24 FEATURE
CHURCH STEWARDS
c Give thought to accessibility – lighting which is adequate but without glare, window blinds, access routes not blocked or hazardous, marking of step edges, handrails, raised lettering or braille signs on or beside room doors.
c Speak with every person in your church that you know or think might have difficulties in this area, including those who have stopped coming. Ask what would help most – then address those issues on an individual basis.
c Before and during services, look out for those who might need your help, and offer your assistance sensitively.
c Beware of touching unexpectedly, maybe say:‘ I’ d like to shake hands, is that OK?’
c Have torches or clip-on book lights available.
c Make available large print copies on white or yellow paper( 16 point font size or as requested) of orders of service, notice sheets, Bible readings and hymns routinely and without fuss, including sufficient for unexpected visitors.
c If appropriate, email or deliver these ahead of time so that people can prepare for worship.
c Consider making well-presented copies of special services available for all the congregation to take away for further reflection, and as a gift to the housebound who are not otherwise able to take part, including large print versions as required.
c Give thought to how fellowship over coffee after the service can be made as accessible as possible to all.
c Consider accessing training in how to guide a visually impaired person around the building. c Share these guidelines widely with colleagues in other churches and contexts.
PREACHERS
c Make your order of service available in plenty of time before the service so that large print copies can be made and email versions distributed.
c Ask stewards whether there are any special needs you should be mindful of.
c Have variety: multi-sensory worship.
c Describe visual elements, for example‘ imagine a blue vase of daffodils’.
c Use visual aids in the broadest sense, not simply something pulled out of a bag for a children’ s address, but something to assist understanding for all.
c Announce clearly when people should stand or sit.
c Be very clear in giving instructions around communion.
c When setting up prayer stations, include large print versions, tactile things, use all five senses.
c Share these guidelines with other preachers, worship leaders and those in training.
POWERPOINT AND
PROJECTION 1
c Have up to six lines of text with only about five or six words per line.
c Use left justification.
c Text must be large enough to be read by most low vision people in the front of the audience and by people at the back, ideally 48 but no less than 32 point.
c Use mixed upper and lower case letters rather than all capitals. c Use sans serif font types such as Helvetica, Arial and Verdana.
c Avoid the use of italic font style and try not to use more than one font type per slide.
c Use dark colours for the background and bright colours for the text to avoid glare. A white font on a deep blue background is a good combination.
c Keep animation to a minimum.
EACH DISABLED PERSON KNOWS THEIR OWN NEEDS, AND SHOULD NOT BE SHY TO ASK FOR HELP. STEWARDS, AND OTHER ABLE-BODIED MEMBERS WITH GOOD EYESIGHT, SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF ANY DISABLED PERSON IN THEIR CONGREGATION.
FOR THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION AND FURTHER READING
Professor John Hull raises and answers questions relating to blindness and the Bible in a number of his many publications. When interviewed by the Church Times in 2013 2, he said:
On the whole, the Church doesn’ t cope very well with disability. Many Christians still persist with a literal concept of miracles, and the imitation of Christ is sometimes thought to involve healing miracles for disabled people. The true miracle, however, is when disabled people are fully integrated into Church life and