Martin H. McNamara
Philadelphia Historic Preservation Corporation
Inspired Spring 1991 p. 4

Houses of Worship Open to All

On July 26, 1990, President George Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ada), legislation which is expected to be a watershed in the development of rights for persons with disabilities. It is intended to do for the rights of 43 million disabled Americans what the Civil Rights Act did for the rights of minorities.

The ada will have an enormous impact, directly affecting communication, transportation, accommodations, and employment environments. By preventing discrimination on the basis of a disability, it is hoped that the legislation will allow persons with handicaps to more easily join the mainstream of American society. Yet, one area where the ada will have an uncertain impact is on the spiritual lives of persons with disabilities. Because of the separation of church and state, there are no provisions within the legislation to address the physical barriers in the nation's historic religious buildings.

"Every church can expect to have one out of four members of its congregation handicapped at some point in their life," reports the Accessibility Audit for Churches, produced by the United Methodist Church. This ½gure may be surprising to those who attend religious services regularly, but many disabilities-such as heart, respiratory, vision or auditory dif½culties-are not immediately apparent.

Shirley Bouquin, chairman of the religious-accessibility subcommittee for the nonpro½t Pennsylvania Protection and Advocacy, Inc., adds that about ninety per cent of persons with disabilities are not active in religious congregations, largely because of the physical barriers they encounter, particularly in older buildings.

Bouquin sees a sad irony in the fact that most other segments of society have moved forward with accessibility ahead of religious institutions. "These are the places where it should have started, yet churches are the last institutions to address this issue," she says.

In the churches' defense, architect Sam Harris, of the Philadelphia ½rm of Kieran Timberlake and Harris, cites lack of professional planning and lack of funding as the main reasons that owners of older religious buildings are not moving toward accessibility.

Harris explains that his Firm is frequently contacted to examine the fabric of religious buildings and recommend needed repairs. As part of the firm's services, Harris usually suggests that they examine code compliance, including current standards of accessibility.

"The response is usually very positive," he says. "Most congregations say that it's something they simply did not think of." He adds that once recommendations are made, movement toward implementation is often very slow because congregations lack the money for improvements.

Movement Toward Accessibility

While new religious structures must comply to current building codes, all of which include requirements for accessibility, the ada does not require religious structures to comply to handicapped accessibility standards. There are two exceptions to this rule. First, if a religious property owner receives federal funding for its programs, it will be required to comply with the federal accessibility standards. Second, if a portion of the religious building is rented or donated to a separate organization for a non-religious controlled use (such as an independent day care, senior citizens center, or performance arts theater) that non-religious entity which uses the space may be subject to accessibility standards. However, for example, religious-sponsored day care or senior citizens programs will not be required to comply. A number of congregations have recognized accessibility as part of their mission to minister to everyone, whether or not they can negotiate the steps up to the front door.

At Philadelphia's Arch Street Friends Meeting House, Director Helen File says that nothing was required of the 1804-vintage brick meeting house, but the Meeting recognized that the building needed to accommodate all members. The building's steps proved dificult for members in wheelchairs, but also for "older members who have trouble bending their knees," says File. In 1968, Arch Street installed an elevator and accessible toilet seats but went even further in 1989 when they added an exterior ramp in the rear of the building and made improvements to the rest room facilities.

Precise requirements for required accessibility will vary from state to state and, in some cases, from city to city. Most regulations are based on design standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ansi), an independent organization which develops standards for a wide range of professions and industries. However, Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (ufas) are to be used as interim standards for meeting ada requirements, especially when considering the removal of architectural barriers to provide access.

Ansi guidelines have been incorporated into many local, state, and federal regulations since 1961, and a religious institution may consult them for general guidance. However, a local building officer and architect should also be consulted to be sure that local code is accurately interpreted.

Implementing Accessibility

Congregations should address some internal questions when they decide to make their church handicapped accessible: Who is handicapped? What parts or aspects of our building are currently not sensitive to people with disabilities? How do we correct these deficiencies?

