July 18, 2025 • 13 mins
Tracie Corll addresses the challenge of creating church environments welcoming to those with sensory sensitivities. Over 80% of the 65 million Americans with disabilities aren't in churches, highlighting a significant gap in religious inclusivity.
• Understanding that sensory sensitivities involve both heightened and reduced responsiveness to stimuli
• Recognizing the difference between preferences (what most people have) and needs (what those with disabilities experience)
• Creating quiet spaces where overwhelmed individuals can retreat
• Managing sound levels to avoid harshness while maintaining energy
• Providing earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, and sensory bags
• Adjusting lighting to avoid harsh or flickering illumination
• Offering written materials for those with auditory processing challenges
• Implementing flexible seating arrangements to accommodate different comfort levels
• Educating church communities about sensory needs to foster empathy
• Maintaining open dialogue with those experiencing sensitivities
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books "The Indispensable Kid" and "Gospel Accessibility."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:55):
We're going to be talking aboutnavigating sensory sensitivities
in a church environment.
First, before we dive into anyaccommodations or solutions,
let's really take a moment tounderstand what sensory oh, here
we go with my words againsensory sensitivities are.
Sensory sensitivities refer toa heightened or reduced
(01:19):
sensitivity to sound, lights,textures and even smells.
Oftentimes, people really thinkonly about the heightened
experience with sensorysensitivities and they really
forget about the kind of not thecomplete opposite, about the
(01:39):
reduced sensitivity, not reallyexperiencing those things that
we're looking for, and we needto see the importance of both.
Where we have the heightened,where things might be too much
and they might be overwhelmingand they might cause someone to,
especially a younger child, tomelt down or to be overwhelmed
(02:00):
in a situation where a reducedsensitivity might show a lack of
interest, not keep their focus.
What we think is a completelyand totally engaging environment
is actually not interesting tothem at all, because they're not
feeling it and they requiremore.
(02:22):
I'll give you a slight exampleof that my son.
When he was super duper young,we actually had a exercise
trampoline in our living roombecause we would notice that he
would need some of that extramovement and bodily input from
(02:43):
the movement, and so when wewould see things starting to get
out of kilter with him, we'd belike hey, bud, go do five or 10
jumps on the trampoline andthen come back, and then we
would be able to resume some ofthe activities that we were
doing.
So a heightened sensitivity or areduced sensitivity really do
(03:04):
impact either way, and so wewant to take that into
consideration.
We need to understand thatindividuals who experience these
sensitivities might findcertain environments
overwhelming or incrediblyuncomfortable, and this can
include places of worship, whichmost of us consider peaceful
(03:24):
and a place that we want to beIn our church communities.
Our aim is really to create anenvironment where everyone can
worship comfortably andmeaningfully, but the question
really is how can we achievethis when sensory sensitivities
really vary so widely amongindividuals?
(03:46):
Well, let's take intoconsideration um, I love a
church that is going to turn thelights down, the music is going
to be loud, I can't hear myselfor the people around me,
because in my time of worshipingI can focus, but for other
people, they do not enjoy thatexperience.
(04:08):
So and that is withoutdisabilities taken into context
Then you add the more heightenedsensory sensitivities and that
becomes a more even extreme.
And what I try to explain topeople is that you and I, those
of us without disabilities havepreferences, right, and a
(04:33):
preference is I prefer somethingto be a certain way, but I can
still work my way through it,even if it's not my preference.
People with disabilities, it isa need, it is a necessity for
the environment to provide acertain way, or they can't
participate fully.
And so one thing I wanted tohighlight was I had seen a long
(04:57):
time ago it was a video and itwas of a child walking in the
mall with a parent, and thesensory things that were
happening in the mall were sooverwhelming, and whether it was
, you know, the photo boothflash that the child saw or the
noise from something else thatthey had just heard, or another
(05:20):
family kind of rustling pastthem and the child is breathing
like doing deep breathing, bellybreathing, trying to calm
himself.
And then the child goes intoone, two, three, is counting,
he's trying to calm himselfagain and they're going through
all these modes of protectionand kind of taking away that
(05:44):
anxiety and that overwhelmingfeeling and trying to calm.
But the child just couldn't.
No matter what strategies theyneeded, the sensory things that
were, the input that was comingat them, was just so
overwhelming that they could notcope with that.
