Visiting the Basilica of the National Shrine as a deaf or hard of hearing person in Washington, DC - Is it Hearing Accessible? - Catholics with Hearing Loss: Captioning the Catholic Mass
Visiting the Basilica of the National Shrine
in Washington, DC - Is it Hearing Accessible?
"Faith come by hearing how will they hear if there is no one to preach?" - Roman 10:14-17
The National Shrine in Washington, DC
that many people tour annually does
not have any Masses in real time
captioning or audio loops. It is not accessible to
many people who have a hearing loss. How can they
participate if the church is not accessible to them?
I sure wish they would make the
beautiful high tourist attraction Shrine
hearing accessible by providing at least
one Mass in CART or Remote CART for
the late deaf, oral deaf, and those with
severe to profound hearing loss.
many people who have a hearing loss. How can they
participate if the church is not accessible to them?
"Listening can be the most active form of participation, demanding effort and attention. Truly, as the scriptures tell us, faith demands hearing, fides ex audit. "
I sure wish they would make the
"Listening can be the most active form of participation, demanding effort and attention. Truly, as the scriptures tell us, faith demands hearing, fides ex audit. "
beautiful high tourist attraction Shrine
hearing accessible by providing at least
one Mass in CART or Remote CART for
the late deaf, oral deaf, and those with
severe to profound hearing loss.
I also wish they would provide
audio loops for the hard of hearing
(mild and moderate hearing loss)
because the place, while beautiful is an
acoustic challenge with those VERY
high ceiling, hard flooring and surfaces
that bounce the sound waves all over
which creates distortions for those with
hearing loss and deafness in trying to
make out the words. By having real
time captioning and audio loops it will
make the Mass accessible to many
deaf and hard of hearing people.
which creates distortions for those with
hearing loss and deafness in trying to
make out the words. By having real
time captioning and audio loops it will
make the Mass accessible to many
deaf and hard of hearing people.
"but combining spaciousness {in church} with modern audio technology can lengthen the time for sound to reverberate, and the longer it takes a sound wave to fade into silence, the harder it is to understand the spoken word. " (Source: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2013/11/catholic-churches-and-the-hard-of-hearing
They do provide sign language
interpreter if given a two week notice
which is great for the culturally Deaf
who use sign language (and they have a
major culturally Deaf University
nearby in the area to support the need
for this service at the Shrine that can
use it).
for this service at the Shrine that can
use it).
However the Shrine is a high tourist
area and in general 90 percent of the
deaf and hard of hearing in the USA
visiting the Shrine do not know sign
language so those people have no
access to the Mass if real time
captioning in verbatim of their native
English is not offered or audio loops,
depending on where they are on the
spectrum of hearing loss .
Read: http://arnet.pair.com/hearing/qa.htm
" 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.”
It sure would be nice to have at least
one Mass at The National Shrine be
accessible to those with hearing loss
and deafness when we visit there. We
are 1 in 5 Americans (20 percent of the
population) and yet if there
population) and yet if there
are no captioning and audio loops at
one of the Masses there, we have no
access to God's Word. The Shrine has
several areas that offer Masses, not just
the main Cathedral area and yet not
one offers audio loops and captioning
so it is not hearing accessible to many
deaf and hard of hearing people.
"The ADA calls us to be aware of and correct what we do that unnecessarily excludes people"
The Homily, Universal Prayers (Prayer of the
Faithful), Announcements and blessings are not
Faithful), Announcements and blessings are not
in the Missal for us to read. What is in
the Missal is difficult to track where
everyone is in order to follow along
because of the acoustic challenges the
high ceiling of the Shrine creates. We
need audio loops and captioning for
the majority of the deaf and hard of
hearing.
use wheelchairs can now have access to
the church with the ADA mandated
parking lots, ramps, adjusted
bathrooms, pew and water fountains
but for those with hearing loss and
deafness they have no access to God's
Word even though they can walk inside
the door if it is not hearing accessible.
