A year ago my Dad moved in with us so we could care for him. He was diagnosed with a neurological disease and his condition had deteriorated to the point where he needed someone to care for him. Through God’s sovereignty, we were able to take him in and have cared for him for just over a year. His condition has deteriorated of late and for safety reasons, he’s been using a wheelchair when he comes to church for the past month or so. This has given me a new perspective on our facility.Though I can’t say I’ve heard it said outright, I’ve gotten the impression that churches in general often view the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as a nuisance. Having to install ramps, elevators, designated bathroom stalls among other things does add to building costs. But I’m proud to say that our facility is handicap accessible with handicap-equipped restroom facilities and most areas fully accessible by wheelchairs through the use of ramps. Even with all of those handicap amenities, getting around our facility in a wheelchair on a Sunday morning is labor intensive. The traffic congestion is akin to the daily bumper-to-bumper traffic on the I-95 corridor. I’ve been afraid I’ll run someone’s toes over. And maneuvering in a restroom when there are others washing their hands etc. is a real challenge. I’ve never been exposed to any of this, so I admit I’m a novice and haven’t learned any tricks yet. But be assured that my analytical mind is busy trying to come up with the most efficient approaches to these seemingly simple tasks.
I always viewed the ADA requirements as purposeful, but with my recent experiences, I’m more convinced of the value they bring to a facility. To churches in particular, the ADA requirements are a necessity, if we are truly striving to win
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