Purdue News

August 18, 2000 Workshops help make churches more accessible to the disabled WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Farmers with physical disabilities eventually may have an easier time attending church functions, thanks to workshops offered by Purdue University's Breaking New Ground Resource Center. "We surveyed 150 farmers and ranchers with spinal cord injuries in 1992 and they ranked participation in church activities as one of their top three areas of community involvement," said Ed Bell with the Breaking New Ground Outreach Program. "However, they also ranked churches as one of the least accessible rural institutions." In response to that survey and subsequent conversations with both farmers and church leaders, the Breaking New Ground staff designed the Rural Church Accessibility Workshops for church congregations. As a result of past workshops, members of one 75-year-old church in northwestern Indiana used their limited resources to widen and add a ramp to a rear entrance, then modify a bathroom and pew, Bell said. Soon afterward four mobility impaired persons started attending. All the workshops offer sessions on eliminating physical barriers in your church on a limited budget, eliminating communication barriers in congregations, complying with state and federal laws, and creating a welcoming environment. The two all-day workshops include an additional panel discussion on the role of the caregiver. Workshops are offered on the following dates, and there is a $20 fee per person: • Sept. 2 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., College Park Ministry Center, 3600 West 96th Street, Indianapolis. • Sept. 14 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Turkey Run State Park, Parke County. • Sept. 19 – 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Seymour. • Sept. 23 – 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and repeated again 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., First Baptist Church Anderson, 907 North Reliable Road, Anderson. To register or for more information, contact Ed Bell, Breaking New Ground Outreach Program, (765) 489-5753, e-mail: edbell@infocom.com. The Breaking New Ground Resource Center in Purdue's Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is an internationally recognized source of information on rehabilitation technology for persons working in agriculture. Source: Ed Bell, (765) 489-5753, edbell@infocom.com Writer: Rebecca J. Goetz, 765-494-0461, rjg@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page