And that is where I'm talking aneed, this is not a preference,
(06:08):
and so what are some practicalthings that we can do in the
church?
Because fitting everybody'sneeds seems to be so
overwhelming, though the needsare so wide.
So how do we best create anenvironment that is welcoming
for all when all is not has somany different needs?
(06:30):
So one very simple, easy thingcreate a quiet space.
It's one of the simplest yetmost effective accommodations is
the creation of a quiet space.
It is a designated area withinthe church where individuals can
retreat to when they feeloverwhelmed.
It can be equipped withcomfortable seating and soft
(06:53):
lighting, and this space canoffer a little respite from the
hustle and bustle of largergatherings lots of noise, maybe
unexpected events or things thatare going on that are different
than normal.
That's a really great thing andit can be something where a
family member can take thatperson to, a buddy from the
(07:16):
buddy system can take thatperson to, or an adult who is
highly functioning, who doesn'tneed typically the support of
someone else but on occasiongets overwhelmed, can take
themselves to.
The other thing that you canconsider is sound management.
Loud, loud noises can beparticularly distressing.
(07:38):
Churches can manage soundlevels by softer music or
reducing, maybe, the volumes.
Now here's something I alwayssay, because, again, you can't
tailor everything to everyperson's needs, and my husband
and my oldest son, theytypically run sound at the
(08:00):
church and so I will often sayto them there's loud and then
there's harsh, and that line canbe very, very thin but can make
a huge difference.
You can have loud music withoutit feeling super harsh, and so
we try to keep it kind of atthat place without going into
(08:22):
that harshness, and a lot oftimes your sound system has a
lot to do with that.
But what we also do in additionto taking that into
consideration is we provideearplugs in all of our lobbies
so anyone can grab a pair ofearplugs before they go in.
For our kids area we also havesensory bags with noise
(08:44):
canceling headphones and somefidget tools in there that can
be used during those times aswell.
Those can just be really greatgestures, something easy that
can be used during those timesas well.
Those can just be really greatgestures, something easy that
can be done and provided forthose individuals who already
know that they may need somesupport.
(09:05):
The other, considering lightingadjustments within the church.
Harsh lighting can beuncomfortable for individuals
with sensory sensitivities, soyou can consider using dimmable
lights in the church.
Harsh lighting can beuncomfortable for individuals
with sensory sensitivities, soyou can consider using dimmable
lights in the church to avoidand avoiding, like flickering
fluorescent bulbs you know, justbeing aware and changing those
as needed.
Natural lighting can also beutilized to create a more warm
(09:27):
and inviting atmosphere.
Again, in our sensory bags wealso include a pair of
sunglasses, so if anything feelsharsh, that can be kind of put
into assistance.
(09:55):
You might struggle with someauditory processing, ensuring
that sermon notes or songs orhymns and prayers are available
in written forms that alloweveryone to participate fully in
service.
Some of those things, dependingupon your church and your
denomination, are readilyavailable and easy access for
you.
For others not so much aseasily, but still some things
(10:17):
can be provided to help withthat.
We can also consider flexibleseating arrangements.
This is really easy to do,especially in like kids, church
or youth atmosphere, those kindsof things.
Providing options forindividuals to sit at the back
(10:38):
or near an exit could be anoption, a different type of
seating, like I said, for kidsor youth, and we can have space
between seats to help those whomight feel uncomfortable in
crowded settings.
Probably one of the mostdifficult times of the church
was COVID, but one of the mostcomfortable times of the church
(10:59):
for my son was COVID becausethere were more spread out,
people didn't have to be crowdedand that brought a lot of calm
to him as he participated inchurch.
A next step is always educatingthe church, going beyond those
physical accommodations, helpingthem to understand sensory
(11:21):
sensitivities, buildingawareness so that it fosters
empathy and patience, andcreating a more harmonious
community.
I know it shouldn't be thiscase, but in the church a lot of
times we get stuck on I, I, I,I, I, I like this, I prefer this
, I want this, but we need totake into consideration others
(11:45):
and how church impacts them,because if I already know Jesus,
church isn't so as much aboutme as it is about them.
So we want to make sure thatwhat we're doing is inviting for
those who are going to becoming in.
Also, don't ever discount anopen dialogue.
