Justice For All

August 29, 2000

Accessible Congregations Campaign:
Opening Hearts, Minds and Doors

Justice For All is deeply supportive of NOD's Accessible Congregations Campaign -- the effort to get the commitment of 2,000 congregations across the nation to become more accessible to people with disabilities.

We encourage advocates to help recruit their own congregations and other congregations in their communities.

The "Journey of a Congregation" -- an interactive self-assessment of a congregation's commitment to welcoming people with disabilities located on NOD's web site (www.nod.org) -- is an excellent tool for advocates to use in enrolling congregations.

Here's more information about the Campaign:

TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE ACCESSIBLE CONGREGATIONS CAMPAIGN

1. The Accessible Congregations Campaign (ACC) seeks to gain the commitment of 2,000 congregations in the year 2000 to include people with all types of disabilities as full and active participants. It is sponsored by the Religion and Disability Program of the National Organization on Disability.

2. The ACC is also known as "2,000 In the Year 2000". Its theme is Access: It Begins in the Heart."

3. The campaign seeks to enlist congregations of all faiths and is based on the scriptural understanding that all people, with and without disabilities, are created in the image of God.

4. The campaign seeks to identify and certify the full range of congregations - from those newly alert to disability issues to those which are architecturally and programmatically accessible.

5. An Accessible Congregation acknowledges that it has barriers (both physical and attitudinal) to the full participation of people with disabilities and makes a commitment to removing them.

6. Congregations need not be perfect. They do need to set achievable goals and make a commitment to action.

7. To join the campaign, a congregation must commit to using the gifts and talents of people with disabilities in worship, service, study and leadership. A congregation then completes and returns the Commitment Form to Lorraine Thal, Coordinator, Accessible Congregations Campaign at N.O.D., 910 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.

8. N.O.D. will then send the congregation a certificate suitable for display.

9. Joining the ACC costs nothing. The brochure, information packet and commitment certificate are free.

10. The goal of the campaign is to enroll 2,000 congregations by December 31, 2000. Access the N.O.D. well site at www.nod.org to see the committed congregations listed by state.

--
Together we have overcome
Together we shall overcome

JUSTICE FOR ALL!

Mark Smith
markuncle@aol.com

--

Fred Fay
Chair, Justice For All
jfa@jfanow.org
HTTP://www.jfanow.org


Getting Out the Disability Vote: http://nod.org/vote2000/vote2000.html
Register to Vote Online at: http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm
For Your State's Election Resources: http://www.iupui.edu/~epackard/eleclink.html
Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/

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