Saturday, May 31, 2014


Are the deaf and hard of hearing in your Church? - Catholics with Hearing Loss: Captioning the Catholic Mass 
Are the deaf and hard of hearing in your  
                           Church?

               "…Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Rom 15:5-7"  
                                                      (Source: http://www.stpeterdamian.org/welcoming.php)




            Hearing Loss Demographics:


20% of the US population aged 12 years and older has hearing difficulties severe enough to impact communication according the Hearing Health Foundation  (source: http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/85) which means they are not able to fully participate if the church is not hearing accessible.  1 in 5 Americans have a hearing loss.  1 in 3 Americans over age 65 have a hearing loss. Catholics make up 24 percent of the USA population.  48 million Americans have a hearing loss.   Hearing loss is growing due to aging baby boomers.  "As the baby boomers age, this number is expected to rise dramatically, nearly doubling by the year 2030. Among elders, hearing loss is the third most prevalent disabling condition behind arthritis and hypertension. " (Source: http://accessibility.gtri.gatech.edu/assistant/acc_info/factsheet_deaf_hoh.php)    They are the fastest growing hearing loss and deafness population, constituting the largest deaf segment of the population.  This group typically does not know sign language with the spoken language being their social, cultural and linguistic establishment and preference, usually English in the USA.  

Hearing loss is epidemic in the military. Various sources indicate that 60 percent of veterans have a hearing loss:

The  USA soldiers epidemic:  http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-3919311.html

Number one injury of USA soldiers coming home from war. You guessed it -hearing loss:  http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/13/14728839-hearing-loss-the-most-prevalent-injury-among-returning-veterans




There is an estimate of 12 million Catholics with a hearing loss in the USA.  To get an idea of the demographic breakdown estimate into types of hearing loss based on communication needs see this Hearing Loss Pie Chart at http://www.nchearingloss.org/article_demographics.htm      


Based on estimates using the above link on hearing loss demographics; Three percent of the hearing loss population uses sign language as their primary language which generally consists of those who were born deaf or pre-lingual . They are either non-verbal or many prefer not to use voice being a visual language, and are what are called 'Culturally Deaf' native sign language users. 7 percent of those with  hearing loss have acquired sign language as a second language, making a total of 10 percent of the hearing loss population who know and use sign language.  A number of sources indicate that 90 percent of the hearing loss population do not know or use sign language. These are the pre-lingual oral deaf who use English as a native language and can speak, the post-lingual late deaf who are native English users and speakers, those with severe to profound hearing loss, as well as those with mild to moderate  hearing loss.  

Based on the Pie chart provided at the above link, you can see that the majority of those with hearing loss are mild to moderate and can benefit from Audio Loops.  Depending  on many variable and complex factors and dynamics; the severe to profound, the oral deaf and the late deaf may or may not be able to use the Audio loops.   They may use Audio Loops combined with Captioning to help track the audio or find it benefiting them more with that combination. It all depends on the person.  Many with hearing loss can benefit from Captioning if one can read and speak.  They can respond verbally ( either auditory/oral, or silently mouthing it, or silently voicing in their head)  to the Captioning and actively participate in church life.  Some prefer other methods as well such as oral  interpreting and/or combined cued speech interpreter, etc.  It all depends on what they feel comfortable with,  and what provides them with full and active participation at the Mass.   There are subsets in each group as well having other issues besides hearing loss with unique needs as well.  Just ask them on what works for them in order to have access to full participation and respect the diversity in communication needs and their requests.  In general captioning (CART or Remote CART) covers a wider net audience of those with hearing loss and deafness in terms of communication access.  In addition, many other 'disabilities' can benefit from CART (captioning). Universal Design is an access considering the widest possible population that could benefit from it.


