Dear Friend,

Greetings to you across the distance on this chilly January day! Here in Columbia, my Guide Dog and I are well, but I can’t help but fear for my neighbors, be they next door or 1000 miles away. As people across our country face violence from our government for being non-white, trans, disabled—for trying to protect neighbors—it’s critically important for our congregations to be sanctuaries for all bodyminds.

In honor of January being Braille Literacy Month, we’re highlighting theaccess needs of people with low-vision or blindness. Whether they’re current members, guests, or people trying to decide if membership is right for them, improving accessibility for folks with vision loss is an important way to provide radical welcome and inclusion at your congregation.

As of 2023, there were about 51.9 million adults and about 625,000 children with vision loss in the United States, meaning they either can’t see at all, or have vision loss that can’t be corrected with glasses or contacts. Since the leading causes of blindness and low vision in the US are all age-related (Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma) these numbers are only going to grow.

Blindness is a spectrum, and what may work for one person may not for another. Last year, I wrote about the importance of having Braille signage in your church building. Standard ADA signs have not only Braille, but also text that is large, high contrast, and tactile, making it accessible for non-Braille readers who have vision loss as well. Installing these signs by each of your doors will make navigating your building to take part in classes, committees, and services available to all beloveds, regardless of ability.

When it comes to including people with vision loss, providing a variety of ways for members and visitors to take in information , be it a hymnal, an order of service, a flyer, or a form is key. For your Sunday orders of service, I recommend having some large print copies available, alongside your standard print copies. Generally, for large print, an 18 pt. sans serif font is recommended.

These days, it would be hard to find a congregation without a website. To me, the best thing about having a website is its ability to house information in an electronic format—making it possible for me to read! People with print disabilities include not just blind and low vision folks, but many people with cognitive and learning disabilities as well. By offering digital alternatives for all that in-person print information we hand out or pin to bulletin boards, your congregants and guests can read using their screen reader, refreshable braille display, magnification software—whatever meets their own access needs. Just keep in mind how your website’s level of accessibility may affect people’s ability to access these materials. This digital accessibility guide from my colleague, Kasey Kruser, provides key information on the WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for your online content.

Accessibility Questions to Consider:

• Do you provide a digital order of service?
• Do you have Braille signage?
• Do you have Braille hymnals?
• Do you have Brailed mailboxes, coffee carafes, etc.?

These are only a few of the items that matter when it comes to accessibility for the blind and low vision community. Although it is important to bake-in accessibility as much as we can, there are many, many ways of existing in the world, and our church buildings and communities have a uniqueness that’s all their own. By inviting blind members and guests to let you know if there are ways to make your congregation more accessible, you may learn of other access barriers I haven’t mentioned here. The important thing is to listen to those affected. I find it difficult to speak up sometimes about my own access needs as a blind person, because of negative responses I’ve gotten over the years. However, the times I’ve explained my access needs to a fellow lay leader, committee chair, team member, table-mate, or my minister and they’ve both heard me and done what they could to meet those needs are many, and make me feel radically welcome at my congregation.