Canon Law - Can you participate? 


"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."
St. Pope John Paul II

I found another piece of research while investigating Captioning, the Catholic Mass, ADA and Canon law. As I went about trying to find out where the captioning Masses might be in the USA in order that I might be able to participate, I was wondering why it might be that there were so few.  As a consumer, I generally don't bother with places that are not accessible, but rather I go out of my way to find accessible places whether it is movies, shows, performances, workshops, conferences, meetings, classes etc in order to participate.    Church was no different.   I realized how naive I was to think I would find at least one in each Diocese/Archdiocese that I could attend because Remote CART (real time captioning) is in HIGH demand in educational, entertainment, and business settings so deaf and hard of hearing people can participate,  so I thought at least some Catholic churches would have them.  I was only able to find a few Masses in captioning in the USA.   It's been years since I used CART (captioning) in college that surely I thought we all have adopted ADA mandates by now - years later as I returned to the church.   

"Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin – and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 -- the ADA is an "equal opportunity" law for people with disabilities." 
(Source:  http://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm)  

The church is exempt from ADA laws, but ADA laws are a model framework in determining what is effective, equal communication access for the deaf and hard of hearing. Captioning (CART or remote CART) is a VALID communication access per ADA.  

Could there be misunderstandings about Captioning at a Catholic Mass and how effective it is in allowing someone to fully participate?    What kind of misunderstandings could there be?

"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.)

Real time captioning:  "Typically, the service is geared toward the hearing impaired.

"What is driving the demand is the baby boomers," said Fred Sharp, president of the Chartered Shorthand Reporters Association of Ontario."

 (Source:  http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/11/29/speedy_court_reporters_flying_fingers_in_high_demand.html)

"CART(Captioning): (Communication Access Realtime 

Translation)  is verbatim text of spoken presentations 

provided for live events. " (Source: http://www.hearingloss.org/content/captioning-and-cart - Hearing Loss Association of America)

" 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.” 

(Source:  http://tfwm.com/opening-up-services-with-closed-captioning/)

"Catholics with impaired hearing often miss out the most as they are unable to hear or understand the

 liturgy." (Source: http://write2thepoint.blogspot.com/2007/10/closed-captioning-at-wind-lake-parish.html -K. Mahoney)

“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."

(Source:  http://tfwm.com/opening-up-services-with-closed-captioning/)

Since ADA;  Wheel chair ramps are up and bathrooms have

 been adjusted at the churches, but where are the

 captioning Masses? 

My eyes caught an article on  how 'best to accommodate the deaf' .  A Catholic Canon lawyer literally bashes Captioning and upholds Sign language as being supreme for Catholic Mass participation over Captioning.   I'm hoping this is just an oversight on this matter, and not imposing a belief on what language someone who is deaf or hard of hearing should use in order to participate at Mass.  I'm deaf, do not use sign language,  live in the USA and English is my native language, and captioning is the verbatim of it.   There are many people with severe hearing loss, profound hearing loss, the late deaf, oral deaf and hard of hearing who use real time captioning to actively participate in educational, entertainment and business sectors of the secular world.  Perhaps he thought all those who are deaf or hard of hearing use sign language and therefore assuming captioning is not completely useful?  Or perhaps he thought ALL those who are deaf and hard of hearing should participate with sign language and not captioning?  What access to provide the deaf and those with hearing loss,  and  how to best accommodate them is not all that simple considering the diversity of the population.   We have to get to know all the deaf because we are a very diverse group.  Here is what the Catholic Canon lawyer says about captioning: 

"I would have warned against seeing captioning as the solution to the communication problem for the simple reason that captioning is one-directional; people might read captioning, but they don't respond in it. Captioning cannot, therefore, offer "that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14). Sign languages do."

(Source:   http://www.canonlaw.info/2008/01/to-best-accomodate-deaf-begin-by.html-
- Edward N. Peters, JD, JCD)

Did he really think we 'had' to respond back to the Captioning IN Captions ? Or did he think all those who are deaf and hard of hearing use sign language to respond back to the Captioning?  I bet he thought the later.  

That's a very common misperception from the mainstream.   The mainstream perception believes the majority of the deaf and hard of hearing use sign language, when actually only 10 percent of the deaf  use sign language, and the rest speak English (although Spanish is growing in popularity).  

Offering only sign language for the deaf and hard of hearing at the Mass is not fully inclusive to the majority of deaf people because the majority of deaf people do not know sign language.  Certainly sign language should be provided, but captioning should too because per ADA, captioning (CART or remote CART) is a valid communication access that allows full and active participation for many deaf and hard of hearing people.  The deaf and hard of hearing are diverse in their communication needs. Both captioning and sign language are needed, not just one or the other.  

"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)

"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)

I want to raise this awareness that captioning can provide 'Sacrosanctum Concilium' for many deaf and hard of hearing people because the majority use English expressively (and receptively via text forms like Captioning), or audio induction loops on the milder spectrum, not ASL. When addressing the deaf and hard of hearing, it is important to convey the diversity of this population. 

 Indeed the mainstream often think all the deaf and hard of hearing use sign language when the diversity is not explained further.  You can find many websites saying something to the effect 'Mass for the Hearing Impaired' only to find out it only offers sign language (while totally necessary, it does not provide access to the majority of the 'hearing impaired'). Both Captioning, Sign language, and Audio loops are very effective communication access that can provide 'Sacrosanctum Concilium'  for the diverse deaf and hard of hearing population. 