Captioning, Sign Language and Audio
Loops are the three most common
communication access to address the
diverse communication needs of those
with hearing loss and deafness. While
the Shrine offers Sign Language (which
is wonderful) we still need Captioning
and Audio Loops for the majority of the
deaf and hard of hearing visiting there.
"All of us are covered by the ADA. This is not about a preference, a personal choice, or the opinion of one over another or over a majority."
(Source: http://network.crcna.org/disability-concerns/q-ada-church-and-americans-disabilities-act)
The doors need to be open for all
(Source: http://network.crcna.org/disability-concerns/q-ada-church-and-americans-disabilities-act)
The doors need to be open for all
_____________________
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/)
________________________________________________________________________________
If they had real time captioning at the Shrine:
“What a gift this will be for them now
to have
the ability to follow along with the
Scripture
readings and Mass prayers right along
with us. "
(Source: http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/03/closed-captioning-during-tv-mass-better-serves-faithful/)
_______________________________________________________________
“What a gift this will be for them now
to have
the ability to follow along with the
Scripture
readings and Mass prayers right along
with us. "
(Source: http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/03/closed-captioning-during-tv-mass-better-serves-faithful/)
_______________________________________________________________
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)
________________________________________________________
“The primary users of CC are not necessarily deaf people, but those who are elderly and hard of hearing.
This is very much an underserved population. If CC is made available to them, however, it allows them to follow sermons and services word-for-word and be connected to the message that they were previously having trouble hearing."
_________________________________________________________________________
"CART is a type of “accommodation”
service for people with disabilities. In
function, CART is similar to sign
language interpreting for people who are
deaf, because it transforms spoken
language into a visual format that is
appropriate for people with hearing loss.
But CART can be used by the 95% of
hard of hearing and deaf people who do
not use American Sign Language (ASL)
to communicate."
(Source: http://www.visiblevoices.com/faq.html)
service for people with disabilities. In
function, CART is similar to sign
language interpreting for people who are
deaf, because it transforms spoken
language into a visual format that is
appropriate for people with hearing loss.
But CART can be used by the 95% of
hard of hearing and deaf people who do
not use American Sign Language (ASL)
to communicate."
(Source: http://www.visiblevoices.com/faq.html)
________________________________
This Catholic church has real time captioning (CART) for the deaf and hard of hearing:
"St. Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, VA: HOMILY REAL-TIME TRANSLATION SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE VIA iPAD – Are you not hearing the Sunday mass homily as well as you’d like? Especially for the hearing impaired and deaf but open to all, you now have an amazing option to receive the Sunday mass homily, prayers of the faithful, and announcements via real-time translation (CART service) directly to your iPAD during mass! St. Theresa parishioner and professional court reporter Donna L. Linton has volunteered to provide the service (just like closed captioning on your television). Please contact Donna at CARTsttheresa@aol.com for information on mass times and how to join in. "
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Visiting suggestions if you have a
Hearing Loss:
They do provide audio loop TOURS of
the Shrine but not a Mass service.
There are no written scripts of the
TOURS there at the time of this writing
for the late deaf, oral deaf and
severe to provide hearing loss people who can not
benefit from audio loops.
I recommend you purchasing the Shrine's Guide and Tour book. You can find it at the Gift shop for about 3.50 dollars.
National Shrine Gift Shop: http://www.nationalshrineshops.com
It will give you details of the tour in writing because their tour guides don't have printed hard copies for you to follow along about each place they are visiting. Read this in advance as well as taking it along with you while on the tour.
There is a virtual tour at http://www.nationalshrine.com/site/c.osJRKVPBJnH/b.5947909/k.A2AD/Virtual_Tours.htm
Catholics with Hearing loss — Visiting and Worshipping at the National Shrine (for someone with hearing loss and deafness):
I would recommend you contacting the pastor and visiting services in advance of your visit to see if you can get a written hard copy of the homily to pick up a the visitor/information desk for that day/event. (some celebrants have written homily guidelines and some do not so it is dependent on that). Pastoral information is on their website (provided below).
