The resources below have all been produced by our Diocesan Disability Advisor, Emily Williams, to help churches be more inclusive of people with disabilities.
Visual Timetables 
Visual timetables help individuals to manage their anxieties by helping them to know what to expect within a certain timeframe or environment. Visual timetables are also much easier to understand as it takes the pressure off of spoken communication and gives more time to process the information in front of them.
In this visual timetable download you will find a selection of symbols, feel free to use them if you’d like to. You may, however, feel it more appropriate to make images of these different events and use the images as your symbols. There are some blank symbols in the download for you to do just this with. If there are any symbols missing from the download that you would find useful drop me and email and I’ll see what I can do about that! I hope they’re helpful. Simply print off, cut out, laminate, cut out and use blue tac or velcro stickers to use!
Sermon Cards 
We have created these sermon cards that you can download for FREE and print out - we recommend printing as a double sided postcard but use whatever size works for you or your church.
This sermon card has various different sections. There’s opportunity to write bullet point notes, have deeper reflections, note down bible references, circle images representing themes and free space to do whatever suits the individual best. This offers another dimension to any sermon. Simply sitting and listening is no longer the only option for engaging. Individuals that benefit from visuals or movement or more creative ways of learning may find this a real help to engaging.
The background to the cards is deliberately an off white and the font used is dyslexia friendly
'How To' Easter Sensory Story
Join Emily, our Diocesan Disability Awareness Adviser, as she takes us through The Easter Story and identifies key elements and chooses complimentary sensory stimuli to demonstrate parts of the story.
This allows individuals to access the story and the teaching in different ways to just auditory involvement.
Easy to use downloable resources
Please click on any of the below resources in order to download them.
- Emotion flash cards: Print these on the relevant coloured paper (Angry one on red, neutral on orange and happy on green). This traffic light system is great for helping children understand, manage and communicate how they are feeling.
- Now and Next: Print the simple two step timetable onto card of choice (you or the individual it is intended for), laminate and attach velcro to squares. Then print relevant images which represent the activities happening within the session. Laminate these and attach the opposite velcro. These images can be easily stuck and removed from the Now and Next squares, giving individuals time to process the schedule.
- Makaton Prayers: A week’s worth of bible passages (Jesus I AM statements) and accompanying prayers. All featuring Makaton. Video here.
- Creating a sensory area
- PCC Accessible Church Checklist - When it comes to making our churches accessible it is often hard to know where to start. Below is a checklist to start you off. These are all easy things to implement that will make your church more accessible.
- How to Make Your Presentations More Accessible - When it comes to making your presentations more accessible there are lots of factors to consider. The answers will vary depending on both the venue and the audience. However, these top tips are a good starting point!
