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Peter Morales: Hello.

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I'm Peter Morales,
president of the UUA.

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And I'm happy to
introduce to you

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a new program that
really reflects

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our core value of inclusion.

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A value that's a
natural outgrowth

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of our belief in
the inherent worth

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and dignity of every person.

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This new program is called AIM,
or Accessibility and Inclusion

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Ministries.

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As an association,
we've done a lot of work

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on race, and racism,
and inclusion.

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On that score, on gender, we've
had the wonderful Welcoming

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Congregations program
for a couple of decades.

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This is a logical
outgrowth of that concern

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that we make space for everyone.

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And this program is about
creating practical tools

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for congregations.

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Congregations of
different sizes,

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and different capacities,
they can do a self-assessment.

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And then from that
self-assessment,

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develop a realistic and
effective action plan

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that fits your community
and where you are,

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in your building.

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Ultimately, this
isn't about ramps,

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and hearing devices,
or print size.

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It's really about creating a
place that welcomes everyone.

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A place that reflects our values
as Unitarian Universalists.

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[SINGING]

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Narrator: The Accessibility
and Inclusion Ministry Program,

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often called the AIM program,
is based on the belief

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that disability is a dimension
of human difference, and not

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a defect.

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And having a disability is
not of itself good or bad.

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It's a part of who we are.

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Everyone's disability is unique.

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Many people who benefit from
disability accommodations

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may not self-identify
as having a disability.

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Kate Warner: A number of
the issues people face

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when those things they
take for granted no longer

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work the way they used to.

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Narrator: People
with disabilities

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are the largest minority
group in America,

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by most estimates, about
20% of the population.

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We are your sibling, your
parent, your neighbor,

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you, we are Unitarian
Universalists.

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The purpose of the AIM program
is to assist congregations

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in recognizing and acting
on the understanding

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that everyone has gifts
to bring to the community,

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and that everyone has
a right to belong.

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Els Nieuwenhuijsen: --millions
of issues. [INAUDIBLE]

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from people who are
in pain, from a person

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with attention deficit disorder,
a person with depression,

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a person with
spinal cord injury.

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That is all wide range of
issues that you can see,

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but also that you can not see.

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So it is a broader perspective.

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And I feel there is more and
more understanding, and also

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appreciation for the work
that our team has done.

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Narrator: Today, people
with disabilities

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must still fight for
their civil rights

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in areas of employment,
transportation,

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and independent living.

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Many of the justice issues
that Unitarian Universalists

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are already engaging, police
violence, mass incarceration,

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reproductive justice,
economic inequality, and voter

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suppression, impact
disproportionately on people

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with disabilities.

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Mark Evens: I was
also really excited

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when some of our members
heard that the shuttle

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bus, the new
shuttle bus that now

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runs between Ann
Arbor and the airport

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to help save the
environment, had

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lost its wheelchair accessible
docking access at the airport.

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So wheelchair riders
could no longer

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get off the bus at the airport.

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So we, in one day, we
had over a 100 people

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sign a petition here that
went to Wayne County, that

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runs the airport.

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With the backing of
our local bus system

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that runs the shuttle, trying
to get that reinstated.

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It felt like the congregation
is available to mobilize

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on short notice for
those kinds of things,

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in the ways that can make
a difference to people.

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Narrator: The AIM
program believes

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that the more Unitarian
Universalists understand

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the attitudes, history, and
issues that confront people

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with disabilities,
the more inclusive

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our own communities will
be, and the more effective

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our work for justice becomes.

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The Accessibility and
Inclusion Ministry Program

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has three overarching purposes,
to raise awareness of ways

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that people with
disabilities are excluded

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from congregational life
and the broader society,

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to provide a framework
for congregations

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to engage these issues
and take action,

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and to acknowledge the
work of congregations

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that are committed to doing so.

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Every AIM congregation
follows a similar process.

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First, congregations
apply to the AIM program.

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Once accepted, they establish
a steering committee,

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do an AIM self-assessment, and
determine action priorities.

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They create an action plan
based on those priorities

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using AIM guidelines.

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Working with a
National Review team,

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they hone and
implement the plan.

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When the plan is realized,
they become AIM certified.

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The Accessibility and
Inclusion Ministry Program

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joins the ranks of the Welcoming
Congregation and the Green

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Sanctuary Programs,
asking congregations

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to commit to
sustained engagement

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with what it means to
live with a disability

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in the congregation and beyond.

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Teresa Cooley: Hi, I'm Teresa
Cooley, program and strategy

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officer for the UUA.

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It's been my privilege
to work in different ways

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over the years with equal access
and many volunteers and staff

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who have helped move the cause
of full inclusion forward.

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It's incredibly exciting to
see this new accessibilities

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and inclusion ministries
program be launched.

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I recently had
serious hand surgery,

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which has limited me
to the use of only one

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hand for four weeks.

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It's been painful,
uncomfortable, and awkward.

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And yet it's an
important reminder to me

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that each and every one of
us has been at some point,

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and will inevitably be
disabled in some way.

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I have the privilege of working
in a wonderfully accessible

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building, so I've been able
to come to work and get around

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with relative ease.

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And yet, so many barriers
still exist in so many places,

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including in our congregations
to those with major, and even

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minor disabilities such as mine.

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The work of making our
communities accessible

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is not just about
ramps and elevators,

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though those are essential.

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It's about opening our
spiritual awareness

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to the incredible
varieties of embodied life

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that are among us.

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And including all
those varieties

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in the full life of the church.

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Removing barriers
and opening hearts

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is at the core of this ministry.

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And I invite and encourage
you to engage fully

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in this process for
the sake of all of us.

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Narrator: The AIM program
invites congregations

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into the vanguard of
reframing attitudes

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about people with disabilities.

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To learn more, visit
uua.org/accessibility/aim

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or equualaccess.org/aim that's
E-Q-U-U-A-L-A-C-C-E-S-S dot

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O-R-G slash A-I-M. Or you
can contact the AIM program

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coordinator at aim@uua.org

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