Our vision of 'Making Jesus Known', encourages members of our diocese to be active in being an inclusive and accessible network of churches.
The latest estimates from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey indicate that 16.0 million people in the UK had a disability in the 2021/22 financial year. This represents 24% of the total population.
Accessible Access
Many of our churches have accessible entrances and have put measures in place for this. You can view if a local Church is accessible under the 'Facitilies' tab on A church near you
The Deaf Community
One in six people are deaf or have some hearing loss and we want to make sure everyone is included in our Churches. One in a thousand people have more severe Deafness and use British Sign language (BSL) as their language of choice. Read more about our ministry and chaplaincy to the deaf and hard of hearing.
National resources
The Church of England is committed to removing the barriers that Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people face within the church. We want all people to be able to fully belong and participate in the life, mission and ministry of the church and we want all people to be able to flourish and grow as disciples and ministers, regardless of any physical, sensory or cognitive difference. Read more about this here. See resources on this here.