Conditions that impair mobility and movement may result in difficulty using legs, trunk, and arms; weakness or paralysis; stiffness of joints; pain; impairment of sensation; difficulty swallowing; impaired speech, reasoning, or memory; loss of emotional control; seizures; delayed growth and development; and impaired vision or hearing. Characteristics may change daily and may vary widely among individuals who have the same diagnosis.

Ways to Help

• Involve each person in Church activities and service to the fullest extent possible.
• Don't assume that a person who has a physical impairment also has a mental disability.
• Sit or bend to the level of people who use wheelchairs to talk with them. Don't lean on a wheelchair to support yourself.
• Make adjustments to allow a person who has impaired mobility or movement to participate. For example, a special tray that fits on a wheelchair may enable a deacon who cannot hold a tray to pass the sacrament. Ensure that the classroom, chapel, restroom, parking spaces, and other facilities are accessible to people who use guide dogs, wheelchairs, braces, artificial limbs, or other assistive devices. Plan ahead when special adjustments need to be made so an activity or class is not delayed.
• When helping move a person, get instructions in proper lifting and transfer techniques so you don't injure yourself or the person.

Teaching Tips

• Arrange rooms so people are comfortable in them.
• Adapt situations to help individuals maintain self-respect. For example, move a class to the main floor rather than carry a person in a wheelchair upstairs.
• Ask the person or the family if they would like to have someone assigned to assist when needed.

Building Accessibility

The stake physical facilities representative or the Physical Facilities area office staff can arrange for building modifications as needed for improved accessibility.

To ensure that meetinghouses are accessible to those with mobility and movement impairments, meetinghouses should have parking spaces in the most accessible locations, curb ramps, and entry ramps with one handrail. Persons in wheelchairs should be able to get to and from the chapel and most teaching areas.

Doors should open with minimum pressure. Lever handles or push bars make access easier. Door openings should be at least 32 inches wide.

Water fountains should be wheelchair accessible, or interim paper cup dispensers should be placed near a fountain.

A single restroom facility that meets accessibility standards may be used by both men and women if other facilities are not available.

Wheelchair spaces at the front, rear, or middle of the chapel can be provided by removing a section of the pew to ensure that access to the aisle is not blocked.

When selecting locations for activities, consider possible physical barriers. Barriers may include steps; heavy or double doors; fire safety doors; narrow aisles, doorways, and restrooms; and lack of wheelchair accessible transportation. Make sure there is a curb cut to provide access to the sidewalk from a parking space in winter, and see that snow is shoveled out of parking spaces, ramp areas, and door entrances.

Additional Resources

Laurie Wilson Thornton, "No Barriers to the Spirit," Ensign, Feb. 1994, 22–28.