Making churches accessible topic of interfaith seminar

"The ramp is not enough" when it comes to making parishes accessible to those with disabilities, says the Rev. Harold Wilke.

Rev. Wilke, who was born without arms, is the founder and director of "Healing Community: The Caring Congregation," a national organization that promotes inclusiveness in parishes.

A minister of the United Church of Christ, he will be the keynote speaker at "That All May Worship," an upcoming interfaith conference that will explore how congregations can be more welcoming to persons with disabilities. The conference is sponsored by the Capital Area Council of Churches with input from a steering committee that included many Catholics.

About 23 years ago, Rev. Wilke and a friend who was a rabbi began Healing Community out of concern for all "outsiders" in faith congregations. The effort eventually grew into a nationwide organization that explored how churches and synagogues responded to those with disabilities. Rev. Wilke found that many changes needed to be made, and congregations were not always ready to embrace them.

"People say, `We don't have any persons with disabilities in our congregations,'" he told The Evangelist. But if churches are inaccessible and parish communities less than welcoming, "naturally, there are no persons with disabilities in the congregation!"

Those who have disabilities may not speak up, either. Rev. Wilke said that for many disabled parishioners, "it's easier to fade into the background -- not to ask for an accessible bathroom or a device to make it easier to hear the sermon."

Many changes involve not physical facilities, but attitudes. "Churches do not seem to be sympathetic to retarded individuals" who may "disturb the flow of morning worship," Rev. Wilke explained. "Most of us don't want to be reminded about these difficult things like death or disabilities."

In the past few decades, he believes that congregations of all faiths have taken steps to welcomed disabled members. However, he added, the problem of making churches accessible involves more than installing ramps and loudspeakers. It is more a problem of "inclusivity and awareness."

During his keynote, Rev. Wilke plans to offer several suggestions for congregations that wish to become more accessible, including:

* Reaching out to persons with retardation. "Specifically, make contact with secular organizations in the community that work with the retarded," he said. "Make arrangements so those that wish to go to church could be brought in."

* Making cuts in pews, so wheelchair users can worship without being relegated to the rear or front of a church. Among other physical changes to churches, Rev. Wilke mentioned good sound systems and large-print missals and bulletins.

* Developing attitudes of openness and acceptance among priests, ministers and congregations. "Most of us, in spite of our psychological fears, say and do the right things," he said.

Change "takes a while," he said. "We don't think our way into new ways of acting; we act our way into new ways of thinking."

("That All May Worship" will be held Oct. 14, 9 a.m.-4.p.m. at Temple Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Rd., Albany. The $10 registration fee includes box lunch and materials. The facility is fully accessible. To register, call 438-5887 or 453-6650.)

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