Making Churches Accessible
Activist Asks Houses of Worship to Open Their Doors
The National Organization on Disability's Ginny Thornburgh travels around the country to churches, synagogues and mosques, advising them on simple ways to make their buildings more accessible to people with disabilities. The National Organization on Disability hide caption
For many people with disabilities, church is a place they would like to go on Sundays. But they can't always do that. The Americans with Disabilities Act says public places such as stores, restaurants and hotels have an obligation to be accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities.
But the law does not apply to a religious sanctuary. So Ginny Thornburgh has made it her mission to make congregations more inclusive.
Thornburgh, who started the religion and disability program at the National Organization on Disability, travels around the country, visiting congregations and suggesting simple changes that would make them more welcoming to those with disabilities.
NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports on her attempt to encourage houses of worship to open their doors to the disabled.