For clergy • Educators • Ministry teams

Build a parish where families do not have to choose between faith and access.

Welcoming words matter. Predictable information, flexible participation, trained volunteers, and respectful family partnership make those words real.

A practical ministry pathway

Six steps toward belonging

Begin with what your parish can do now. Inclusion grows through consistent, thoughtful practice.

Give families one compassionate contact who can listen, coordinate, and protect privacy.

Document sounds, lighting, incense, movement, waiting, touch, stairs, seating, and transitions.

Offer visual information, seating choice, a quiet area, movement, sensory tools, and more than one way to participate.

Train clergy, ushers, educators, and volunteers to respond to needs without shame or public correction.

Ask what helps, what to notice, and how the child communicates. Families know their children best.

Follow up after visits, learn from lived experience, and keep inclusion visible throughout parish life.

Preserve theology • Remove barriers

Orthodox worship remains Orthodox worship. Accessibility helps children understand, anticipate, regulate, communicate, and participate.

Provide a visual guide to major moments in the Divine Liturgy.
Explain bells, chanting, incense, processions, Communion lines, and service length in advance.
Welcome headphones, comfort objects, fidgets, AAC, movement, and breaks.
Offer aisle, rear, and lower-stimulation seating without isolating families.
Let families arrive late, step out, return, or leave early without judgment.

Sunday School inclusion

Build choices into each lesson so support feels ordinary rather than exceptional.

Use pictures, objects, written words, demonstrations, and visual schedules.

Use storytelling, repetition, music, and plain-language explanations.

Offer acting, pointing, building, carrying, standing, or purposeful movement.

Accept speaking, drawing, choosing, typing, signing, or using a communication device.

Start small • Start now

Then listen, improve, and share what works across the parish.