They do not have captioning at the Shrine except for the March for Life Vigil. They do not have Audio Loops. They have sign language interpreters for the culturally Deaf who use sign language if they request it in advance.
The Mass is not hearing accessible to so many with hearing loss.
The Mass is not hearing accessible to so many with hearing loss.
The Shrine is a National Shrine and America's largest Catholic church. It is a beautiful place to visit and the Shrine gets many visitors daily, many of whom would have varying degrees of hearing loss.
The homily itself is a very important part of the Mass and beauty of the church to be engaged in and experience, connect, and to witness. It would be nice to allow those with hearing loss to be able to fully and actively participate at the Mass. I would encourage contacting the Shrine and raising awareness for both captioning and audio loops because 90 percent of those with hearing loss don't know sign language and it would be really useful if they had captioning, audio loops and sign language because the hearing loss population is very diverse.
Bring your Missal !!! They DO NOT have Missals there or a Missalette. You will NOT have anything in writing to follow along or at least read if you can't follow along so you'll want to bring your Missal. You can also purchase one at the Gift shop if you don't have one.
I was completely lost attending a Mass at the shrine. I had no access to the announcements, homily, universal prayers/petitions, blessings, and without a missal in the pew, no access to the readings or responses either. Occasionally a song would be printed out, but generally I didn't even have access to the words of a song they might be singing. It was not hearing accessible in any way or part for me when I went to visit and attend a Mass there as someone with a hearing loss. There was no captioning. There were no audio loops. They did have ramps for the wheel chair users. People with hearing loss have been overlooked when it comes to being an accessible church. While they can walk through the door, they are unable to participate during the liturgy when it is not hearing accessible for them. They are the invisible disability and have no access to all parts of the Mass.
I was completely lost attending a Mass at the shrine. I had no access to the announcements, homily, universal prayers/petitions, blessings, and without a missal in the pew, no access to the readings or responses either. Occasionally a song would be printed out, but generally I didn't even have access to the words of a song they might be singing. It was not hearing accessible in any way or part for me when I went to visit and attend a Mass there as someone with a hearing loss. There was no captioning. There were no audio loops. They did have ramps for the wheel chair users. People with hearing loss have been overlooked when it comes to being an accessible church. While they can walk through the door, they are unable to participate during the liturgy when it is not hearing accessible for them. They are the invisible disability and have no access to all parts of the Mass.
I personally like having my own Missal and I take it everywhere I go just in case the church doesn't have anything in writing for those with hearing loss. The Missal is online too, and Missal Apps as well but I always shy away from my smart cell phone at Mass because people might think I'm playing on my phone at Mass when I'm actually trying to find the readings, missal, songs, prayers, rosary etc if the church doesn't provide written materials for those with hearing loss.
The Homily, Universal prayers, announcements, blessings, songs are not in the Missal though, so a good chunk of the Mass is unavailable for those with hearing loss if captioning or audio loops are not provided. The songs are not in the Missal. It is not a hearing accessible Mass.
People with hearing loss are unable to fully and actively participate at the Mass if it is not accessible for them.
People with hearing loss are unable to fully and actively participate at the Mass if it is not accessible for them.
See if you can get a written hard copy of the Universal prayers, homily, announcements, blessings, songs in advance of the Mass. Sometimes this is not available though because some priests do not have a written homily. Many just use it as a speaking guide with only notes available Some wing it, and while they have an idea of what to say, they do not use a written guideline.
None the less ask to see if a written homily guideline is available. If so, maybe they could send it via attachment email for you to retrieve on your iPhone or smart phone to read at the Mass if they didn't print one out for you. See if you can get the songs in writing (sometimes the program prints out the songs and sometimes they don't but the programs don't have the readings printed out, or the homily, universal prayers, announcements, blessings).
