Advent Calendar 2023

A reflection from John Beauchamp, Disability Adviser, London Diocese, on the experience of disabled people at busy times like Advent.

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You can reach another community with Makaton. Makaton is a language which supports communication alongside written or spoken language for those with communication or learning impairments. \More..

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If you use screens or printed materials during your Christmas services make sure they are as accessible as possible. This is a really easy way to make your services more accessible, and once you’re in the habit, takes no extra time or money!

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Unless you have sight loss… Advent and Christmas is a time when we talk a lot about light and seeing.

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When planning your Christmas services, consider those who experience sight loss. Candlelight can be very disorientating for those who might rely on identifying familiar sights or objects to navigate.

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She plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice, architecture means to provide services in connection with the creation of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that have human occupancy or use as their purpose. \More..

A great way to show that your church welcomes disabled people is for your church to join the Sunflower Hidden Disability Scheme.

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When we think about how we can make our Christmas services and events more accessible, it is really important to do that WITH the disabled community and not FOR them. They are the experts! \More..

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Just remember if you are able bodied you have no idea what the obstacles are for disabled people when coming to church. So just ask people what they need.

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God performs miracles through surprising choices.

Joseph was going to discreetly divorce Mary until the angel spoke to him.

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You may have come across the concept of ‘fiddle toys’/‘fidget toys’ but you may not know why it would be a great idea for to have some readily available.

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Christmas is a time of familiar and traditional stories, carols, readings and services. For people with dementia this is a time that stirs particular memories and experiences and creates opportunities for people to participate when participation in other things has become difficult. \More..

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Big busy services such as the ones we often have at Christmas can be overwhelming for some groups of people, including those living with dementia, some neurodivergent people and some people living with mental ill-health.

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God is a neurodiverse God – He doesn’t quite think like us and he often sees things from a different angle. He normally doesn’t speak out loud but gives us signs. He doesn’t normally act in a way we would and He often does things in a way that we view as far too slow! \More..

In 2022 British Sign Language became an official language of the United Kingdom. There are an estimated 90,000 Deaf BSL communicators across the country, and people in your parish who will rely on BSL as their means of communication. \More..

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Many Churches have a hearing loop but very few test them regularly to ensure they are working. You can ask a hearing aid user to test your loop or you can buy a tester so anyone can do it.

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Many churches produce Christmas cards that invite people to seasonal services and events and deliver these around the parish. When you design these, think about how readable and accessible they are. You may be doing a lot, but lots of crowded small print is hard to decipher and isn’t really very inviting. \More..

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One really easy way you can make your Christmas services more accessible is to give clear information about them all on your websites.

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Ruth, Director of Renew Wellbeing suggests having a Cup Group: invite a few folks/ neighbours etc for coffee and quiet. Consider having a regular cuppa moment with others in local cafe or in your church during advent. \More..

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There’s a whole range of reasons; ‘because it’s the right thing to do’ through to ‘well it’s a legal requirement’. But the answer we’d like to briefly look at today is because that’s what it teaches in the bible, it’s what Jesus did and what God tells us to do.

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For festival services such as at Christmas we often add additional seating or change the layout of our church spaces altogether. This isn’t a bad thing at all, just be mindful of the width of walkways..

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Over the festive season we often have lots of visitors to our church events and services. A fantastic way to make our churches more accessible is to have clear directional signage both around the building and outside it.

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As the dark evenings are with us, make sure you look at your exterior lighting and the lighting around your building, so people who experience sight loss can be safe.

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It is all about the welcome. Disabled people say that more than anything else, they just want to feel welcomed. We hope that these ideas, resources and tips to help work towards the full inclusion of deaf and disabled people in the church have been useful. Our final offering (tomorrow) is a download which we hope you will enjoy reading.

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