Purdue News

June 12, 1998 Church accessibility conferences to be held in Indiana WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- For rural communities, the church is often a center of community activities. For people with disabilities, this too often presents a problem. To help rural communities and people with disabilities improve church accessibility, the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service's Breaking New Ground Outreach Program is co-sponsoring three one-day conferences in Indiana on improving access to rural churches. Other sponsors are the Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living and the Indiana State ADA Steering Committee. The conferences will cover topics such as: Eliminating physical barriers on a limited budget. Serving an aging population. Addressing members' attitudes toward people with disabilities that may be keeping people with disabilities away. Using low-cost adaptive aids and practical solutions to eliminate problems. Applying the federal government's Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to churches. Eliminating communication barriers within churches. Informing people with disabilities of the improvements. According to Barry Delks, director of the Breaking New Ground Resource Center, church accessibility is a major issue for both communities and people with disabilities. "In 1992 we conducted a survey of 150 farmers with spinal cord injuries to see what their needs were, and what were their top community activities," Delks said. "We discovered that 60 percent were involved in church activities, followed by recreational activities and then farm organizations. "Of these three categories, church was often the least accessible in their communities." Delks pointed out that a church building in a rural community is used not just for worship services. "They're used for community activities, for farm meetings, for voting, for a whole variety of activities," he said. "And they are inaccessible for more than just people with spinal cord injuries. Many communities have aging populations, and members of the community experience mobility impairments, joint replacements, that kind of thing. Church accessibility is a big issue for rural communities." Delks said that the Breaking New Ground program at Purdue responded to this need by developing a series of workshops designed to teach ways to make churches more accessible. "At our first set of four conferences in 1997, we had more than 200 churches send representatives, so we decided that we would offer the conferences again this summer," he said. According to Ned Stoller, a Purdue rural assistive technology specialist, the conference is not just for church members, but for anyone with an interest in making rural churches more accessible. "Anyone involved with activities at church buildings should consider attending," Stoller said. "These might include social service organizations, day-care providers, visiting nurses, voting committees or Meals-on-Wheels organizers." This year the conference will be offered at three Indiana locations: July 7 at Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell. Aug. 3 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church near Valparaiso. Aug. 7 at First Baptist Church in New Castle. The registration deadline for the July 7 conference is June 25, and the registration deadline for the other two conferences is July 28. Registrations should be sent to the Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living, 3300 W. 16th St., Bedford, Ind., 47421. Participants should indicate whether they have any special needs, such as a sign language interpreter, accommodations for a service animal, materials in alternative format, or a special diet. Participants can call the center at (800) 247-4128 for more information. The cost of the conference is $25, which includes lunch, resource materials, a Caregivers Guide, and a book from the National Organization on Disability on welcoming people with disabilities. Checks should be made out to the Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living. Scholarships are available for people with disabilities through the Indiana Governor's Planning Council for People With Disabilities, (317) 232-7770. Since it began in 1979, the Breaking New Ground Resource Center has become internationally recognized as a primary source for information and resources on rehabilitation technology for people working in agriculture. The center supports families in Indiana who have been affected by disabilities caused by injury or illness. The center's outreach program is a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's AgrAbility Program, which supports similar programs in 20 states. More information about Breaking New Ground programs is available by calling (800) 825-4264 or on the Internet at https://abe.www.ecn.purdue/ABE/Extension/BNG/bnginfo.html#who. Sources: Ned Stoller, (765) 494-5088; e-mail, stoller@ecn.purdue.edu Barry Delks, (765) 494-1221; e-mail, delks@ecn.purdue.edu Writer: Steve Tally, (765) 494-9809; tally@purdue.edu; https://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/homepages/tally/ Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page