What are Barriers?Matthew 16:19"And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven."Barriers make going to Church impossible, or difficult, or they make it difficult or impossible for people to benefit in the same way that other people benefit from going church.  Some barriers are necessary, like certain practises or beliefs, many barriers are not, like steps in a building without an alternative for those unable to use steps, some barriers could be considered necessary by some, but not by others, like a policy against same-sex weddings, or pipe organs that are pleasing to some, but unbearable for others to listen to. Persistence is your greatest weapon. It is in the nature of barriers that they fall. Quentin Crisp There are many kinds of barriers.Architectural and physical barriers Example: A step at the entrance of the church is a barrier to a person who use a wheelchair. . A hallway or a washroom that is too narrow for a person who uses a wheelchair, seeing-eye dog or walker is a barrier. Information and communications barriers. Use of certain colour combinations can make signs, bulletins, and presentations unreadable to the colour blind or those with colour deficiencies. When no barriers exist or they have have been removed the community is unaware of it. People need to know before coming to see if a place can accommodate their difference (i.e people who use wheelchairs), or who will be accepting of their difference (i.e. gay men and lesbians). People have misconceptions that create barriers to quote Arminius "a perception out there that we are a bunch of Bible-thumping believers who blindly believe in a set of absurd dogmas and self-righteously lord their beliefs over others."* Attitudinal barriersExamples: Thinking that people with disabilities, or those who are different, are inferior or bad.Many disabled or differently abled people who could use support and accommodation stay silent and will not make their needs known. This is due to fear and stigma, or believing that they are bad, or not important. Senator Michael Kirby who chaired the Senate Committee that produced "Out of the Shadows at Last" a report that examined mental illness and addictions in Canada, says that the negative attitudes and stigma associated with people living with mental illness creates barriers that actually are more disabling then the actual disability or illness. Also to quote Graeme "The greatest barrier is isolation. A church should be, above all, a welcoming and caring and inclusive and place. If it has those qualities, it can usually get around all the other barriers. If it doesn't, you can have drive-in washrooms, and it won't help."* People who have had bad experiences in the past with churches, or church ministers or priests are fearful of what to expect, and might think your church is the same. To Quote Elanorgold "I was at a funeral actually, I just remembered, two years ago, I knew it would be religious, but thought it would all be about my deceased uncle and not include a sermon, but oh how wrong I was! The preacher went on about how important it is to be saved and go to heaven and how serious this is, totally off topic in my book! And disrespectful considering some of the guests were not religious, including 3 of the deceased's 4 children. The only time you'll see me at a church now, is if it has good architecture and is empty except for tourists."  Technology barriersWhen technology can’t support various adaptive devices that disabled people use.Examples: A website that doesn’t support screen-reading software for those who are blind. Also a projected presentation that uses colour combination that those with colour blindness cannot see. Depending on solely on email to communicate, when some have no internet access, or others like many teens use instant messages to stay informed.
These are related to organization’s policies, practices or procedures. |