The answer to "Who is handicapped?" may seem obvious. To many, the idea of a "handicapped" individual suggests a wheelchair. This is a very incomplete term. Space for Physically Impaired Persons defines persons with disabilities, in addition to people in wheelchairs, as those "who encounter barriers to buildings and programs:"

·         people who walk with difficulty;

·         individuals who use braces,

·         crutches, and canes;

·         amputees, arthritics, and persons

·         who have pulmonary or cardiac

·         illnesses;

·         people who are blind or have

·         impaired vision;

·         people who are deaf or have impaired hearing; and

·         people who have coordination

·         disabilities.

"Much of what is written regarding accessibility is aimed at wheelchairs," says architect Walker Johnson, of the Chicago firm Holabird and Root. He recommends that a congregation's first step be to assemble a committee which represents all persons with handicaps.

Once the committee is assembled, it may want to conduct an accessibility audit or handicapped needs assessment. The Methodist's Accessibility Audit for Churches, a good example, consists of a series of questions which address parking, rest rooms, stairs, elevators, corridors, and doors and asks for measurements to be taken.

From this information, the committee can determine the extent of needed changes. These alterations will vary from one building to the next, but some issues are almost universal, such as providing wheelchair space and access to the primary worship area. According to Harris, this issue can usually be resolved by removing a portion of the current seating.

Stairs and steps present more formidable problems. "Religious architecture employs a lot of ups and downs," Harris explains. "Particularly in Christian theology, there is a lot of vertical movement: naves which are a few feet above street level, choir lofts, raised pews, raised altars." He also points out that most 19th-century religious buildings were constructed without indoor plumbing. While rest rooms have usually been added in left-over spaces or adjacent buildings, the passages leading to them can be difficult to navigate for persons with disabilities.

Some renovations, such as creating space for wheelchairs in the worship area and constructing ramps to accommodate one or two steps, can be accomplished by a thoughtful and interested congregation. More extensive structural changes, such as creating a ramp for high series of steps or solving problems of inadequate rest room facilities, will require the services of a building contractor and perhaps an architect. Providing Access,Preserving Integrity.

The point of implementation frequently raises other issues for congregations of historic religious buildings, namely the destruction or alteration of the historic fabric of the building to accommodate the necessary changes. Most congregations take great pride in the appearance of their buildings.  While accommodating persons with disabilities may be a priority, that goal may directly con¾ict with an interest in maintaining the historic integrity of the valued church or synagogue.

Some proposed changes may be negligible in their impact on the building. Harris says that St. Peter's Church (1758) in Philadelphia's historic Society Hill neighborhood simply put a plywood wedge up to the step at the main entrance. "When the church is not having services, they can just pick it up for the benefit of the tourists walking by." Other changes, however, can have a major impact on the architectural integrity of a religious building, such as the adaptation or creation of an accessible main entrance. At Central Synagogue (1872) in Manhattan, a new door at street level on the main facade was proposed to circumvent the front stairs and allow easier access for persons with disabilities. Critics of the plan claim that the door would severely disturb the symmetry of the original design and suggested a side entrance was more appropriate. The synagogue rejected this idea because it implied shunting handicapped members to a "back door" rather than allowing them to enter the front door. This conflict has yet to be resolved.

Other alterations for accessibility should also be made with the goal of preserving as much of the historic fabric as possible. For example, if an elevator is added to an older house of worship, it is desirable to incorporate the shaft within an existing space, rather than constructing an exterior tower that would disturb the appearance of the building. Even when a ramp is constructed, a well-designed railing and finish for the ramp will be more attractive and may even compliment the building design.

If changes are made without the services of an architect, there exist guidelines for constructing or modifying buildings to provide accessibility for handicapped persons. Additional information can also be found in catalogs of manufacturers who serve the needs of disabled persons. Other items, such as alarm systems and water fountains, will be found through more general suppliers for these products.

Finally, as with any building project the congregation will have to fully consider the difficult issue of cost. As Sam Harris noted, many congregations that worship in older buildings are not wealthy and find themselves stymied at the prospect of spending $20,000 or more on a ramp or elevator. Ginny Thornburgh, who heads the religious accessibility committee of the National Organization on Disability, emphasizes that congregations should not be daunted by cost.

"An accessibility program does not mean an immediate elevator," she explains. "Many common-sense things can be done to begin." Thornburgh suggests initiating a transportation committee to assist those people who simply have a dificult time getting to services. "Many minor physical disabilities can be overcome with simple assistance."