Disability and the Church

The life and ministry of the church is incomplete without the presence and participation of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people.

The Church of England is committed to work for the welcome, inclusion and participation of all - and removing the barriers that deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people face within the church.

We want all people to be able to fully belong and participate in the life, mission and ministry of the church, and we want all people to be able to flourish and grow as disciples and ministers, regardless of any physical, sensory or cognitive difference.

Making our buildings physically accessible and creating environments where people with a wide range of disabilities and differences can be present is important. However, becoming a church that is fully accessible and inclusive and enables the full belonging and participation of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people is far more than installing ramps and accessible toilets. It is about demolishing the ableist assumptions that disability is a deficit experience and removing the barriers to belonging and participation that deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people often experience in the church. We want to see the gifts of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people released to enrich all that the church is and is becoming.

Please find on this webpage some briefings that your PCC may find helpful along with a document highlighting ‘Accessibility Quick Wins’. Use them as much as possible but if you would like to invite our disability adviser, the Rev Amanda Collinson (see details below), to come along to a PCC meeting, she would be delighted to do so.

The Church of England’s Disability Project has committed significant funding to improving inclusion, leadership for disabled people, and accessible facilities, so please do touch base with Amanda if you are making any alterations in your church buildings to make them more accessible.