None the less ask to see if a written homily guideline is available. If so, maybe they could send it via attachment email for you to retrieve on your iPhone or smart phone to read at the Mass if they didn't print one out for you. See if you can get the songs in writing (sometimes the program prints out the songs and sometimes they don't but the programs don't have the readings printed out, or the homily, universal prayers, announcements, blessings).
See worship information at http://www.nationalshrine.com/site/c.osJRKVPBJnH/b.4747289/k.D34A/Worship.htm
Lastly, Go to the March for Life Vigil! Its in captioning! It is the ONLY Mass at the Shrine that is in captioning! That's what I've been told! Enjoy !
Lastly, Go to the March for Life Vigil! Its in captioning! It is the ONLY Mass at the Shrine that is in captioning! That's what I've been told! Enjoy !
___________________________________________________________________
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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"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/)
________________________________________________________________________________
"Religious organizations and entities controlled by religious organizations have no obligations under the ADA. Even when a religious organization carries out activities that would otherwise make it a public accommodation, the religious organization is exempt from ADA coverage. "
________________________________________________________________________
How does Remote CART (real time captioning )
____________________________________________________________________
Captioning is a Universal Design Access:
What Does That Mean? : See http://captioningthemass.blogspot.com/2013/09/advantages-and-disadvantages-of.html
______________________________________________________________________
Sharing The Good News! -
"Catholics with impaired hearing often
miss out the
miss out the
most as they are unable to hear or
understand the
understand the
liturgy." (Source: http://write2thepoint.blogspot.com/2007/10/closed-captioning-at-wind-lake-parish.html -K. Mahoney)
____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
"CART is a type of “accommodation” service for people with disabilities. In function, CART is similar to sign language interpreting for people who are deaf, because it transforms spoken language into a visual format that is appropriate for people with hearing loss. But CART can be used by the 95% of hard of hearing and deaf people who do not use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate."
(Source: http://www.visiblevoices.com/faq.html)
(Source: http://www.visiblevoices.com/faq.html)
________________________________
"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)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
“There are all kinds of accommodations
they make for
they make for
other disabilities, but very few
accommodations for
accommodations for
_______________________________________________________
"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)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
" Listening is a most important form of
active participation."
(Source: http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/ArticleText/Index/65/SubIndex/120/ArticleIndex/35)
active participation."
(Source: http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/ArticleText/Index/65/SubIndex/120/ArticleIndex/35)
_____________________________________________________________________
Opening the Doors of the Church to All:
___________________________________________________________
Are They In Your Church?:
Find Out Here: http://captioningthemass.blogspot.com/2014/05/are-they-in-your-church-catholics-with.html
___________________________________________________________________
Prayer of the Faithful and getting access
to that to CONNECT to the Prayer !:
____________________________________________________________
"The faithful are called to spread the
word, and captioning makes that more
achievable. " (Source: http://www.closedcaptioning.net/webcasting/captioning-church-programming)
________________________________________________________________________________________
Captioning Shares the Message
__________________________
"One of the choice accommodations to
use in any setting, but particularly during
religious ceremonies, is remote CART. It
is easy to use for most people, it provides
nearly-verbatim captions on a device as
ubiquitous as a cell phone, and it allows
for real-time participation in the services.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Aldersgate United Methodist Church provides open real time captions during both 9 am and 10:30 am Sunday morning worship services. A CART (computer assisted real time translation) professional sits in worship and silently types everything she hears…"
________________________________________________________
Does Captioning Matter to You?
_______________________________________________________________________
"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," the bishops wrote.
_______________________________________________________________________
Catholic Diocese of Utah has real time captioning?! WOW! "
Catholic Diocese of Utah has real time captioning?! WOW! "
"Arrange for interpreter or real time captioning services
at least two weeks in advance." (Source: http://www.dioslc.org/ministries/disabilities/guidelines-for-accommodating-people-with-disabilities)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The increasing demands of real time captioning
and broadcast captioning is driven by two
forces:
_______________________________
"Capital Area Disabilities Ministries found that many houses of worship mistakenly assume that becoming more accessible will be a financial drain."