 ____________________________________________

Deaf/deaf and Hard of Hearing Demographics:  


_________________________________________________________________

" No captions is like no ramp for people in wheelchairs or signs stating ‘people with disabilities are not welcome."  
(Source:  http://globalaccessibilitynews.com/2015/02/13/harvard-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-sued-over-lack-of-closed-captioning-online/)
This applies just as well to real time captioning in churches as well, only the church is ADA exempt.  The ADA law does not apply to churches.  The church and any kind of worship place of any faith is allowed to discriminate and not provide real time captioning for church services.  90 percent of the those with hearing loss do not attend church because the church is not accessible to them.  Wouldn't it be nice to provide real time captioning to our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to share the Joy of the Gospel?  Maybe the 90 percent of the missing brothers and sisters might return to the church if it is accessible to them, thereby opening the doors and welcoming them to share and experience the fullness of their faith.
_________________________________________________________________________

"Currently, there are between 45,000 to 50,000 people in the United States who are both deaf and blind…:.  (Source: http://www.katc.com/news/tech-talk-technology-connecting-the-
deaf-blind/)

 __________________________________________________________

Blind-Deaf: Streaming Real Time Captioning: "It should be noted that the particular streaming realtime text in the next example was accessible by screen readers" (Source and See: http://transendia.com/2009/12/04/streaming-realtime-captioning-options/-by Tanya English )

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Captioning (CART or Remote CART) is the language of many
with hearing loss and deafness because it is the interpretive verbatim text of their own native language.

 _______________________________________________

" Many people who are Deaf or hard of hearing grew up hearing or were educated in an “oral tradition”, and do not know sign language. Not all Deaf or hard of hearing people find assistive listening devices to be effective. For these individuals, captioning may provide an effective way of communication – seeing what is said. "



____________________________________________________________________


"The majority of people who are deaf and hard of hearing do not know sign language. According to a Johns Hopkins study, more than 48 million people in the United States are deaf or hard of hearing, or a fifth of all Americans. Of these, almost 99 percent lost their hearing or were raised orally–not using sign language–and rely on their residual hearing (aided by hearing aids or cochlear implants), speech reading, and the printed word for communication access. This group of people are greatly aided by text forms of access." (Source:  http://www.captionaccess.com/communication-access-101/?replytocom=41)


_______________________________________________________________________________________


"Just as all of us like to be spoken to in our mother tongue, so too in the faith we like to be spoken to in our “mother culture,” our native language (cf. 2 Macc 7:21, 27), and our heart is better disposed to listen. This language is a kind of music which inspires encouragement, strength and enthusiasm."  (Source:  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html#Words_which_set_hearts_on_fire)








_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"CART is an acronym for Communication Access Realtime Translation. There are 28 million* people in the United States with hearing loss and only 500,000 are able to communicate with sign language. Persons who are oral deaf, late-deafened, or hard of hearing and do not know sign language and/or have no one to communicate with in sign language must utilize other methods, such as lip-reading, assistive listening devices, or CART. " (Source: http://www.collinsrealtime.net/cart.php) * note: now 48 million and counting and will double by 2030

 __________________________________________________________________

"Good lipreaders “pick up” 40% to 70% of discourse in a group, maybe more when one-on-one. That 

missing 60% to 30% can make a huge difference. " 

(Source: http://www.irishdeafkids.ie/2011/gallaudet-cart-students/)




______________________________________________________________________________

 Audio Loops and Captioning: 



“Like any technology, it works well for some. 

For others that might have more severe or 

profound hearing loss, it wouldn't be as 

beneficial as a captioning type of a 

system,” she said.  " 

 (Source: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoods/alleghenyneighborhoodsmore/5382340-74/hearing-system-church#axzz2rk7enkWi -byTory N. Parrish )


________________________________________________________________
"A general rule of thumb is to ask whether people are able to access the facility and, once in, is effective communication happening?"  (Source: https://hsdcstore.com/adasystems.htm)

__________________________________________________________________________

Captioning during Worship:



On this link below someone says: 



" I get tidbits and pieces, but not the whole 

ministry. I come away feeling cheated. I can’t 

be the only one who feels this way." 

(Source: http://thejcr.com/2013/11/15/captioning-during-worship-has-been-miraculous/ -By Barb Harmon)


____________________________________________________________________________________________


"We know that the neurotypical brain 

processes visual stimuli much quicker 

than sound. For someone like me {i.e. 

severe or profound

 Hearing losses} I must use three times as

 much effort to process, understand and

 respond to sound. So it makes sense that 

live captions are much easier for me to use 

than an FM system." 