You want to be able to haveconversations with the people
(12:06):
that come into your church, hearabout their experiences, ask
them to share what would behelpful and most beneficial for
them as they participate in thechurch, because, again, our
church experience, if we knowJesus and love Jesus and are
following him, isn't so muchabout us, it's more about them.
So let's make it more about theindispensable people that God
has placed in our lives and,hopefully, inside the doors of
(12:29):
our church.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
(12:50):
gifts that he has given them.
Grow in him and serve him withthe gifts that he has given them
.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People Outro Music.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:55):
We're going to be talking aboutnavigating sensory sensitivities
in a church environment.
First, before we dive into anyaccommodations or solutions,
let's really take a moment tounderstand what sensory oh, here
we go with my words againsensory sensitivities are.
Sensory sensitivities refer toa heightened or reduced
(01:19):
sensitivity to sound, lights,textures and even smells.
Oftentimes, people really thinkonly about the heightened
experience with sensorysensitivities and they really
forget about the kind of not thecomplete opposite, about the
(01:39):
reduced sensitivity, not reallyexperiencing those things that
we're looking for, and we needto see the importance of both.
Where we have the heightened,where things might be too much
and they might be overwhelmingand they might cause someone to,
especially a younger child, tomelt down or to be overwhelmed
(02:00):
in a situation where a reducedsensitivity might show a lack of
interest, not keep their focus.
What we think is a completelyand totally engaging environment
is actually not interesting tothem at all, because they're not
feeling it and they requiremore.
(02:22):
I'll give you a slight exampleof that my son.
When he was super duper young,we actually had a exercise
trampoline in our living roombecause we would notice that he
would need some of that extramovement and bodily input from
(02:43):
the movement, and so when wewould see things starting to get
out of kilter with him, we'd belike hey, bud, go do five or 10
jumps on the trampoline andthen come back, and then we
would be able to resume some ofthe activities that we were
doing.
So a heightened sensitivity or areduced sensitivity really do
(03:04):
impact either way, and so wewant to take that into
consideration.
We need to understand thatindividuals who experience these
sensitivities might findcertain environments
overwhelming or incrediblyuncomfortable, and this can
include places of worship, whichmost of us consider peaceful
(03:24):
and a place that we want to beIn our church communities.
Our aim is really to create anenvironment where everyone can
worship comfortably andmeaningfully, but the question
really is how can we achievethis when sensory sensitivities
really vary so widely amongindividuals?
(03:46):
Well, let's take intoconsideration um, I love a
church that is going to turn thelights down, the music is going
to be loud, I can't hear myselfor the people around me,
because in my time of worshipingI can focus, but for other
people, they do not enjoy thatexperience.
(04:08):
So and that is withoutdisabilities taken into context
Then you add the more heightenedsensory sensitivities and that
becomes a more even extreme.
And what I try to explain topeople is that you and I, those
of us without disabilities havepreferences, right, and a
(04:33):
preference is I prefer somethingto be a certain way, but I can
still work my way through it,even if it's not my preference.
People with disabilities, it isa need, it is a necessity for
the environment to provide acertain way, or they can't
participate fully.
And so one thing I wanted tohighlight was I had seen a long
(04:57):
time ago it was a video and itwas of a child walking in the
mall with a parent, and thesensory things that were
happening in the mall were sooverwhelming, and whether it was
, you know, the photo boothflash that the child saw or the
noise from something else thatthey had just heard, or another
(05:20):
family kind of rustling pastthem and the child is breathing
like doing deep breathing, bellybreathing, trying to calm
himself.
And then the child goes intoone, two, three, is counting,
he's trying to calm himselfagain and they're going through
all these modes of protectionand kind of taking away that
(05:44):
anxiety and that overwhelmingfeeling and trying to calm.
But the child just couldn't.
No matter what strategies theyneeded, the sensory things that
were, the input that was comingat them, was just so
overwhelming that they could notcope with that.
And that is where I'm talking aneed, this is not a preference,
(06:08):
and so what are some practicalthings that we can do in the
church?
Because fitting everybody'sneeds seems to be so
overwhelming, though the needsare so wide.
So how do we best create anenvironment that is welcoming
for all when all is not has somany different needs?
(06:30):
So one very simple, easy thingcreate a quiet space.
It's one of the simplest yetmost effective accommodations is
the creation of a quiet space.
