Jesus’ Model as a better theoretical model of a religious case for accessibility. Other religions can choose their religious leader as their model for accessibility.   

Jesus Model

Jesus' Model of disability is the belief that accessibility is a human attribute while disability is a privation. That is when society fails to provide the basic things that normally should be present. Jesus Model aims to eliminate all forms of barriers by providing the essentials needed for well-being. This model creates enabling environments for everyone regardless of their abilities.  

A typical example was the man who had waited for 38 years at the Pool of Bethsaida, John 5:2-9. The story goes this way:

‘Jesus came up to Jerusalem on one Jewish feast. In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool with five colonnades, also known as Bethsaida in Hebrew. On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, and those with visual and physical impairments.

There was a man who had been there with a disability for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and realized he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the man with disability replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way to the pool, someone else goes in before me.” Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and walked away.”’

Jesus’ Model is not part of the charity model because Jesus did not consider the man in question as unfortunate but rather, he had no equal access to the Pool. Therefore, to make the Pool equitable in use, the man was provided with assistance (an attribute) to compete with those without disabilities. The Jesus’ Model addresses the privations in most houses of prayers and worship.

For congregants or worshippers with disabilities, accessibility improvements are a necessity so that everyone will have equal access to followership.

16 Ways to Improve Accessibility in Places of Worship

  1. Provide ramps and step options to enter the buildings.
  2. Provide good lighting and remove flickering lights.
  3. Provide enough heating or cooling systems depending on your climate.
  4. Provide convenient seating arrangements that do not single out those with disabilities.
  5. Reduce too much noise while speaking or preaching and minimize instances of confusing language.
  6. Avoid the use of unusual words, phrases, or jargon while addressing the people.
  7. Provide newsletters that are written in clear and simple text.
  8. Read or preach distinctly and audibly.
  9. Provide suitable sound insulation for better and healthier living.
  10. Provide those with hearing impairments with sign language to follow the preacher or readers.
  11. Provide captions for all live audio presentations.
  12. Provide live speeches or webcasts in text alternatives.
  13. Provide a visual text presentation that has a reasonable contrast ratio.
  14. Introduce different technologies in worship to help those using assistive technologies.
  15. Provide a technology that allows attendees to give offerings via apps instead of the traditional passing of collection purses or boxes pew by pew.
  16. Consider the amount of time, you keep the people in worship and be considerate of the aged, sick, and others with hidden disabilities.

These are the issues that Jesus’ Model addresses and liberates everyone from the ‘unconscious’ apathy of many religious organizations. It is referred to as an ‘unconscious’ apathy because some religious organizations may be motivated or interested in following Jesus’ Model but along the line, such noble intentions or motivations would dissipate either through lethargy or inaction.

The religious case for accessibility is about following Jesus’ Model which emphasizes that accessibility is a human attribute and everyone’s birthright. 

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