_________________________________________________________________________






"The reference was to Mark 16:15 — Go throughout the 

whole world and preach the gospel to all mankind.
“He didn’t say, ‘Leave out some of the people,’ ” Fr. 

Robinson said." 
  (Source: http://www.northtexascatholic.org/pages/features-article?r=J53ELUMU61)

 ____________________________________________________________________________


 "Perhaps attendance at worship is down because religious services are not audible to a sizable portion of the congregation and, of course, people may elect to not financially contribute to the support of the church if they’re not there."  (Source:  http://hearingdoc.com/hearingnews/could-there-be-a-correlation-between-hearing-loss-and-attendance-at-places-of-worship/)

_____________________________________________________


 “There is still more work to be done to 

increase our sensitivity not only on a 

conference level, but also in the local 

church,” Johnson said. “There are 

thousands of 

people for whom there is no access to 



____________________________________________________________________________________________



Access is not limited to the physical realm,

   but also access to programs and services. 

  Someone with a hearing loss or deafness 

 could walk into the door and receive

  communion at a Catholic Mass, but they may 

 not have access to God's word, especially the 

 Homily if there is no  Captioning, Audio Loops 

 and Sign Language, depending on which one 

 works for them.  The integration between 

 Word and Sacrament  is important to witness 

 and engage in, the Mass consists of both,

 and they should have full access to that as

  a baptismal right.


________________________________________________________________

" If a house of worship is not doing CC, 

however, then a major portion of the 

dialogue will not be picked up by the 

whole audience.” 





"Having no captions is equivalent to stating 'people with disabilities may not enter.'" - See more at: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/legal/nad.php#sthash.6aKtVH0e.dpuf


______________________________________


  "I was a stranger, and you welcomed me"

 (Matthew 25:35)."  


_______________________________________________________________________




"Having an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter in your church is a wonderful way to 

share your message with the deaf community. However, ASL shares little similarities with 

English.  It is also a language that takes many years to learn. Therefore, this method is 

exceedingly limited, as many hard-of-hearing viewers {and oral deaf}, and those who 

lose their hearing later in life {late deaf or late hard of hearing} do not always devote the 

time required to learn sign language. "  





___________________________________________________________________________________

"The overwhelming majority of people categorized as deaf by the NHS and SIPP are perfectly fluent speakers of
English (or another spoken language) and did not experience any difficulty hearing until well
into adulthood (e.g., Blanchfield, Dunbar, Feldman, & Gardner, 1999; Mitchell, 2005). As a
consequence, most people who are audiologically deaf do not use sign language."

Source: 

 Draft manuscript accepted for publication in
Sign Language Studies, Volume 6, Number 3, 2006
How Many People Use ASL in the United States?
Why Estimates Need Updating􀀁
Ross E. Mitchell, Travas A. Young, Bellamie Bachleda,
and Michael A. Karchmer
Gallaudet Research Institute
Gallaudet University

___________________________________________________________________


" The majority of deaf and hard of

  hearing people 

are oral using spoken languages and

  know a little 

or no sign language to benefit from

  interpreters, so 

signed events are still not “fully”

  inclusive, 

______________________________________________________
"The key to deciding what aid or service is needed to communicate effectively is to consider the nature, length, complexity, and context of the communication as well as the person’s normal method(s) of communication." (Source:  http://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.htm)

____________________________________________________________

"Accessible meeting space allows 

everyone to participate." 