____________________________________________________________
"Accessible meeting space allows
everyone to participate."
The Deaf/deaf/HOH need Universal
Communication Access in the Church :
"When designing a space or
planning
an event, we need to strive
for
universal access—so that all
members of our communities
can
attend and participate. This
means
that, in addition to ramps and
elevators, 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. "
- See more at: http://agewisekin
gcounty.org/en/134/1/661/Too-Many-People-with-Hearing-Loss-Miss-Out.htm#sthash.em7Uhug6.nW91Nm7I.dpuf
___________________________________________________________________________
Here is an example of a church website that makes it known CART/captioning accommodation is available, listing the service times for it: See http://www.salchome.org/content.php?ref=58
____________________________________
Technologies for Worship:
_______________________________________
"Can we all agree that achieving
the
genuine inclusion of deaf and
hearing
impaired people in society
demands
better than a one-size-fits-all
approach to
communication?" (Source: http://therebuttal2.com/2010/07/27/1007/ -
Tony Abrahams)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Remote services are more economical
as the minimum booking is only one
hour. More people can have more
access, as all you need is internet access
and sound. " (Source: http://deafunity.org/article-interview/tina-lannin-founder-121-captions/)
_____________________________________
Making the Catholic Mass
Accessible for
the deaf and hard of hearing:
___________________________________
" 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. "
_________________________________
"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."
____________________________________________
Myths about the hard of hearing
{and
severe to profound hearing loss,
oral
deaf and late deaf}:
___________________________________
Not All Can Hear In Church
_______________________________________
"For various reasons,
churches
have lagged behind wider
trends in
society to be inclusive of
people
with disabilities."
_____________________________________
"The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else" (Source: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Title III of the ADA mandates that no individuals shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in their enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public accommodation. To comply with this provision, a public accommodation must remove barriers to full access of its facilities…
The equal access provisions of ADA, however, do not apply to religious organizations or places of worship operated by religious organizations."
________________________________________
Captioning is the language of many
who are deaf and hard of hearing.
When will the doors be open for them
in church?
When will it be inclusive
for the deaf and hard of hearing?
_________________________________
What is the largest Catholic church in
____________________________________________
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."
(Source: http://www.awesomecapital.com/awesome-blog/most-hearing-impaired-adults-forgo-hearing-aids)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
" 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)
________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
___________________________________
Shouting Won't Help: Why I and 50
Million Americans Can't Hear You:
____________________________________
Captioning at a Mass? Why Not Sign
Language?
____________________________________________
Other churches advocating for
CART
(aka captioning):
See http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/04/ada-violation-at-upcoming-giant-center.html
________________________________________________________________________
Example of a church service using CART:
"Aldersgate United Methodist Church provides open real time captions during both 9 am and 10:30 am Sunday morning worship services. A CART (computer assisted real time translation) professional sits in worship and silently types everything she hears…"
________________________________________________________
"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)
_________________________________________________________________________
Hearing Loss Association of America – The Nation's Voice for people with hearing loss: See http://www.hearingloss.org
______________________________________
The Association of Late Deafened Adults (really anyone deaf of any age onset): See http://www.alda.org
____________________________________
Caption Catholic Tidbits:
The Deaf/deaf/HOH need Universal
Communication Access in the Church :
"When designing a space or
planning
an event, we need to strive
for
universal access—so that all
members of our communities
can
attend and participate. This
means
that, in addition to ramps and
elevators, 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. "
- See more at: http://agewisekin
gcounty.org/en/134/1/661/Too-Many-People-with-Hearing-Loss-Miss-Out.htm#sthash.em7Uhug6.nW91Nm7I.dpuf
___________________________________________________________________________
Here is an example of a church website that makes it known CART/captioning accommodation is available, listing the service times for it: See http://www.salchome.org/content.php?ref=58
____________________________________
Technologies for Worship:
_______________________________________
the
genuine inclusion of deaf and
hearing
impaired people in society
demands
better than a one-size-fits-all
approach to
communication?" (Source: http://therebuttal2.com/2010/07/27/1007/ -
Tony Abrahams)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Remote services are more economical
as the minimum booking is only one
hour. More people can have more
access, as all you need is internet access
and sound. " (Source: http://deafunity.org/article-interview/tina-lannin-founder-121-captions/)
_____________________________________
Making the Catholic Mass
Accessible for
Accessible for
the deaf and hard of hearing:
___________________________________
" 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. "
_________________________________
"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."
