Fr James Lawson was ordained deacon by Bishop Mary in May 2023. A former history teacher and avid theologian, Fr James has begun his curacy in the Rhondda Ministry Area. As a wheelchair user, Fr James addresses the elephant in the room about accessibility and the responsibility of the Church.
An Awkward Question Why should a church seek to be inclusive and accessible? At first glance, this might seem like an odd question to ask. After all, the last thirty years or so (roughly my lifetime) have seen a dramatic change in social attitudes towards those with mobility impairments, such that adjustments are now considered de rigueur and their absence causes outraged comment on the part of complete strangers. Moreover, it might seem churlish of one whose limitations are entirely mobilitybased to be posing the question: physical impairment like my own remains the most ‘acceptable’ form for people to consider. (If you doubt that last statement, consider whether I’d have found the same level of welcome, adjustments, and acceptance as a cleric in the diocese – for which I am deeply grateful – if my condition involved speech difficulties or the need for aid in toileting myself.) Finally, I have a bundle of other characteristics (some innate, some acquired) which – rightly or wrongly – incline others to take my voice and contribution seriously. In that sense, I am a poor representative of ‘the disabled’ as a socially marginalised and excluded group, too many of whom remain un- or under-employed, with fewer life chances, a poorer quality of life, and a lower life expectancy.
In summary, the question is unnecessary and I am the wrong person to ask it. Doubtless there are other people with disabilities who feel that I am letting the side down and that I am missing the opportunity here to offer a clarion call to ministry area councils across the diocese: could I come and lead worship in your church from my wheelchair? If not, why not? Yet I want to be awkward and persist in asking the question. Perhaps a slight change in typography will help to illustrate why: why should a church seek to be inclusive and accessible?
The truth is that attitude change in churches has largely followed, if not actively lagged behind, the wider shift in society here. Occasionally, this seems to have been because of the persistence of eccentric theology: despite Jesus’ response to his disciples’ question (‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’) at John 9.3 – ‘neither this man nor his parents sinned’ – there remain those who see a persistent link with sin. More often, however, pragmatism rather than theology was the reason: ‘we’d love to have x as part of our congregation but you see [listed status/money/the intractability of diocesan committees or officials/the health and safety implications – delete as required] makes it too difficult!’ This ought to strike us as an odd state of affairs. We ought, perhaps, to ask ourselves why it remains the case that I am guaranteed to find suitable toilet facilities at any and every branch of Wetherspoons but am taking a serious gamble with my personal dignity if I turn up urgently expecting to find them in a Church in Wales church or cathedral. Theologically we not only have no reason to exclude people from participation on the grounds of a disability, but one could argue an imperative to include them. We are called to imitate our God who hears the cry of the afflicted (Job 34.28) and who
4