________________________________________________________________


Catholic Mass for the deaf and hard of hearing:



"For the Deaf or Hard of Hearing:


Arrange for seating the Deaf community in the 
front, near the
 speaker.
Arrange for interpreter or real time captioning 
services at 
least 
two weeks in advance.
Utilize room amplification system or personal 
amplification
 system."
(Source: http://www.dioslc.org/ministries/disabilities/guidelines-for-accommodating-people-with-disabilities)

________________________________________________________



 "Assistive listening devices, presently made 

 available under ADA regulations, do not serve 

 the significant portion of the population who rely

  on visual translations of sounds due to more 

 severe hearing losses."  (Source: http://acsbill.wordpress.com/page/3/-by Bill Graham)

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________



 "So many assistive device systems for the hard-of-hearing don't help those of us with severe losses and never seem to dependably work on a regular basis. " (Source:  http://www.ncra.org/Membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=9129&navItemNumber=11457 - By Pat Gardiner)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________





"Technically, my loss is somewhere on the moderate to severe scale. With lip-reading, hearing aids, subtitles, some patience and a few repetitions, I can mostly get by. Just. Induction loops {Audio loops} don’t seem to be much help for my kind of hearing loss."  (Source: http://www.hearingtimes.co.uk/Community/1317/Does%20being%20not%20deaf%20enough%20give%20the%20worst%20of%20both%20worlds)

 __________________________________________________________________________________

"§ 211 §    Every person should be welcomed into the worshiping assembly with respect and care. It was the prophet Isaiah who announced the Lord's message: "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."  " (Source:  http://www.archatl.com/ministries/disabilities/livingstones.html)

___________________________________________________________________


What do the deaf and hard of hearing use for Communication Access?:


ASL (American Sign Language)  is used by the Culturally Deaf in the USA, CART (real time captioning) or its newer tech version called Remote CART is used by the late deaf, oral deaf and severe to profound hearing loss, ALD's (Assistive Listening Devices) are used by the hard of hearing (mild and moderate hearing loss).  Captioning (CART) can sometimes be used by the culturally Deaf but you need to ask them first.  The Hard of Hearing (mild and moderate) can also use captioning but they usually prefer Audio Loops.  Again, you need to ask them first. Yes, I know I keep saying this through out my blog. We are diverse you see.  We need to break the sound barriers for everyone so they can fully and actively participate and share the Joy of the Gospel to all. 




___________________________________________________________________________





Captioning is a Universal Design Access: 




______________________________________________________________________
Hearing Loss Association: 



"We have both CART (real-time captioning) and assistive listening devices at our meetings to be sure that everyone can hear." (Source: http://www.hlaagrapevine.com)



This is really nice secular organization that fully supports, provides, advocates communication access. It would be nice if there was a similar ministry for Catholics with Hearing Loss to advocate for communication access to the Mass such as CART, and making the confessional more accessible as well.   


_____________________________________________________
"Those benefitting from these stenography services include U.S. military and war veterans who suffer hearing loss sustained from being in close proximity to explosions or from repeatedly operating loud weaponry. "- See more at: http://www.stenotype.edu/news/stenographers-captioning-and-cart-professionals-celebrate-october-as-disability-employment-awareness-month/#sthash.6PfiBdEN.dpuf

________________________________________________________



" This technology is primarily used by people who are late-deafened, oral deaf, hard-of-hearing,or have cochlear implants. Culturally deaf individuals also make use of CART in certain situations. " (Source: http://www.everyonecommunicates.org/methods/captioning.html)




____________________________________________________________________



“CART is fast becoming one of the most requested services for late–deafened adults and individuals with little or no sign language acquisition, and it has gained acceptance with and become a preference for many Deaf individuals in schools and workplace settings"  

(Source:  http://www.michdhh.org/assistive_devices/cart.html)


_______________________________________________________________



"This much larger group is routinely 

overlooked when 


we look at welcoming people with special

 needs into our 


local communities of faith. While a very 

small number of 


people who are physically deaf may be

 able to use an 

ASL interpreter, most cannot. "



_______________________________________
"Live captioning, also known as computer assisted real-

time (CART) communications is similar to the teletext 

captions you see on TV. It allows people who are deaf or 

hard of hearing to read the captions to understand what 

is being said. If they are verbal, it also allows them to 

participate in the conversation."


_______________________________________________________________________
"For various reasons, 

 churches 


have lagged behind wider 

 trends in

 society to be inclusive of 

 people 

with disabilities." 



