Fowler United Methodist creates welcoming worship experience for children and adults with disabilities

Bright lights.

Loud music.

Crowded pews.

For someone with sensory processing disorders common with ADHD and similar conditions, a church service can be a disorienting, unpleasant experience. Ditto for their caregivers.

But what if dim lighting, noise-canceling headphones and sensory activities were available, all within sight of the sanctuary?

That’s the case at Fowler United Methodist Church in Spokane’s Garland Neighborhood.

The church recently unveiled its Fireside Room – a warm, welcoming place for those with disabilities and their families or caregivers.

Designed by occupational therapist and disability consultant Lynn Swedberg, with input from the Rev. René Devantier and church secretary Diane Strobeck, the space offers attendees a way to experience community worship without being overwhelmed.

“More and more churches have sensory rooms, but they look like occupational therapy rooms,” Swedberg said.

Instead, she and her crew created a church camp-themed room in the narthex facing the sanctuary.

“Often, the disabled are hidden away in a back room,” Devantier said. “Our idea is not to separate but keep families together.”

Local artist Amber Hoit created a wraparound mural. Using lush, rich tones she painted forests and mountains with a rising sun on one wall and a setting moon on the opposite.

“The whole idea is that people feel expected – like we’re waiting for you,” Swedberg said.

A staircase is concealed behind long curtains that echo the forested theme. Strobeck made the chains and put in the grommets to hang the curtains.

“I have a son with ADHD with 95% hyperactivity,” she said. “I would have loved to have something like this when he was young.”

Likewise, Devantier has personal experience regarding what a space like this offers.

“I have a 19-year-old son with Fragile X syndrome and autism. He could never go to church,” he said. “My second son has the same diagnosis, but he loves to come to church.”

Dimmer switches allow the lighting in the Fireside Room to be adjusted to the needs of the congregants. A calming bubble tube features soft LED lights that change hues as fish float up and down among the bubbles.

The camp theme continues with other sensory items, including a soft, inflatable canoe kids can hunker down in and two 5-gallon buckets, padded and covered with fabric, that resemble tree stumps.

A picnic table, resurrected from the church basement, adds to the outdoorsy vibe, as does a child-size tepee, perfect for a kid needing a quiet spot.

To make the sanctuary more accessible for those using wheelchairs or walkers, several pews were removed. One of them sits in the Fireside Room.

“One of our parents said it would be really helpful to have a pew back here to help her child transition to the sanctuary,” Devantier said.

Another pew became a mobile sensory wall.

“It’s sturdy enough to not be pushed over,” Swedberg said.

Shelves on one side contain baskets filled with things like fidget poppers, plush toys, pinwheels and noise-canceling headphones that can be used in the room or taken into the sanctuary. The other side features sensory activities. Glittery sink sponges affixed with Velcro can be tugged open to reveal camp-themed pictures. Various fabrics invite touch, and fish can be manipulated through a vinyl “pond.”

A path of round gel floor tiles beckons curious kids and adults. Stepping on them causes the liquid to move, resulting in different patterns.

Kids aren’t the only ones who deal with ADHD, so accommodations like tablets for the sermon and adult coloring sheets that correspond with the scripture are available every week.

Grant money from the Disabilities Ministries of the United Methodist Church helped fund the transformation.

Devantier said they hope to incorporate a new name with their existing one.

“We’re Fowler/New Day: a disability-inclusive church,” he said. “We are the body of Christ, and for too long, people with disabilities have been outside or on the fringe.”

Swedberg, who serves as a disability consultant for the United Methodist Church, relished the opportunity to create this space.

“I’ve always had ideas about the way things could be done,” she said. “This was a chance for me to put them in action.”

Devantier appreciated her expertise and hopes that all will feel welcomed at Fowler.

“We didn’t want to create a worship service where people with disabilities had to fit in,” he said. “We wanted to create a service for people with disabilities and their caregivers where others could fit in. My goal is that everyone who comes will find God.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com