The Diocese of Derby has announced the launch of its new accessibility project, designed to improve access and inclusion for all churches.

 The project includes a range of downloadable icons, designed to easily identify church assessable features allowing people with disabilities to easily find a church that will suit their needs.

The project comes from two years of work by the Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG), who have researched the need and designed the icons with the help of a local design agency.

Churches are encouraged to download the icons relevant to their church and display them on their websites. All the icons and more information is available www.accessiblechurch.net.

Carl Veal, Chair of DIAG said “The accessibility symbols, two years in the making, represent a wonderful opportunity for the churches of the Diocese of Derby to be open and accessible to all and allow us all to worship Christ together as a cohesive community.  I look forward to this initiative from the Diocese leading the way for these icons to be rolled out nationally, to the whole of the Church of England later this year."

As the Diocesan lead on the project, Bishop Malcolm Macnaughton said  ‘ These symbols will help local churches be welcoming to disabled people,  by giving them accurate information about what we can offer in our churches. Disabled people bring new gifts to the table, and important perspective to our life as a community. We need one another – and this project will help change attitudes, improve access to our activities, and release agency, empowering disabled people to get involved and take a lead. We are one body in Christ – we need each other.’

As a result of this project, Helen James, Disability Project Manager for the Church of England stated that, from the summer, the symbols will be made available for all parishes throughout all dioceses to use and implement on their own pages.The Disability Inclusion Action Group comprises clergy and lay people with a range of disabilities, from across the Diocese of Derby.  Their aim is to see disability inclusion taken seriously in our churches and across the Diocese. Their work is focused around three key themes - Attitude, Access, and Agency.