on Jan 20th, 2006Accessible Congregations Campaign
Ten Things You Should Know About the Accessible Congregations Campaign
1. The Accessible Congregations Campaign (ACC) seeks to gain the commitment of congregations of all faiths to include people with all types of disabilities as full and active participants. It is sponsored by the Religion and Disability Program of the National Organization on Disability.
2. The theme of the Accessible Congregations Campaign is “Access: It Begins in the Heart.”
3. The campaign seeks to enlist congregations of all faiths and is based on the scriptural understanding that all people, with and without disabilities, are created in the image of God.
4. The campaign seeks to identify and certify the full range of congregations - from those newly alert to disability issues to those which are architecturally and programmatically accessible. Our goal is to open hearts, minds and doors.
5. An Accessible Congregation acknowledges that it has barriers (both physical and attitudinal) to the full participation of people with disabilities and makes a commitment to removing them.
6. Congregations need not be perfect. They do need to make the commitment to action.
7. To join the campaign, a congregation must commit to using the gifts and talents of people with disabilities in worship, service, study and leadership. A congregation then completes and returns the Commitment Form to Lorraine Thal, Coordinator, Accessible Congregations Campaign at N.O.D., 910 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 2006.
8. Once enrolled, a congregation posts the ACC logo, as above, on its web site.
9. Joining the ACC costs nothing. Even the commitment certificate is free.
10. The N.O.D. web site at www.nod.org lists committed congregations by state.