Commitment to Accessibility
The General Assembly Office and Planning Committee are committed to the goal of making the General Assembly accessible to the maximum number of attendees possible.The Electronic Communication Office of the Unitarian Universalist Association provides extensive coverage of the General Assembly (GA) through our website so that those who are not able to join us in person may still participate.
Many sessions are recorded and are available for purchase. The Opening Celebration, Ware Lecture, Sunday Closing Worship, and the Service of the Living Tradition are videotaped and are also available for purchase.
The GA Planning Committee evaluates all possible future sites for GA considering the ease of getting around and physical accessibility to the convention area, including local hotels. Each facility completes an initial screening for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and an onsite follow-up accessibilities survey is conducted.
The volunteer Accessibilities Services Committee coordinates the provision of assistive devices for GA attendees, including hearing enhancements, wheelchairs, electric scooters, captioning, and ASL interpretation.
Adopted by the Planning Committee, April 11, 1989:
WHEREAS annually the member congregations send delegates to the General Assembly to conduct the business of the Unitarian Universalist Association;
WHEREAS it is in the interest of the denomination as a whole to have the maximum number of congregations and individuals take part in the General Assembly;
WHEREAS the General Assembly Planning Committee is responsible for arranging these meetings, including site selection, housing arrangements, business agenda, programs, worship and other activities;
WHEREAS a multitude of factors must be weighed in making decisions about the location and content of General Assembly; and
WHEREAS we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every human personality;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the General Assembly Planning Committee affirms its commitment to make the General Assembly as accessible as possible to all member congregations, their representatives, and individual members; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly Planning Committee will take the following actions:
- Recommend sites that are free of architectural barriers to the maximum extent.
- Give careful consideration to the needs of the elderly and the young in recommending sites.
- Seek to control costs of attending General Assembly so that personal economic situations are less of a factor in delegate selection by the congregations and in individual decision regarding attendance.
- Make available at cost such audio, visual, mobility, and other aids as are requested in advance by persons planning to attend General Assembly.
- Serve as a model for other planning groups in the denomination as to the care and concern for the issues related to accessibility.
Last updated on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.
