The Bishops' Advisor for Disability has been appointed to provide practical information, links and resources for clergy and laity in parishes on matters of disability and inclusion in the Church.
Contact the Bishops' Advisor for Disability
- The Bishops' Advisor for Disability is Sue Nelms.
- Sue can be contacted by email at disability.advisor@elydiocese.org.
Checklists for simple actions you can take
The following checklists and guidance is hoped to provide simple and often without cost actions you can take to improve the general accessibility of your church building and services.
- Checklist - How do people find your Church - click here
- Checklist - Car Parking at Your Church - click here
- Checklist - Easy Access to the Building - click here
- Checklist - For External Noticeboards and Signposts - click here
Further Information
Barrier-Free Belonging - the Church of England
- Deaf and disabled people are an essential part of the Church, and the Church of England is committed to ensuring the welcome, inclusion, and participation of all as one of its major goals.
- The Archbishops’ Council which sets the strategic goals for the Church of England includes disability as one of the key areas in which it wants to improve so that people of all abilities can be full members of the Church.
- Further information and resources can be found on the Church of England website here.
Churches for All
- Churches for All is a network of UK Christian disability-engaged organisations. The Churches for All partners have a breadth of experience and depth of knowledge on disability issues – challenging and enabling churches to fully include disabled people.
- For more information, you can visit the Churches for All website here.
- "Make Yours an Accessible Carol Service" - you can make your church carol service more accessible with this free guide here.
Torch Trust
- The Torch Trust (click here to visit their website) helps enable churches across the UK to include people with sight loss in every aspect of church life.You can join their network of churches to access training, advice, resources and be added to their sight loss friendly church finder all for free.
- Sight Loss Friendly Church Resources – click here
- Sight Loss Friendly Church - Christmas Top Tips - click here
Deaf community chaplains
- Cambridge Deaf Church is a place to worship God, study the Bible and explore issues relating to life and faith, all in British Sign Language (BSL).
- More information can be found on Deaf Community Chaplains on the Diocesan website here.