A Welcoming Place for Disabled People

Welcoming is an important Christian ministry in a world where disabled people often find a
lack of inclusion. A warm welcome embodies the Christian message.

Never assume anything; always ask the disabled person.

• Speak directly to the disabled person, not to someone with them
• Introduce yourself by name as one of the welcome team
• Offer to help; don’t be offended by refusal, or help without asking
• Reserve your own accessible bays for blue Badge holders
• Reserve seats (with arms if possible) by the entrance for people who can’t walk far
• If there is a queuing system, please be aware that some people may have difficulty standing and may need to ‘jump the queue’
• Enable disabled people to sit where and with whom they wish
• Ask people whether they would like any assistance. Remember – not every disability is visible
• Ensure people know where the toilets are and don’t need to ask
• Stand in good light for lip-readers & partially sighted people
• Give eye contact where possible, although be aware that for some people eye contact is not possible, or will be avoided
• Be patient – some people take longer to respond, especially if they have difficulty speaking
• Give help discreetly. Don’t make the person feel conspicuous
• For visually impaired people, offer assistance in finding a place to sit and introducing them to neighbours.
• Don’t guide a visually impaired person from behind – let them take your arm
• Offer visually impaired people large print/braille literature
• Don’t hurry a speech impaired person, be relaxed and positive
• Don’t finish people’s sentences
• Speak clearly, not loudly to hearing impaired people
• Ensure your face and mouth can be clearly seen
• Look at hearing impaired people directly and speak normally
• Shouting or exaggerating speech is not helpful to lip-readers
• Don’t lean on a wheelchair or move it unless the user asks you. Sit down to talk at eye-level if possible
• Try to ensure a wheelchair user can sit where they wish and with whom they wish
• If people block a wheelchair user’s view, politely ask them to sit down
• Use plain, not childish language with learning disabled people

Don’t assume. Always ask.

Understanding Autism Guidelines

Autism is a ‘Neurodiversity’, one of many other neurodiversity’s.  An autistic person is referred to as being ‘Neurodivergent’. Being autistic is not all negative, there can be many positives too!

There are lots of myths surrounding autism, such as:

• It is a learning disability. It isn’t, but some may have an associated learning disability.
• They have no compassion. They do, but it can be overwhelming and physically hurt.
• You can always tell. No, you can’t. Even those who diagnose autism can miss it! Many autistic people are lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, ministers and more. Many are married with a family. Not all are math’s or art geniuses, but they may have a special interest and excel in that area.
• Some are badly autistic and some mildly affected. This isn’t the case (see diagram below). How autism affects people isn’t linear, everyone is different. Sometimes you can’t see how autism affects an individual because they have become so good at masking the effects.
• They are just badly behaved. Behaviour is rarely the issue. The environment around autistic people can sometimes cause a noticeable struggle. Some will refer to this as brain melt or a ‘meltdown’, where a time of regulation will be needed to recover. Some autistic people have learnt how to mask the impact of sensory overload, others will stim to help with regulating how their bodies react to things; this could be repeating a word, counting rocking, tapping, flapping or using a sensory toy. Each person will have their own way to regulate how they are coping.
• You can grow out of it. No, an autistic person will always be autistic.

Many of our guests are autistic. They will choose where they are most comfortable to be, especially in the evening celebrations. Being able to walk around venues beforehand might be helpful and they may need information to inform that choice. The Disability Consultant will be able to help with this.

Seminars and workshops: There may not be any issues, but lots of movement, inconsistent lighting and repeating sounds may make things difficult. Don’t be surprised if some walk around to find the best place, or opt to walk up and down at the back. Some may ask for notes to help them follow what is being said (listening is hard with the constant whir of the heating in some venues). The tech teams in the venues will know the quieter spots in their venue, so ask their advice.

Questions may be blunt and precise; give clear and concise answers.

Across the resort: If an autistic person becomes overwhelmed and distressed in an area where you can help, having lots of people offer help can be even more overwhelming. So, make sure only one person supports quietly and with as little intrusion as possible. Some autistic people carry a card with instructions that they will place next to them.

Eye contact is often painful and social pleasantries may not be top of their agenda.

Families who have autistic children: Having an autistic child is not a tragedy. But lots of people see the struggles and assume it is. Some will assume an autistic child’s behaviour is just naughty. Some might see a smile and assume the behaviour is deliberate, but in a meltdown a smile is not what it seems.   If you see a family struggling, gently offer help and reassurance, especially if there are other children with them and a child is running away due to overload. If you are able to hang around and make sure they are not crowded, please do, but don’t make a big thing of it.

Praying with Autistic people: The best starting line is “What do you want prayer for”. Don’t assume. The majority of autistic people would find the offer of prayer for healing offensive, and for good reason. Some may want prayer for aspects of their autism that are a struggle at that time, but like any other people they will want prayer for all sorts of things to do with their faith, their family and their work.

Do not use touch or give consistent eye contact. Pray precisely for what was asked for and nothing else, but feel free to ask if there was anything else.

For parents of autistic children, again, they may not want prayer for healing but rather for specific struggles - for them or their child. It’s fine to pray for the faith of their child!

 NOTE: ‘Autistic person’ is the preferred language of the majority of autistic people, and not ‘a person with autism’. Face to face we should use the preference of individuals - which may occasionally differ - and not try to correct them.