Congregational leaders make buildings more accessible for people with disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act—marking its 25th anniversary this summer—didn’t require places of worship to make their spaces more accessible.
But congregations such as Bet Shalom, a Reform Jewish synagogue in Minnetonka, Minnesota, did it anyway.
In 2000, as they began planning for a new building, they appointed Jackie Hirsh—a longtime member with multiple sclerosis, who used a wheelchair—to serve on the congregation’s architectural advisory committee.
