Sunday, June 1, 2014

Opening the Doors for the deaf and hard of hearing in Church - Catholics with Hearing Loss: Captioning the Catholic Mass




    Opening the Doors for the deaf and hard of hearing in Church
                                   "Ephphatha!" (to be opened) - Mark 7: 31-37 

                                                                     (Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2012/09/ephphatha/)






Access!
Through the Grace of God, a very special CART 

writer volunteering her services of time and 

talent, and a Pastor at a  Catholic church open to 

it and allowing it, Divine Mercy Sunday was my 

 first day of getting access to the Homily, 

 Universal Prayers, Announcements and any 

 Blessings with Captioning.  The rest of the 

 stuff I can read in the Missal and Song Missal 

 to give the CART writer a break so she doesn't

 have to type everything for a whole hour.  
 After all its volunteer work,  and I'm so

  appreciative of getting access to the stuff 

 that is NOT in the Missals!  There are so many

  things in the Mass that are NOT in the Missals. 

  The Homily alone is so important to have full 

 access to.


I watch EWTN Masses regularly with the

 captioning that have valuable Homilies so I 

 know the importance of having access to them 

 and appreciate the accessibility. 

   

  Divine Mercy Sunday though was my first 

  real Mass at a regular church (and not TV),  in 

 which I actually got to experience the 

 connection and integration of both Word and 

 Sacrament at the same Mass, being present for 

 both.  It is so important to have this connection

 at the Mass.  It opens the doors to being able

 to participate, engage, connect and witness

 the celebration of the Mass.


It was such a joyous occasion for me that 

I had  to contain my JOY!  After all, I couldn't  

just jump up and down in the middle of Mass, 

especially after the homily, and shout 

 Alleluia! Alleluia!  


Further, who could really understand the depth of my gratitude
 but God alone to be able to witness the Homily etc. , connect 
to it, and make it my own and not be this spectator sitting on 
the sides watching the priest give the message to others.  It is
crucial to be a part of the Mass celebration.  People with
hearing loss and deafness need to be able to connect to 
the message.

There are so many churches that are not accessible to many 
with hearing loss and deafness because hearing people have 
taken it for granted the importance of hearing God's word and the 
purpose of having access to it.  Captioning (CART or Remote CART) 
is a wonderful way to share the Gospel to those with hearing loss 
and deafness. It is an interpretative verbatim text of what is being
 said, as it is being said, in real time.

The way I thought about Homilies in general coming from
unaccessible churches, other then EWTN that has CC at
their daily Masses on TV, or online homilies on websites,
 and YouTubes with CC was this:

The speaker is conveying a message that the Homily
is not important,  if it is not being made fully accessible 
to all those with hearing loss and deafness. If it is 
valuable, it should be accessible.  

 What is the value?  
See my blog post on 'Is The Homily Important? 
 It is so critical for those with hearing loss and deafness
 to have an accessible Mass.


After all, If I and many other people with hearing loss and 
deafness couldn't hear the message,  what kind of message is that? 
What were those with hearing loss and deafness witnessing?
Was it important for the entire congregation to hear?  
 Is the speaker really taking the Homily seriously?
  
If someone with hearing loss or deafness doesn't have 
access to the Homily, it gives a message that the priest's 
framework audience is every one else in the congregation,
 not me, or the many other people with hearing loss and
deafness.  We are 1 in 5 Americans, or 20 percent of the
population.  We are 12 million Catholics in the USA with a hearing
loss or deafness.   

The day I had access to it,  and there after, I took any priest  
and church giving it seriously. After all, the priest doing
the Homily is now talking to me, because I had access to
 God's word.  He thinks it is important to have access to it.

And if I had access to it, he had something IMPORTANT to 
communicate about God's word.  It also made a statement
about the priest's own faith if the priest thought it was important 
for people to have access to.   He became a more 
effective witness.  
"The homily is a Personal word. "Before anything else...the Sunday homily is the word of a person of faith, the word of a person who has experienced the Lord and who wishes to share that experience." (page53). Paul VI said that our modern world thirsts for authenticity and a homily that is personal will communicate verbally and non-verbally the preacher’s authentic love of God and pastoral love for the assembly."  


