Handicap access???

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WhiteDove

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I’m curious what percentage of churches are wheelchair accessable. Mine isn’t and I think it’s a crying shame. Some elderly can’t come to church because of the steps. 😦
 
Our current church was built in the early 1950s, so I don’t know if it was really planned to be accessible. I guess I could ask some of our elders. However, it is the first church I have been in where all the doors, including the huge main entrance are all wheel chair accessible. It might have just been the topography or prehaps good planning. I just wish we had an elevator to the choir loft, so our older singers, and those like me (middle aged) with decrepit knees could get up and down a little easier. :rolleyes:
 
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WhiteDove:
I’m curious what percentage of churches are wheelchair accessable. Mine isn’t and I think it’s a crying shame. Some elderly can’t come to church because of the steps. 😦
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you could start a drive, or have a picnic, cake sale, yard sale, something to raise money for a ramp… check with some of your local builders, they might be willing to do for the write-off… 👍
 
Our church is accessible, all churches around here are but there are laws here requiring them to be.
 
My 90 year old grandmother is coming to spend the night with us this weekend. She’s blind and in a wheelchair. She wants to go to Mass and confession.

So this a.m. I checked out the handicap access a bit better. We have a wheelchair ramp, but then there’s a step and the doorway seems to be too narrow for the wheelchair. Needless to say, this is now causing me a bit of worry on how I will maneuver her into the church…ain’t no way she’s going to fit gear and all in the confessional.

Hardly makes any sense to have a wheelchair ramp and then a step, then an incredibly hard-right turn in a very narrow area to get into the church…so no wonder I never see anyone in wheelchairs at my church.

JELane
 
My church is a very old church, originally built in the 1800’s but last year they added a new elevator and wheelchair ramp to make most of the church accessable.
 
Our “new” church, built in 1987, is completely handicapped accessible except for the actual altar. We have three parishoners in wheelchairs whom I see regularly, (one of them is an EM) and several more who must use walkers or canes.

That said, our cathedral has had to be renovated to make it accessible, and it’s complex and difficult to get in if you are in a wheelchair. You have to go around to the back, through a narrow hall, etc etc. But then, it was built in 1902? ('04?) and is a gorgeous old building.
 
We just redid our church. The front entrance has always had a ramp, but now we have one for the altar. We have one retired priest who concelebrates who is in a wheel chair and some of our older gentlemen that alter serve at daily Mass use the ramp. It was placed behind the priest’s chair and is not noticable unless you knew it was there.
 
Our church (as well as the two chapels I normally attend) are all wheel chair accessible. In fact, even though it was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s it was accessible (through one of the side doors) even before being remodeled in the 1980s-90s.

John
 
All of the Churchs I have been to in Alabama are, even the very old ones
 
Ours was modified within the last ten years, making it fully accessible. Even to the Adoration Chapel!
 
American’s with disabilities act was created in part to deal with just this sort of thing.
There is a publication available from the USCCB about including the disabled in the mass.
My diocese has a ministry for people with disabilities headed by about the nicest woman who ever drew breath. Check out yours and see if you do too.

Nothing breaks my heart more then seeing the disabled marginalized when it comes to faith…

JElane – maybe you could cut a hole in the roof of the church and lower your grandmother down??

-D
 
I belong to a 3-parish cluster, and all of the churches are handicap accesible. Each of the churches is over 100 years old.

God bless,
oremus
 
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darcee:
American’s with disabilities act was created in part to deal with just this sort of thing.
There is a publication available from the USCCB about including the disabled in the mass.
My diocese has a ministry for people with disabilities headed by about the nicest woman who ever drew breath. Check out yours and see if you do too.

Nothing breaks my heart more then seeing the disabled marginalized when it comes to faith…

JElane – maybe you could cut a hole in the roof of the church and lower your grandmother down??

-D
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Churches are exempt from the ADA. Ditto church schools.
 
Really? I thought I remembered them not being but you might well be correct.-D
 
It’s not just the wheelchairs. It’s the strollers… especially those double strollers for twins and children close in age. Let 'em all in! (But this thread seems in agreement on that point!)
 
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Poisson:
Our church is accessible, all churches around here are but there are laws here requiring them to be.
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Not so Poisson. Many churches in Windsor area are not accessible. Consider St. Paul’s, St. Patrick, Blessed Sacrament, to name a few.
 
Our church was recently remodeled and part of the requirements to get the city to approve the permit was that the altar had to have a wheelchair ramp. The ramp is towards the back of the santuary and ends right under the crucifix. It’s very visible and frankly I don’t like it.
 
My dad is a fallen away Catholic, very fallen away, but he always says this in regards to any church whether Catholic or protestant.

“They can’t be a very good church if they have a handicap ramp, if they were any good they would heal them at the door.” :whacky:

Anyway, from what I have noticed is that only the remodeled churches in my area have handicap ramps.
 
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