From sensory rooms to buddy systems: How churches are building inclusive spaces for people with disabilities

NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — Attending church used to feel out of reach for the Wenzel family.

A simple Sunday morning always required being apart. Malorie Wenzel said one parent always had to stay home with their 9-year-old son Grady, who is autistic and nonverbal.

Now, Malorie and her husband can sit by side in service — thanks to the Champions Club at Storyside Church in Bellville. Malorie said they know Grady is safe, cared for and included.

“This is the first time our family of four has been able to attend church together,” Malorie Wenzel said. “Our family has been attending Storyside Church since July 2025.”

Before they began attending as a family, Malorie visited the church alone so she could see the Champions classroom.

Wenzel said the room’s thoughtful design with sensory toys and engaging items immediately put her at ease.

“Storyside has made me feel completely safe and comfortable placing Grady in their care,” she said.

A space designed for those with disabilities

Storyside has offered Champions Club for more than 12 years. The program averages around six to 10 children each weekend with a team of eight volunteers. Two volunteers are always in the room, and if the number of children increases, so does the number of volunteers.

Laurie Boggs is the coordinator of Champions Club at Storyside Church. She said the program aims to provide a blessing to parents and give them peace of mind.

“We just try to set up an environment where the children feel safe, welcomed, loved and accepted for who they are, in a space where we can teach them about Jesus and His love for them” Boggs said.

(Photos of children and church members in the Champions Club at Storyside Church. Provided by Storyside Church)

An additional room attached to the Champions Club classroom features pop-up tents, bean bag chairs, a swing and other sensory-friendly toys.

“It’s a safe space where they can just chill,” Boggs said.

Some children prefer classical music to the usual music played in the classroom. The sensory-friendly room includes a television where Boggs plays classical music for them.

Many families raising children with disabilities face complications when attending church.

“One family went to a church and were kind of told, ‘This classroom is way too overwhelming for your child,’” Boggs said. “So then one of them stays home while the other goes to service.”

She said nearly every family participating in Champions Club has either tried another church or had not been able to attend at all — especially if they are a single parent.

Boggs said in the past seven years, there have been six instances where a parent needed to be called because a child’s behavior presented a risk of harm to themselves or others in the class.

But those instances are rare.

“We have worked through most behavioral issues without needing to contact parents,” she said.

Designing the program to meet children where they’re at

Boggs, whose background includes 37 years of speech pathology, said she adjusts every service depending on which children are in the classroom that day.

“I know how to pivot when things aren’t working, and here, because all the children are at different levels, it’s a lot of taking what I have and modifying it,” she said.

“We are always pivoting from the lesson and meeting them where they are,” she said.

Sometimes that can include something as simple as sitting on the floor with a child and encouraging them with phrases like, “Jesus loved how you did that.”

For children like Grady, that flexibility allows for participating in activities while still being able to take a moment to reset when needed. Wenzel said staff gently support him and help him work through those moments with patience and care.

Children follow a schedule when they arrive — beginning with structured play while listening to Christian music, followed by a YouTube video based on the lesson.

Afterward, the class has a snack while Boggs reads the story for the day and asks questions before moving into crafts and activities.

“The whole time we’re doing this craft, we’re talking about the lesson,” Boggs said.

When Boggs first joined Champions Club, she said the lesson plans were not as geared toward children with disabilities and there was a larger adult presence in the classroom.

While most Champions Club attendees are children, Boggs said they frequently have adults and teenagers come as well.

Boggs finds lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers, an online curriculum marketplace, for people with disabilities at different learning levels.

Champions Club offers word searches, memory games and other activities geared toward an older age group during free time.

Expanding to more locations and how other churches can do it

Storyside Church recently added a Champions Club program at its Shelby location as well.

For other churches hoping to replicate the program, Boggs said flexibility is key.

“I call it organized chaos,” Boggs said. “Just be really flexible and meet those kids where they’re at.”

She said they have no limitations for who they can serve. The program is open to all ages and levels of cognitive functioning and accepts people who are non-ambulatory.

Anna Cunningham, kids ministry oversight at Storyside, said even small steps can make a difference for families looking for a welcoming church environment.

“Even if churches can have a spare room they make sensory-friendly, people would start to show up to those rooms,” Cunningham said. “They might not come otherwise unless they know something is available for their families.”

“Our goal is for the kids to be able to experience Jesus at their level, and then also for the parents to sit in service together,” Cunningham said.

Another local church working to create a welcoming space for people with disabilities is Ashland Grace Church, located at 1142 W. Main St., which offers a program called Pure Joy.

Rachel Jackson, director of the ministry, said the program focuses on making sure everyone who participates feels included and supported.

Some participants choose to sing in the morning worship service before returning to the classroom, while others spend the entire service in the Pure Joy room.

