In a few years' time, churches could be faced with fines and compelled to make alterations to premises not accessible to disabled persons.
Part III of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act already requires 'service providers' with publicly accessible premises, including churches, to provide information and assistance for disabled persons by the end of 1998. Under guidelines agreed by the last government, auxiliary aids and services will need to be provided by mid 1999 and structural alterations by 2005. With the proposal to form a Disability Commission, there is pressure to bring this date forward.
The DDA includes a wide-ranging definition of disability. In addition to wheelchair users, it covers all with 'physical or mental impairments which have a substantial and long term (i.e. 12 months or more) adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day to day activities'. It includes those with poor manual co-ordination or little strength, for example, who are unable to turn knobs, those with sensory impairments, such as impaired sight or hearing, and those who lack memory, concentration or understanding. Many more people can experience these effects temporarily, such as moths in the later stages of pregnancy, children and those with injuries, and so on. The parallels with lists in Scripture, such as those in Matthew 11.5 and Isaiah 35.3-6, will not be lost on Christians.
