We need to build ramps into our hearts

There's a difference between a disability and a handicap. If someone uses a wheelchair, that's a disability. But if they're told that since they use a wheelchair, they can't go to church because they can't climb the flight of steps to get inside the building, their disability becomes a handicap. It's keeping them from doing something other Catholics take for granted: worshiping God in community.

We are responsible for the handicaps we place on our fellow human beings. If in any way, persons with disabilities are excluded from our parish communities, then we are not being true to Jesus' message, "Love one another as I have loved you." Our Savior did not say, "Love one another as long as it's not inconvenient and doesn't cost money to make changes." On the contrary, He went out of His way to touch people with leprosy, to spend time with a paralyzed man, to create great leaders from illiterate fishermen. Christ saw the gifts in all of us and called them forth.

There are many ways to exclude others from our parishes. While a number of churches in the Albany Diocese have become accessible to the handicapped in the past several years, parishioners with disabilities remain barred from others for lack of ramps, adequate sound systems, large-print missals, and welcoming attitudes from parishioners and clergy.

How often do we complain about babies crying during Mass? If we can't make young families welcome unless they take their children to a "cry room," how does the family of someone with developmental disabilities (who may not be able to quietly sit through an entire Mass) feel about bringing him or her to church?

Becoming accessible to those with disabilities begins with creating a physically welcoming space -- and that takes time and money. But aside from changes in physical spaces, we need to make changes in our mental attitudes.

Persons with disabilities are often made to be spectacles or examples in our parishes. Even parishes with ramps may place wheelchair users in the front of the church, rather than making spaces between pews to allow everyone to worship together and to select their own location during Mass.

Being disabled doesn't mean a person is "special," automatically closer to God, or in need of pity. It simply means that their body or mind works differently from some other people's. All of our fellow Catholics -- those who walk, those who use wheelchairs, those who pray silently or those who talk aloud during Mass -- are equal in the eyes of God. It's time to start making everyone equal in our parish communities.

An interfaith conference on making our parishes accessible to those with disabilities is being held Oct. 14. Your attendance could mean the chance to bring some new ideas to your parish on how to better serve everyone in the congregation. ("That All May Worship," Oct. 14, 9 a.m.-4.p.m., will be held at Temple Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Rd., Albany. A $10 registration fee includes box lunch and materials. The facility is fully accessible. Call 438-5887 or 453-6650 for further information.)

Someone with a disability may not be able to walk, think, hear or see as well as others in the congregation. But we need to stop handicapping their ability to worship.

(10-17-96) [[In-content Ad]]