RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE GENERAL CONVENTION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1982-2006

Resolution Number	Title	Legislative Action Taken	Abstract

1982-D120	Establish a Task Force on Disabled and Handicapped Persons	Concurred As Amended	The 67th General Convention directs the Executive Council to establish a Task Force to deal with accessibility of disabled/handicapped persons.
1985-A087	Encourage Opportunities Within the Church for Persons with Disabilities	Concurred As Amended	The 68th General Convention reauthorizes the Task Force on Accessibility and requests that a number of actions be taken by the local Church to assist disabled persons.
1985-D044	Require That Church Produced Video Tapes Be Captioned	Concurred As Submitted	The 68th General Convention mandates that videotapes produced by the Office of Communications be closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
1985-D130	Recommend and Direct Use of Funds for Employing Interpreters for the Deaf	Concurred As Amended	The 68th General Convention recommends that diocesan and national bodies include a sum in their budgets to provide interpreters for deaf persons at conventions and other functions.
1988-D004	Commend the Task Force on Accessibility and Encourage Sensitivity to Persons With Disabilities	Concurred As Submitted	The 69th General Convention commends the work and ministry of the Task Force on Accessibility and encourages all Episcopal seminaries and schools of theological education to confront the issues of architectural accessibility and treatment of disabled persons in their curricula.
1988-D142	Recognize the Status and Ministry of the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf	Concurred As Submitted	The 69th General Convention recognizes the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf as the official agency for the Church's ministry among deaf persons and calls the Church to expand its ministry among deaf people.

1988-D147	Continue the Task Force on Accessibility for the Triennium	Concurred As Submitted	The 69th General Convention directs that the Presiding Bishop's Task Force on Accessibility be continued.
1991-D084	Authorize Continuation of the Task Force on Accessibility	Concurred As Submitted	The 70th General Convention authorizes the Presiding Bishop's Task Force on Accessibility to continue its work and ministry.
1991-D088	Encourage Understanding of Mental Illness and Respond to the Needs of the Mentally Ill	Concurred As Amended	The 70th General Convention encourages the Church to become knowledgeable about mental illness, to support persons with mental illness, to develop programs in ministry to them and to their families, and to become advocates for services, hospital care and treatment research.
1991-D089	Commend Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act	Concurred As Amended	The 70th General Convention commends passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It urges all Church organizations to comply with it.
1994-C020	Amend Canon I.17.5 [Of Regulations Respecting the Laity]	Concurred As Substituted and Amended	The 71st General Convention amends Canon Title I.17.5 to add marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disabilities and age as categories to which non-discrimination in church membership is assured.
1994-D007	Amend Canon III.4.1 [Equal Access to Ordination Process]	Concurred As Amended	The 71st General Convention amends Canon Title III.4.1 to add a provision affirming and extending equal access to the ordination process.
1994-D104	Authorize Continuation of the Task Force on Accessibility	Concurred As Amended	The 71st General Convention authorizes the Presiding Bishop's Task Force on Accessibility to continue its work on behalf of the full participation of all disabled persons in the life of the Church.
1997-C046	Re-establish a Resource Center on the Disabled	Concurred as Submitted	The 72nd General Convention re-establishes and funds a resource center on persons with disabilities.

2000-C029	Urge Congress to Enact Hate Crimes Legislation	Concurred as Amended	The 73rd General Convention urges Congress to include crimes against persons on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, and disability as grounds for federal prosecution of a hate crime.
2000-C030	Adopt NCC Statement on Disabilities	Concurred as Submitted	The 73rd General Convention adopts the NCC statement on disabilities.
2003-C027	Make the Church's Audio-visual Materials Accessible to All People	Concurred	The 74th General Convention requires all audio-visual materials produced by the Church to be made accessible to all people.
2003-D041	Welcome Service Animals in the Church	Concurred	The 74th General Convention calls the whole Church to open its buildings and facilities to trained, certified service animals.
2003-D051	Recommend that Meeting Locations Be Accessible to the Disabled	Concurred as Amended	The 74th General Convention recommends that future national Church meeting locations and schedules provide full accessibility for all Church members.

Passed at the 2006 General Convention of the Episcopal Church

Resolution D070

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 75^th General Convention reaffirms resolution 1985 –A087 and urges dioceses to convene committees on disability concerns to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act affording access for persons with disabilities to all church properties; and be it further

Resolved, that this convention urges all congregations to designate a person or persons to be particularly responsible for disability concerns; and be it further