________________________________________________________________________________________



Experiences of a late deaf 

person:



"It wasn’t until closed 

captioning and CART came 

along that I finally stopped to 

really think about who I am?  

Most recently, CART and closed 

captioning has given me a great

 deal of hope and  brought me 

closer to accepting that I have

 truly found my comfort zone." 


____________________________________________





Making the Catholic Mass Accessible for

 the deaf and hard of hearing: 


____________________________________________________________



"The hard of hearing {and late deaf and oral deaf}  is 

almost a bigger audience than the {culturally} deaf, 

and they would benefit more from close captioning 

than signing, because many of them don't know sign 

language." 
_________________________________________________

Other churches advocating for CART (aka captioning):  See http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/04/ada-violation-at-upcoming-giant-center.html


_______________________________________________________________________________


“Advances such as texting, video calls and captioned cell phones have opened up new vistas for communication and knowledge acquisition, and has led to a

 generation of students who are DHH who know nothing but the ability to communicate electronically.” The list of hearing access technologies is tremendous

 – Computer Assisted Realtime Translation, hearing loops, C-print, realtime text generation, multi-media storybooks, etc." 

 (Source: : http://www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org/Document.aspx?id=1760#sthash.QDZuttf7.dpuf)


_________________________________________________________________________

"A sobering thought for religious leaders is that 90% of those with a hearing impairment may not attend services due to an inability to hear and participate." (Source:  http://premiervisualvoice.com/index.php/blog/16-blog-8)

_________________________________________________________________________



"The faithful are called to spread the

 word, and captioning makes that more




________________________________________________________________________________________





       Captioning Shares the Message



__________________________



"It's not enough to know Christ, we must bring him to everyone!" - Pope St. John Paul II


_________________________________


Hearing Loss in the Church:  


____________________________________________



The Church needs to have Universal 

Communication Access for the deaf and hard

 of hearing: 

   



" we need assistive listening technology like

 hearing loops and captions,

 and signage that 

makes it clear that the service is available. This 

is a goal that we can 

achieve, but in order 

to do so, we need to change the way we think

 about communication and 

hearing access." 





____________________________________________________________________________
Captioning is the language of many who are

  deaf and hard of hearing

_________________________________



Shouting Won't Help: Why I and 50


 Million Americans Can't Hear You:  


____________________________________








Prayer of the Faithful and getting access

 to that to CONNECT to the Prayer !:  


____________________________________________________________

The deaf and hard of hearing in other churches

  advocating for CART (aka real time captioning): 

 See http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/04/ada-violation-at-upcoming-giant-center.html

A church event in a public place was offering sign language interpreter, spanish interpreter and almost didn't provide real time captioning (CART) which is translating spoken English into verbatim English  in real time like interpretation does that allows the majority of the deaf and hard of hearing to be able to PARTICIPATE like the others!  However, in the end, they were granted CART (real time captioning) that allows the same equal and effective communication access that ADA would support in secular society.




_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Only 14% of older adults with hearing loss use

 hearing aids, according to estimates from a 

nationwide survey.

The proportion dropped to fewer than 4% of people

 with mild hearing loss across all age decades and 

to fewer than 5% of adults ages 50 to 59,

 irrespective of the severity of hearing loss."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________



Captioning at a Mass? Why Not Sign 

Language?     



____________________________________________


Pray For Us All!
100,000 Christians are Killed – PER YEAR  ANNUALLY-  because of their Faith Per Vatican:  See http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/02/vatican-spokesman-claims-100000-christians-killed-annually-because-faith/


______________________________________________________________________








Come Pray the Rosary with others - together Online:  http://www.comepraytherosary.org

(text guided version offered to follow along)


__________________________________________________________________

"Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -St. Francis of Assisi





_________________________________________________________________________





_____________________________




















Captioning, Sign Language and Audio loops are the three most common communication access used by the deaf and hard of hearing in secular business, education and entertainment settings.  It would be nice if it was also being provided in churches even though the church is ADA exempt.  The hearing loss and deafness population is diverse so all three most common communication   access needs to be in place.