It is so nice to get the message both verbally (via CART) and glancing at the priest (nonverbally) during the process to connect to a truly authentic message in real time.  

 That day, and thereafter I entered a little 
more deeply, engaging, connecting, witnessing with, what now
 is the most beautiful place on earth to be at 
on Sunday's.  Connecting to the Mass draws you closer to God.
It allowed me to enter in more deeply into the faith and 
experience  it more fully by being able to be a part of it,
and participate.  

  It is important that the church makes the Mass
accessible to people with hearing loss and deafness.  People 
with hearing loss and deafness really do need access to the 
Mass, whether it is Captioning, Sign Language or Audio 
Loops, otherwise it just falls on….well…deaf ears.  To be an
 effective witness, you have to share it with others.

Like the Bible story  - Ephphatha! in Mark 7:31-37 - 'Be opened' 
carries two meanings; the actual physical deafness, or
 the spiritual one in listening to the Word of God.   
You can't under estimate or take for granted -  
the power of the Word of God and how it connects you 
to his Grace, Mercy, and the Sacrament, all in one Mass. 

 If you are a person with a hearing loss or deafness, you also
can't underestimate the importance of connecting to the Mass.
The Word and Sacrament go hand in hand in the celebration
of the Mass. It is important to witness that.
_________________________________________

 "It is the duty of all to listen." 


     (Source:  http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/ArticleText/Index/65/SubIndex/120/ArticleIndex/35)


_________________________________________________________________________________

"…May the church be the place of God's mercy and love where everyone can feel themselves welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live according to the good life of the Gospel. And in order to make others feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged, the church must have open doors so that all might enter. And we must go out of those doors and proclaim the Gospel." -Pope Francis


  (Source:  http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/francis-envisions-inclusive-church)

__________________________________________________________________



         Captioning Shares the Message

____________________________________

" If we are to be transformed by grace


 and led  to a 


deeper communion with the Lord, both the 


preacher and the hearer must be engaged."  (Source: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2013/12/deacon-bickerstaff-as-a-mother-speaks-to-her-child/)




___________________________________________________

" Listening is a most important form of 

active participation." 

 (Source:  http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/ArticleText/Index/65/SubIndex/120/ArticleIndex/35)


Listening is very active and not being a spectator and just sitting there.   Having Access to God's Word means you can connect to the message.   Captioning connects you to the message and gives you access so you can fully and actively participate at the Mass in the same time and space with the congregation with real time captioning like any other interpretative services.



____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"ensure that the power of salvation may be shared by all" (John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, n. 16). "(Source:  http://www.ncpd.org/views-news-policy/policy/church/bishops/welcome-and-justice)
________________________________________________________


Captioning in church services: 

 SEE http://www.religioused.org/tensegrities/archives/7621

___________________________________________________

Sharing the Christmas Message in Real Time Captioning: 

 http://captioningthemass.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=37



___________________________________________________________________




"Bearing witness to life involves sharing

 Jesus’s Good News", Archbishop Lori

 says

  - See more at: http://www.catholicreview.org/article/home/bearing-witness-to-life-involves-sharing-jesuss-good-news-archbishop-lori-says#sthash.PVPHJ48z.dpuf




____________________________________________________________



"Catholics with impaired hearing often 

miss out the most as they are unable to

    hear or understand the liturgy."

LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER
_________________________________________________________________________________




"The importance for people with any 

disability to interact in a standard setting 

rather than do it differently is critical,"



________________________________________________________________________________________________


 "I do it because it's personally fulfilling 

and it brings 

the message of Christ to others," said 

CART provider 

Susan Hahaj, who performs a similar job for

 deaf students in 

the Plano Independent School District." (Source: http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/05/31/bel_skillshelp.shtml)

______________________________


" Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council's document on the reform of the liturgy, declared that in its mandate of fittingly celebrating the "memorial of [Christ's] death and resurrection," "The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration" (48).  (Source: http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2006/04/full-conscious-active-participation.html)



______________________________________________________________


"The ADA calls us to be aware of and correct what we do that unnecessarily excludes people"


__________________________________________________________________________




"What is truly amazing is that, if we pray 

before Mass for guidance in a decision 

and we intently listen to the proclamation

 of Scripture and the homily, God will 

often speak to us in words we most need

 to hear."  

 (Source: http://www.bostoncatholic.org/sundaymassletter.aspx  -Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.)


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________






"The liturgy is designed to bring about in all those who make up the worshiping 

assembly a participation of the faithful both in body and mind, a participation burning

 with faithful, hope, and charity (no. 18). To the extent that we are able to participate in 

this way, the work of redemption becomes personally effective for each of us. " 

(Source: "2010, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. " http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/the-worshiping-assembly-at-mass.cf)



__________________________________________________________________________________________




"The homily is a means of bringing the scriptural message to life in a way that helps the faithful to realize that God's word is present and at work in their everyday lives. It should lead to an understanding of the mystery being celebrated, serve as a summons to mission, and prepare the assembly for the profession of faith, the universal prayer and the Eucharistic liturgy."

  (Source: http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur425.htm)



_____________________________________________________________________


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"  


_______________________________________________________________________


 "Parish liturgical celebrations and

  catechetical 

programs should be accessible to 

 persons with 

disabilities and open to their full, active

  and conscious 

participation, according to their 

 capacity."




LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER


_________________________________________________________________





_____________________________________________________________________


" 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)
____________________________________________________________________


"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)


_______________________________________________________________________________________



 Reconnecting:  




_______________________________________________________________


“Every baptised person, by virtue of baptism itself, has the right to receive from the Church a teaching and formation which permits them to attain a true Christian life”.(CT 14).




__________________________________________________________________

"An interpreter/translator uses sign language to translate the spoken word for the hearing impaired.  However, late deafened or hard of hearing people {and oral deaf} would essentially need to learn a whole new language to comprehend the translation.  Other available avenues for communication would be via captioning or Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART). These are critical links in communication for the deaf and hard of hearing." 
My comments:  Not only that, it respects their own social-culture, linguistic framework and language, that being English (usually in the USA although Spanish is growing in popularity). It respects diversity and embraces multiculturalism by honoring the person's own native language and social-culture, linguistic framework in sharing the Joy of the Gospel in churches.  Captioning
is the language of many deaf and hard of hearing people.  Sign language should be provided if that is one's language. But so should Captioning. Its not either/or, its both/and.  Its respecting and celebrating diversity and providing equal communication access for all.
____________________________________________________________

"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)
__________________________________________________________

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." 


____________________________________________
"On the interpreting front, perhaps no 

other invention has had as profound an 

impact on individuals with hearing loss

 as CART {Captioning in real time}. CART 

technology, which provides 

instantaneous translation of spoken 

word into text, is 

often used in schools, on the job, at 

conferences and in other settings.  "

-(Source : http://www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org/What_We_Mean_by_Communication_Access/#sthash.tB0rUIBf.dpuf -By Kate E. Salvatore, M.D., and John F. Stanton, J.D.)

________________________________________________________________




Prayer of the Faithful:  


____________________________________________________________


" As often happens, people can overlook

 accessibility 

until someone comes into their lives with

 a disability. 

For Bnai  Keshet,  it was the hiring of a

 deaf assistant 

rabbi that made them realize that a 

significant segment 

of the community was being denied full

 access to temple 

service."





_______________________________________________________________


“We want God! We want God! The Polish people shouted, as John Paul II made his first visit to Poland. “Papa!  Papa!  We want God!” (Source:  http://westsiderepublicans.com/?page_id=36)


______________________________________________


The deaf and hard of hearing experiences

 in the church:  


 _________________________________________________



"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)

_________________________________________________________________________


Lets pray that we break the 

communication barriers for all!




