About the project

The Disability Inclusion Action Group comprises clergy and lay people with a range of disabilities, from across the Diocese of Derby.  Our aim is to see disability inclusion taken seriously in our churches and across the Diocese. 

Motivated by the requirement for all churches to conduct an access audit, the Diocese of Derby Disability Inclusion Action Group (supported by Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, Bishop of Repton) devised this symbol-based, disability self-assessment chart for church use, including online and printed signage. This is part of the Church of England’s Disability Project 2024 - 2026, which is the National Church Institutions’ response to a debate at General Synod in summer 2022. 

The symbols are for everyone but will be especially useful to those with specific access needs or requirements, enabling them to assess outlining the accessibility of church buildings and services, and enabling them to make further enquiries.

We hope that they are a tool for churches, enabling them to assess easily and accurately, and to start a process of welcoming, ensuring their buildings are as accessible as possible. 

The symbols are being piloted by a few parishes in the Diocese. The learning from these pilots will inform future development of the audit and symbols if required. 

The decision to use them is for the the church council or governing body to make, having asked one or more of its members to carry out the audit and share it for approval before the symbols are used. The symbols can then be used to signpost and advertise church facilities and access features both clearly and quickly. 

Whilst the use of the symbols will be particularly valuable online, we also suggest parishes use a simple template for a poster backdrop to inform visitors which symbols apply in your local context. This may be laminated and used on church noticeboards or other prominent locations. 

The symbols are not intended to say what a church cannot provide, but rather what it can provide, thus allowing church users to make informed decisions about whether the church and its facilities meet their individual access requirements.

These symbols can be used in a number of ways: flyers, wayfinding, signage, websites, and other public-facing locations. We hope that the symbols will help you to clearly communicate each facility. 

In time we hope the symbols can be uploaded onto ‘A Church Near You’. 

These symbols have been designed for the Diocese of Derby (Copyright owners) and licenced for use by the Church of England. Churches may use these symbols as defined within this website.