“People sit in the service and they say to me, ‘Oh, you have a nice little ministry with about four or five,’” Jackson said. “And I say, ‘We have 12 more in here (Pure Joy room) who aren’t able or don’t want to come in the service.’”

‘Jesus loves you and so do I’

The preference-led ministry includes both children and adults, Jackson said. Each participant is paired with a volunteer “buddy.”

(Pure Joy participants and their buddies. Provided by Rachel Jackson.)

Pure Joy does not currently have the capacity to serve individuals who require intensive, specialized care, as the organization does not have medical professionals on staff or among its volunteers.

The ministry relies heavily on volunteers. Jackson said she always needs additional help.

“I could use six more buddies every week than what I have scheduled,” she said.

Volunteers follow three simple rules: love them, keep them safe and share Jesus.

“Even if that’s just whispering in their ear ‘Jesus loves you and so do I,’” Jackson said.

Families do not have to be members of Ashland Grace Church to participate. Jackson said one mother regularly drops her son off at Pure Joy before attending worship at another church.

Like the Champions Club at Storyside, Pure Joy follows a schedule. It starts with a morning meeting that includes a welcome song, a Bible lesson, a weekly scripture verse and activities.

The ministry operates in two connected rooms — what Jackson describes as a “loud room” and a “sensory room.” The space also connects to a fully fenced outdoor playground.

The sensory room includes an inflatable ball pit, a hammock, noise-canceling headphones, bean bag chairs, books and a television used for quieter shows or music.

After lesson time, participants are free to do whatever they would like to. 

“We have one boy that loves going up and down the elevator, so he and his buddy go up and down the elevator,” Jackson said.

Start simple and gain leader support

Pure Joy originally grew out of a partnership with Christina Teevan of Ashland Special Needs Ministry, who helped launch the program.

Jackson now manages the weekly logistics while Teevan continues to support the program.

“I always describe it as she is the brains and I am the manager,” Jackson said. “I make sure we have buddies, plan the lesson and one of us teaches it.”

Jackson said churches interested in becoming more inclusive do not need to create a large or complex program to start.

“It doesn’t have to be this organized,” she said. “The pastor needs to be saying, ‘I am for this’ and ‘I am behind this.’”

Simple steps — such as offering to sit with a family, helping a child participate in Sunday school or reserving accessible parking near the classroom entrance — can make a significant difference.

Jackson said the ministry continues to adjust as leaders learn what works best for participants. That may mean adjusting lesson plans or small details in the classroom environment.

“We are constantly evolving and finding ways to improve,” she said.

Free online coaching around the world

Programs like Champions Club and Pure Joy are part of a broader effort among churches to create more inclusive environments for people with disabilities.

Organizations like Wonderful Works Ministry help congregations learn how to build those programs.

The ministry operates completely online, providing churches around the world with training resources, lesson plans and coaching sessions conducted through Zoom.

“We feel the reason a lot of churches are not ready to accept people with disabilities is because they are not prepared,” Barb Stanley, founder and president of Wonderful Works Ministry said.

“What you need are tools that help and someone to coach you and walk you through how to use those tools — that’s what we offer.”

Stanley said donors and grant partnerships fully fund the ministry, allowing it to keep its resources free for churches.

Providing free tools is personal for Stanley, who grew up in Appalachia.

“It is not known for being a wealthy area of the country and we wanted to be able to provide resources for any size church,” she said.

‘Communication and partnership are the key’

Before launching Wonderful Works Ministry, Stanley worked for her local church where she started its disability ministry in 2014.

“I was the leader of that for years and learned firsthand what churches needed to do this well,” she said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanley transitioned the work online. She created Wonderful Works Ministry to reach churches beyond her local congregation.

“This is 100% accessible for any size church,” Stanley said. “There is this myth in the church world that you have to have a large budget to be accessible.”

In reality, she said, successful inclusion often comes down to communication and collaboration between church leaders, families and the person with the disability.

There is this myth in the church world that you have to have a large budget to be accessible.

Barb Stanley, founder of Wonderful Works Ministry

Being able to work with churches around the world has left Stanley with lasting memories. At one conference she spoke at, attended by about 200 pastors, one moment stood out.

“At the end of the presentation, a man from the Virgin Islands said he had been so moved by what we shared that he realized the way they were working with kids where they were was wrong,” Stanley said.

Through the organization, Stanley hopes to continue developing tools churches can use to create welcoming environments.

“Over the next few years, we are looking forward to starting to make more tools for teens and adults,” she said.

Stanley said inclusion often involves trial and adjustment. When something doesn’t work, churches can evaluate and try new approaches while continuing to work with families.

Communication and partnership are key, she said. She encourages churches to work closely with families to develop plans that best support individuals with disabilities.

For churches interested in becoming more accessible, Stanley encourages leaders to reach out to organizations like Wonderful Works Ministry or others working in the field.