About 10 percent estimated of the hearing loss population benefit from sign language (3 percent are native/primary users and 7 percent estimate are acquired/bilingual for a total estimate of 10 percent ), about 40 to 60 percent estimated of the hearing loss population benefit from Captioning, and about 70 to 80 percent estimated  can benefit from Audio Loops (assuming they are wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants with T coils so this is more in theory). However in reality; 1 in 5 Americans with hearing loss who can benefit from a  hearing aid wear one.  1 in 4 deaf adult Americans who can benefit from a cochlear implant wear a cochlear implant. 25 percent of hearing aids do not have T coils in them.  Many people with more severe and profound hearing losses who do wear hearing aids and do have T coils in them often find the Audio Induction loops not reliable for them or 'strong' enough. Captioning can also cover all these groups and thereby provide effective communication  access.  Technically though any one who can read  (receptive) and speak (expressive) can benefit from Captioning so real time captioning can cover a wide user population within the spectrum of hearing loss.








Think those with mild and moderate hearing loss who most benefit from audio induction loops are wearing  hearing aids?  According to this:





"Only 14% of older adults with hearing loss use




 hearing aids, according to estimates from a 




nationwide survey.

The proportion dropped to fewer than 4% of people




 with mild hearing loss across all age decades and 




to fewer than 5% of adults ages 50 to 59,




 irrespective of the severity of hearing loss."





_______________________________________________________________________________________________________












" This {real time captioning} technology is primarily used by people who are late-deafened, oral deaf, hard-of-hearing,or have cochlear implants. Culturally deaf individuals also make use of CART in certain situations. " (Source: http://www.everyonecommunicates.org/methods/captioning.html)

















______________________________________________________________













"A growing number of churches, synagogues 

and other places of worship are adopting 

closed captioning for hearing-impaired 

congregants." (Source:  http://www.stenotype.edu/news/stenographer-goes-church/#sthash.5tWSYgfx.dpuf)







________________________________________________________________________________________











Inclusivity for all:  See https://www.captionfirst.com/Universal_Design











_________________________________________________

























"Accessible meeting space allows 




everyone to participate." 






















____________________________________________







Without real time captioning as a valid accommodation for the late deaf, oral deaf and hard of hearing it is like saying to them at the church door:   'no ramp for the wheel chair users' , or 'no blacks allowed', or 'no Irish need to apply'.  







_________________________________________________________________












"Of all the barriers to full participation and inclusion, the barrier of unexamined attitudes is the most difficult to address," states Ginny Thornburgh, director of the American Association of People with Disabilities' Interfaith Initiative." 








(Source:  http://www.disabilitiesandfaith.org)








__________________________________________________________












US Bishop Statement:  












'It is essential that all forms of the liturgy be completely accessible to people with disabilities, since these forms are the essence of the spiritual tie that binds the Christian community together' 



(Source:  http://www.disabilityawarenesstraining.com/component/content/article/3/40)







_________________________________________________________________





The purpose of this blog is to raise  Diversity Awareness among those with hearing loss and deafness, and to raise  awareness that many  with hearing loss are being excluded from full participation at the Mass if the church does not have Captioning. Catholics with hearing loss deserve the fullness of their faith.   Does your Diocese/Archdiocese have at least one Mass service in Captioning at a church that one who benefits from it can reasonably travel to in order to fully and actively participate at the Mass? Contact your Diocese/Archdiocese - find it here:    http://www.usccb.org/about/bishops-and-dioceses/all-dioceses.cfm.)



































Is your church or Diocese/Archdiocese  inclusive to all those with hearing loss and 

deafness by providing Real time Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops?   If not - Diversity and Inclusion Awareness is needed in order to share the joy of the 

gospel by applying Universal Communication Access.  It is very important to share 

the Word of God with everyone.  Let's pray for that!














Prayer of Inclusion: http://www.ncpd.org/ministries-programs/spirituality/prayers

































"Be not Afraid, Open Wide the Gates" - Pope St.  John Paul II  

 (Source: http://jp2forum.blogspot.com/2013/12/be-not-afraid-resounding-from-1531-to.html)
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