Access issues at church buildings

Dear sir - I attended 11am Mass in Trim on Sunday with my twenty-seven year old daughter who is a wheelchair user. To say that I was shocked at the lack of wheelchair accessibility is an understatement. I was directed to the ramped entrance at the side only to find that the door was too narrow for the chair and that I needed assistance to open the other half. In the porch I encountered the same situation and required further assistance. To my increased annoyance (and to the severe embarrassment of my daughter), a third narrow door confronted us, again requiring help. Once inside, I spent a few minutes observing the scene and soon saw a mother with her buggy enduring exactly what I had endured. After Mass I examined the main entrance and saw that it was ideally suited to ramping. For several years I have been dealing with the Catholic Church authorities and individual parish priests on the subject of accessibility for all, eg, wheelchair users, guide dog users, parents with prams, and have been met with a wall of resistance. It is impossible to convince them that maximising people"s independence is a worthy cause. In addition to a change in attitude by church authorities, what is required is as follows: 1 - Main entrance ramped in the interest of parity of esteem. Why should any churchgoer have to enter by a side/back door? Presumably, at functions such as weddings and funerals, the main door of a church is used, that is, by all except wheelchair users. I was at a funeral some time ago in my local church and watched in sadness as a wheelchair user had to be physically lifted up the steps by two men to enable him to follow the coffin of his deceased brother. That church, too, has a main entrance suited to ramping but the parish priest is not in favour. 2 - Automated doors throughout, activated by an in-floor mechanism, such as can be found in shopping centres. Existing doors need not be replaced and can be easily automated. 3 - A number of shortened benches inside to allow those with special needs to sit with family and friends and to avoid causing an obstruction in passageways. Suffering from a disability is sufficient ignominy without further impediments being heaped upon it. I suggest that each parish priest should borrow a wheelchair and try to enter his own church. Yours, Sheila Ward, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.