After more than twenty years in second-floor offices with no elevator access, Indiana Michigan Conference moved to accessible ground floor headquarters in 2011.
Former Conference staff member Greg Sommers described their decision to move: “The conference offices had been located on the second floor of a historic building in downtown Goshen, Indiana, for more than twenty years. While the space was great, it offered people with mobility issues no alternatives to the long flight of stairs. One visitor pointed out that all the bars on Main Street were accessible, but the conference office was not.
“Conference staff started seriously exploring ways to make the office more accessible in 2010, consulting with disability advocates to brainstorm options. After getting quotes for a chair lift and finding that alternative financially inadvisable, the conference started considering other office spaces.
"The Missional Leadership Team set the criteria for a new space: it should be more accessible, more visible, and more affordable. That process eventually led to our move to the first floor of the Spohn Building, just a few blocks away. Wheelchair users can roll directly into our office suite from the sidewalk. We are deeply grateful to those who encouraged the conference in this move, including an anonymous donor who covered much of the moving costs.”
