Accessibility

Universally Designed Ministry

A Universally Designed Ministry aims to remove any barriers to participation in your shared communal or liturgical life as a parish. Instead of orienting your accessibility options towards certain groups of people, the ideal is to recognize that limitations based on age, physical disability, or mental impairment are all part of human life and should be accounted for in the design of our parish ministries and common spaces. As the United States bishops have stated, “There can be no separate Church for people with disabilities. We are one flock that serves a single shepherd.” (Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities, par. 33)

To that end, please use the Parish Accessibility Survey to evaluate your parish space and find ways to include all those who may wish to participate.

For more information on Universally Designed Ministry at the parish level, check out the NCPD page.

 

Blind/Limited Sight Texts

Xavier Society for the Blind provides free braille, audio, and large print materials to Catholics who are blind/visually impaired. We also serve many people unable to read standard print and others living with recent vision loss due to macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, etc.

Resources include

  • The New American Bible in large print.
    • 13 volumes, size 22 font, sans-serif
  • Mass Propers in large print every month
    • these are essentially the Missalettes for Mass and include the readings, prayers, and responses to the Mass on Sundays and special Feast days.
    • The Mass Propers in large print are mailed out monthly.

Apply for free resources