_____________________________________________________________________________________



The power of Divine Mercy Novena: http://catholicexchange.com/power-divine-mercy-novena


___________________________________________________________________



Who Do You Say that I am?:  



 A short film:  See http://www.archmil.org/Synod2014/Sessions/Videos/Beauty-of-the-Catholic-Church-cc.htm


___________________________________________________________________

Chaplet of Divine Mercy Prayer in 

 Subtitles: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II_tLzwsK5I




______________________________________________________________________


Divine Mercy goes High Tech: 

 http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=4302

________________________________________________________


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." 





____________________________________________________________________________


Divine Mercy Sunday: 



The Divine Mercy Indulgence:  


_____________________________________________


"Christian witness is a participation in

 the witness of Christ (CCC 785). " (Source:  http://www.cuf.org/2013/01/and-you-will-be-my-witnesses-unwrapping-the-catechisms-teaching-on-the-meaning-of-christian-witness/)



______________________________________________________________________________________



“The joy of the Gospel is for all people: 

no one can be excluded.  That is what the angel proclaimed to shepherds in Bethlehem: ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all people’ (Lk 2:10)” (EG no. 23).  How might one reach people all over the world with the Good News?"  (Source:  http://blogs.nd.edu/thecc/2014/04/14/joy-sr-cristina-and-evangelii-gaudium/)

_______________________________________________________




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)


_________________________________________________________________


______________________________________________________________

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.
Provide all materials to the interpreter or CART
 reporter one 
week in advance.
Provide bright lighting.  Avoid creating a special 
atmosphere 
with dim lighting."
(Source: http://www.dioslc.org/ministries/disabilities/guidelines-for-accommodating-people-with-disabilities)

________________________________________________________


Captioning the Word:  See  http://captioningtheword.com

______________________________________________________


"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)



________________________________________________________________________________________

The increasing demands of real time captioning

 and broadcast captioning is driven by two

 forces:

 See:   http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh78.pdf



_______________________________


"CART {real time captioning} is classified as an assistive technology and is considered a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a service provided in the academic setting for students with hearing impairment as well as in public settings such as conventions, churches, corporate meetings, funerals, police interrogations, etc. "  








(Source:  https://www.universities.com/edu/Associate_degree_in_Realtime_Reporting_Broadcast_Captioning_CART_at_Clark_State_Community_College.html








______________________________________

Luke 11:9-13: And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Source:  http://sandy-grace4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/devotion-for-today-we-want-godjohn-paul.html)

________________________________________________________________________________

Lord Hear Our Prayer

           Welcome !    See  http://www.catholicscomehome.org

_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________



                            
The Joy of the Gospel:  http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html

 LIGHT a CANDLE:  http://www.lightingacandle.org

 _____________________________________________________________




Caption Catholic tidbits:

Got a Question about the Catholic Faith? Catholic Q and A -- See:  http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/site_map.php

The story of the Mustard Seed: http://www.faithfirst.com/html/specials/csw/csw_kc_mustard.html


Former Roman Catholics:  http://www.oncecatholic.org





_____________________________









" 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.







_________________________________________________________________________













"Accessible meeting space allows 




everyone to participate." 






















___________________________________________

















A wheelchair user who also has 











a hearing loss says:
















"I honestly feel that hearing impairment is








 much worse than my inability to walk








, because it is so isolating. At least once I get








 to where I’m going, I can enjoy it thoroughly.








Also, I think sometimes people feel that 








having a sign language interpreter satisfies








 the requirement to make a performance








 accessible for the hearing impaired, not








 realizing that the majority of people who lose








 their hearing as they age or from disease do








 not learn sign language"








(Source:  https://broadwaydancecenter.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/hard-times-on-broadway-for-the-hard-of-hearing/)








________________________________________________________________________________











"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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