ATLANTA—The chaplain at the Shepherd Center, Michael Moore, is seeking 200 metro Atlanta religious congregations who will commit to welcoming people with disabilities as full and active participants by the year 2000.

That is the regional goal announced by Moore, chaplain at the Atlanta hospital that specializes in the care of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular disorders. Moore is working with the Religion and Disability Program at the National Organization on Disability in Washington, D.C., on this campaign to enhance greater religious opportunities for Americans with disabilities.

Known as the Accessible Congregations Campaign, the intent is to obtain the commitment of congregations of all faiths to welcome people with disabilities as full and active participants. The national goal is to have 2,000 congregations involved.

As chaplain at Shepherd for more than 10 years, Moore said that faith communities are “a tremendous support for healing, coping and dealing with catastrophic life-changing events.”

Moore added that people with disabilities want to be involved and give back to these faith communities.

“Having true religious access is about opening hearts, minds and doors to millions of Americans with disabilities who seek a full life of faith,” said Ginny Thornburgh, director of NOD’s Religion and Disability Program.

To qualify as an accessible congregation and to receive a certificate, a place of worship must commit to the following three principles:

• In the congregation, people with disabilities are valued as individuals, having been created in the image of God;
• The congregation is endeavoring to remove barriers of architecture, communications and attitudes that exclude people with disabilities from full and active participation;
• People with and without disabilities are encouraged to practice their faith and use their gifts in worship, service, study and leadership.

By joining the campaign, an accessible congregation acknowledges that it has barriers in place prohibiting full participation of people with disabilities and commits itself to begin the process of removing them.

For more information on the campaign, or for an informational brochure, contact NOD at (202) 293-5960 or email religion@nod.org. The Commission on Disability Concerns may be reached at (404) 622-2235.