[Access] Accessibility resources

[David Gilmartin]

I've been unable to sleep this evening, and, in this quiet time I've  
been thinking about accessibility stuff:

1.  I've drafted a committee budget for the 2008-09 church year, which  
I will present for discussion at our committee meeting this evening in  
the sanctuary. Hope to see you then!

2.  One thing we began discussing at an earlier meeting was how to  
make our religious education program for children more accessible. I'm  
sure there are curricula and other resources around, so I have been  
doing a bit of Googling. Here's a couple resources we might  
individually or collectively avail ourselves of:

Welcoming Children with Special Needs: A Guidebook for Faith Communities
Author: Sally Patton
Publisher: UUA
An empowering resource for accepting special needs children into  
congregations. Includes information on common physical, mental and  
emotional disabilities and disorders, plus teacher training guidelines  
and strategies for inclusion.
Price: $18.00 Quantity discounts available.
uua.org/bookstore

Religion and Disability Program E-Newsletter, sent quarterly, a source  
of valuable resources and information for those working to include  
children and adults with disabilities in their religious communities.  
Free. Sign up to receive at the website for the National Organization  
on Disability:
http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showPattonFeature&FeatureID=1686

Enrollment in the Accessible Congregations Campaign, a campaign that  
seeks to partner with congregations of all faiths who commit to  
identifying and removing their barriers and welcoming people with all  
types of disabilities. Free. Information and applications available  
from the National Organization on Disability:
http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=1326

3.  I'm also trying to track down information on a curriculum and/or  
other materials developed by a UU church in Massachusetts to make RE  
programs more accessible for children with developmental disabilities.  
No details available yet. I'm hoping this one did not just sink  
without a trace!!

4.  Article titled, "Allergies lead churches to new practices," from  
the Baltimore Sun, and reprinted in the Register-Guard according to  
Cindy. It can be read at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-te.to.allergy06jan06,0,6505592.story
And that got me wondering if we can get permission to include it in  
our website accessibility pages.

David Gilmartin

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.uueugene.org/pipermail/access/attachments/20080108/ddad8126/attachment-0001.html