It is a designated area withinthe church where individuals can
retreat to when they feeloverwhelmed.
It can be equipped withcomfortable seating and soft
(06:53):
lighting, and this space canoffer a little respite from the
hustle and bustle of largergatherings lots of noise, maybe
unexpected events or things thatare going on that are different
than normal.
That's a really great thing andit can be something where a
family member can take thatperson to, a buddy from the
(07:16):
buddy system can take thatperson to, or an adult who is
highly functioning, who doesn'tneed typically the support of
someone else but on occasiongets overwhelmed, can take
themselves to.
The other thing that you canconsider is sound management.
Loud, loud noises can beparticularly distressing.
(07:38):
Churches can manage soundlevels by softer music or
reducing, maybe, the volumes.
Now here's something I alwayssay, because, again, you can't
tailor everything to everyperson's needs, and my husband
and my oldest son, theytypically run sound at the
(08:00):
church and so I will often sayto them there's loud and then
there's harsh, and that line canbe very, very thin but can make
a huge difference.
You can have loud music withoutit feeling super harsh, and so
we try to keep it kind of atthat place without going into
(08:22):
that harshness, and a lot oftimes your sound system has a
lot to do with that.
But what we also do in additionto taking that into
consideration is we provideearplugs in all of our lobbies
so anyone can grab a pair ofearplugs before they go in.
For our kids area we also havesensory bags with noise
(08:44):
canceling headphones and somefidget tools in there that can
be used during those times aswell.
Those can just be really greatgestures, something easy that
can be used during those timesas well.
Those can just be really greatgestures, something easy that
can be done and provided forthose individuals who already
know that they may need somesupport.
(09:05):
The other, considering lightingadjustments within the church.
Harsh lighting can beuncomfortable for individuals
with sensory sensitivities, soyou can consider using dimmable
lights in the church.
Harsh lighting can beuncomfortable for individuals
with sensory sensitivities, soyou can consider using dimmable
lights in the church to avoidand avoiding, like flickering
fluorescent bulbs you know, justbeing aware and changing those
as needed.
Natural lighting can also beutilized to create a more warm
(09:27):
and inviting atmosphere.
Again, in our sensory bags wealso include a pair of
sunglasses, so if anything feelsharsh, that can be kind of put
into assistance.
(09:55):
You might struggle with someauditory processing, ensuring
that sermon notes or songs orhymns and prayers are available
in written forms that alloweveryone to participate fully in
service.
Some of those things, dependingupon your church and your
denomination, are readilyavailable and easy access for
you.
For others not so much aseasily, but still some things
(10:17):
can be provided to help withthat.
We can also consider flexibleseating arrangements.
This is really easy to do,especially in like kids, church
or youth atmosphere, those kindsof things.
Providing options forindividuals to sit at the back
(10:38):
or near an exit could be anoption, a different type of
seating, like I said, for kidsor youth, and we can have space
between seats to help those whomight feel uncomfortable in
crowded settings.
Probably one of the mostdifficult times of the church
was COVID, but one of the mostcomfortable times of the church
(10:59):
for my son was COVID becausethere were more spread out,
people didn't have to be crowdedand that brought a lot of calm
to him as he participated inchurch.
A next step is always educatingthe church, going beyond those
physical accommodations, helpingthem to understand sensory
(11:21):
sensitivities, buildingawareness so that it fosters
empathy and patience, andcreating a more harmonious
community.
I know it shouldn't be thiscase, but in the church a lot of
times we get stuck on I, I, I,I, I, I like this, I prefer this
, I want this, but we need totake into consideration others
(11:45):
and how church impacts them,because if I already know Jesus,
church isn't so as much aboutme as it is about them.
So we want to make sure thatwhat we're doing is inviting for
those who are going to becoming in.
Also, don't ever discount anopen dialogue.
You want to be able to haveconversations with the people
(12:06):
that come into your church, hearabout their experiences, ask
them to share what would behelpful and most beneficial for
them as they participate in thechurch, because, again, our
church experience, if we knowJesus and love Jesus and are
following him, isn't so muchabout us, it's more about them.
So let's make it more about theindispensable people that God
has placed in our lives and,hopefully, inside the doors of
(12:29):
our church.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
(12:50):
gifts that he has given them.
Grow in him and serve him withthe gifts that he has given them
.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People Outro Music.
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