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."
____________________________________________
Myths about the hard of hearing
{and
severe to profound hearing loss,
oral
deaf and late deaf}:
___________________________________
Not All Can Hear In Church
_______________________________________
"For various reasons,
churches
have lagged behind wider
trends in
trends in
society to be inclusive of
people
people
with disabilities."
_____________________________________
"The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else" (Source: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada)
Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else" (Source: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Title III of the ADA mandates that no individuals shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in their enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public accommodation. To comply with this provision, a public accommodation must remove barriers to full access of its facilities…
The equal access provisions of ADA, however, do not apply to religious organizations or places of worship operated by religious organizations."
________________________________________
Captioning is the language of many
who are deaf and hard of hearing.
When will the doors be open for them
in church?
When will it be inclusive
for the deaf and hard of hearing?
When will it be inclusive
for the deaf and hard of hearing?
_________________________________
____________________________________________
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."
(Source: http://www.awesomecapital.com/awesome-blog/most-hearing-impaired-adults-forgo-hearing-aids)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
" 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)
________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
___________________________________
Shouting Won't Help: Why I and 50
Million Americans Can't Hear You:
____________________________________
Captioning at a Mass? Why Not Sign
Language?
____________________________________________
Other churches advocating for
CART
(aka captioning):
See http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/04/ada-violation-at-upcoming-giant-center.html
See http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/04/ada-violation-at-upcoming-giant-center.html
________________________________________________________________________
Example of a church service using CART:
"Aldersgate United Methodist Church provides open real time captions during both 9 am and 10:30 am Sunday morning worship services. A CART (computer assisted real time translation) professional sits in worship and silently types everything she hears…"
"Aldersgate United Methodist Church provides open real time captions during both 9 am and 10:30 am Sunday morning worship services. A CART (computer assisted real time translation) professional sits in worship and silently types everything she hears…"
________________________________________________________
"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)
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)
_________________________________________________________________________
Hearing Loss Association of America – The Nation's Voice for people with hearing loss: See http://www.hearingloss.org
______________________________________
The Association of Late Deafened Adults (really anyone deaf of any age onset): See http://www.alda.org
____________________________________
Caption Catholic Tidbits:
New American Bible Online:
This is a wonderful resource for understanding Catholicism called Catholic Bridge. See http://www.catholicbridge.com
Also see One Bread at http://1bread.catholic.org for additional sources on the Catholic Faith.
______________________________________________________________________
 |
| Pray For Us All!
See: http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/mary_do_catholics_pray_to_her.php
What is the Mass?: http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/mass.php
Welcome ! See http://www.catholicscomehome.org
_____________________________________ 
Come Pray the Rosary with others - together Online: http://www.comepraytherosary.org
(text guided version offered to follow along)
_________________________________________________________________
|
How can we make the Catholic church accessible to ALL the deaf and hard of hearing?:
______________________________________________________________________
"Our church motto is "enlarge your circle of love," and he explains how captioning is one way of accomplishing this."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inclusivity for all: See https://www.captionfirst.com/Universal_Design
_________________________________________________
"Accessible meeting space allows
everyone to participate."
__________________________________________
"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
"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)
"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)
CC-CaptionCatholic
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