In this week’s edition of the Opening Doors blog, Pastors Charlene Smalls and Angela Moyer Walter reflect on the work that Ripple Church has done in the past year to make worship a safe and accessible place for everyone in their congregation.
Joanne Juhnke shares about how the addition of a couch to the sanctuary space at Madison Mennonite Church made a big different to accessibility for one of their members.
Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend, Indiana is part of the All In project, and we have used our participation in the program to build on the momentum that began two years earlier as we sought better ways to include worshipers with diverse needs.
Often disability inclusion is simple. When we are attentive to the relationships with people in our congregation, we can make accommodations that do not require a committee nor a lot of money.
Last week 41 participants from 19 congregations in 9 states gathered for a retreat to kick off the All In Project at Laurelville Retreat Center in Mt. Pleasant, Pa.
Charles Conklin reflects on his time with MCC in Cambodia where he worked on safeguarding policies for people with disabilities.
Dean Preheim-Bartel, a forerunner in disability ministry, died on February 5, 2026, in Goshen, Indiana at the age of 78. Dean was a leader of disability and mental health ministry for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA).
We Are Able, a service-learning camp for adults with intellectual disabilities, will be held this summer at Amigo Centre in Sturgis, Michigan.
Jonathan Shively began his role as board president of Anabaptist Disabilities Network on February 1, 2026.
Camp Friedenswald, a Mennonite camp in southern Michigan, has worked hard to make their camp a place that is accessible and welcoming for people of all abilities.
Nineteen congregations have been chosen to participate in the All In collaborative project, exploring ways to worship that are multisensory and accessible for people of all ages and abilities, especially children with disabilities.
What if our Church gatherings were designed with everybody in mind – from toddlers to elders, from disabled folks to neurodivergent thinkers?
All In Project Director Keli Boyer led a conversation about the All In Project: the application process, our resource partners, and the five-year plan for pilot congregations.
Sensory rooms are needed places of quiet in the midst of celebration. Here Sarah Werner shares about the sensory room at Mennonite Church USA’s biennial convention.
Chris Moore shares about the barrier free grant that Immanuel Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, VA received.
Are you curious about the All In project and wondering if it might be a good fit for your church? Join us for a live All In Info Session on September 30th at 6 PM Central/7 PM Eastern. We’ll share what participating congregations can expect and leave time for Q&A at the end.
Kathy Dickson shares about her experience in a community CPE placement that helps people with disabilities.
A sensory space is a designated space that has fidgets, weighted blankets/lap pads, rocking chairs, wobble cushions, noise-reducing headphones, coloring, and other aids that help increase calm and focus for people who have sensory processing disorders, ADHD, anxiety or are autistic.
Do you have a sensory space in your worship space (or do you want to have one)? Where is it located in the worship space? How did you create it? What did you put in it? Who uses it? What has been helpful? What has been challenging? What benefits have you seen?
ADN and the CoB’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department renewed their partnership to provide training, education, and resources that support congregations in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities and mental illness.
ADN and the CoB’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department renewed their partnership to provide training, education, and resources that support congregations in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities and mental illness.
ADN and the CoB’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department renewed their partnership to provide training, education, and resources that support congregations in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities and mental illness.
ADN and the CoB’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department renewed their partnership to provide training, education, and resources that support congregations in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities and mental illness.
ADN offers workshops, exhibits, accessibility services at 2025 MC USA Convention and Annual Conference
ADN and the CoB’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department renewed their partnership to provide training, education, and resources that support congregations in becoming more inclusive of people with disabilities and mental illness.
The Story of God’s First People draws from key stories of the Old Testament with an Anabaptist perspective.
“All IN: Immersive Worship for Everybody” project will increase involvement in worship and in the faith community.
Register for this family camp for children with disabilities, June 30 – July 3!
Steve McCloskey, Pastor, shares the church’s theological journey that led to the installation of the accessibility ramp.
MHS Association Estate Gift to Support Work of Anabaptist Disabilities Network
In this collaboration with Mennonite Women USA for Disability Pride Month, Sarah Werner redefines her disability as something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of.
ADN’s free tool to assess a church’s accessibility to people with disabilities and mental illness.
Accessibility Services, Equipping Session, Giveaways, and more!
Webinar with Bonnie & Lyle Miller on welcoming families impacted by disability and neurodiversity.
With a poignant reflection of the beauty and barriers of visiting a personally sacred place, Jill Keyser Speicher sheds light on the daily challenges faced by wheelchair users.
Jennifer Svetlik recounts Salford Mennonite’s initiatives toward greater accessibility and inclusion.
Plains Mennonite Church used a Barrier Free Grant to create a playground for all, a next step in supporting families with autistic children.
Pastor Nathanael Hofstetter Ressler offers tips for congregations beginning to accommodate for mental illness and support mental health.
Immanuel Mennonite Church’s experiences auditing their accessibility and addressing their congregation’s barriers to belonging.
Waterford Mennonite Church’s experience forming a disabilities committee and filling out the Congregational Accessibility Survey.
Ambler Mennonite uses Legos to engage with Scriptures across ages and abilities.
New Creation Fellowship in Newton, KS, dedicates their new lift, which makes their sanctuary accessible to all.
Shelly Kerchner shares her journey through addiction, illness, and disability.
In this poem, Sarah Werner provides an eloquent imagining of what it feels like to be wholly welcomed into God’s Community.
Sarah Werner reflects on the church’s changing beliefs about physical disabilities and calls us to a more embodied approach to worship.
ADN field associate Katie Smith leads this workshop on creating print documents that everyone can read and access.
ADN field associate Katie Smith leads this workshop on creating print documents that everyone can read and access.
Jill Keyser Speicher writes about searching for a church as a wheelchair user.
Mennonite Church USA unanimously votes to grow in accessibility for people with disabilities.
Bonnie Miller recounts the practical and emotional effects that a sanctuary ramp had on the congregation of Waterford Mennonite Church.
Jeanne Davies calls congregations to greater belonging and inclusion.
The season of Advent is about the hope of waiting. When you’re the caregiver to a child with a disability, your life is all about waiting.
As mere humans, we are not the “givers” of God’s salvation, hope, or love. That’s God’s work and God’s gift. We are, however, called to provide the invitation and the environment in which all people can connect with the gospel message and grow in relationship with Jesus.
These inspiring stories of spiritual growth among students with differing abilities show ways of worship as individual as they are.
Pain is such a pain. You can seethe, groan, swear at it, pray over it, even scream, and it is still there. You just want it to go away, but it doesn’t. Finally, you wonder if there is anything you can do to put balance back in your life.
In this article, Lynn Swedberg introduces captioning as an important tool to assure that people with hearing difficulties are able to fully participate in community life.
We at Anabaptist Disabilities Network express our deep appreciation to College Mennonite Church (CMC) for the rent-free space they provided us over the past decade.