 The majority of  deaf and hard of hearing people can speak as a language, culture and linguistic preference both verbally out loud, and/or mouthing it out silently - mentally voicing it in their head following along that way.   Captioning is the interpretative verbatim of the native English language for many people who are deaf and hard of hearing in which it is a two directional communication of English by reading the captioning and responding orally, either verbally out loud or mentally voicing it in their heads, or mouthing out the words silently to engage in the Mass and to be able to follow along, participating that way.  

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

(Source: http://network.crcna.org/disability-concerns/q-ada-church-and-americans-disabilities-act)

The majority of deaf and hard of hearing people need captioning and audio loops to participate.  Sign language is a beautiful language as is the culture of those who sign (Deaf Culture), and as respectable as any other language,  but that doesn't mean that all of those who are deaf and hard of hearing  'should'  use sign language  in order to obtain access and participate at Mass when  (Remote CART or CART) Captioning is available, but it is often denied or not considered or unavailable, overlooked or dismissed in spite of the fact that Captioning can provide immediate participation to the Mass in our native English language,  unlike first spending years learning a foreign language for mastery with different syntax and grammar etc.  American Sign Language   is not English in signs and the Mass is in English (usually in the USA). 


Captioning is the native language of many deaf and hard of hearing people, being the verbatim of their native English language.  Captioning is a valid and effective communication access. 

People who are late deafened, oral deaf, severe to profound hearing loss often use Captioning as a communication access accommodation because English is their first language and collectively as a group they are much larger then the culturally Deaf.  The culturally Deaf use Sign Language, particularly the native's as the more appropriate accommodation for them and that should also be provided as well as captioning because we are diverse. 
__________________________________________________

"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."

 (Source: http://accessiblecommunications.wordpress.com/tag/remote-captions/)

_______________________________________________________________________

"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

___________________________________________________________________

Why Real Time Captioning?

• "Sometimes referred to as oral deaf, they are not signing or "Big D" Deaf. They speak English, not American Sign Language because they’ve lost hearing late in life or, if the loss occurred in childhood, they’ve had speech training and wear hearing aids or a cochlear implant
• Oral deafness is "the invisible disability."  (Source:  http://www.theopencaptioners.com/faqs.php)

____________________________________________

Demo of Real time Captioning (aka Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART):  

Go to: http://www.acscaptions.com/subpages/CART.asp  (scroll down to find demo video, 

click on CC)

" We have seen rampant confusion on the part of government leaders {and church leaders} who assume that "deaf and hard of hearing"  {compared to capital D Deaf/culturally Deaf} is one group of people whose communication needs center around American Sign Language. This confusion has meant that people with hearing loss are not receiving the services and support that could make their lives better." 

(Source:  http://www.cilww.com/shhh%20page.htm)







_______________________________________________________________________________________________

It is important to realize that while Sign Language is a rightful language, it is not the language of 'all' those with hearing loss and deafness and should not be represented as such  in terms of suggesting what provides full participation to the liturgy of the Mass to the deaf and hard of hearing and what doesn't because we are diverse.    







Captioning provides full participation for many with hearing loss.  Only 3 percent of the hearing loss population in the USA is a primary native sign language (Deaf culture) user.    We should not assume that all deaf people do not respond verbally/auditory (or mentally voice it in one's head).    If you can read captioning and speak (or voice it in your head) , you CAN respond to the Captioning verbally/mentally, and thereby active participation and engagement in liturgical celebrations is achieved in a Catholic Mass as required by Canon law.  However for someone who is culturally deaf (uses sign language) Captioning is not their culture and linguistic preference so they should be provided sign language at a Mass.   All of us should be provided effective communication access to the Mass whether it is Sign Language, Captioning or ALD's.


________________________________________________





























"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)


_______________________________________________

" 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, especially for those people."

  


(Source: http://audio-accessibility.com/news/2013/12/importance-of-quality-communication-access-no-waving-hands-or-auto-captioning/)






____________________________________________________________







"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. "




( Source: http://www.disciples.org/GeneralAssembly/Business/1120/tabid/862/Default.aspx)



_______________________________________



















Captioning can certainly allow many to be able to be fully conscious and actively participate in liturgical celebrations of the Mass, otherwise that would be huge disservice to the majority of  severe to profound loss, late deaf, oral deaf people who do not know sign language to suggest that Captioning doesn't work.  Captioning and Sign Language are both effective and valuable but serve a different population for equal communication access to the Mass.  




Those with hearing loss and deafness are a diverse group. Let's celebrate diversity and choices in deafness, not decide what access deaf and  hearing loss folks  should use whether it is sign language, captioning, lip reading, audio loops etc for having access to God's word.  All are valid.   Just ask the person what works for them and what is most comfortable for them, and if it allows full, effective, and active participation for them.









All Catholics by virtue of their baptisms have duties and rights to be able to fully participate at Mass.  Captioning works for many people with hearing loss and deafness and is available.  They shouldn't have to learn and spend an average of 5 to 7 years to gain fluency in sign language 'just' so they can participate at Mass. 90 percent of those with hearing loss -  either by choice or circumstance are not part of the ASL signing Deaf culture which means a good portion of their social network, family, spouses, work and community are of their own native English language and so they are part of that culture and should have access to it via Captioning or Audio loops etc.,   (whichever is effective for them) including access to the Mass in their native English language (or in the case of Spanish etc.,  - a Spanish Mass). Not every one is in the stage of life where they even have the means, time, allowance from being away from work and family duties to dedicate learning a foreign language via immersion in another culture not of their own, when Captioning (REMOTE CART or CART) is today's technology and is available that allows for IMMEDIATE communication access in their own native English language (or Spanish etc).  It makes sense to provide this population immediate access rather then requiring them to spend years learning a foreign language just to participate, especially when 90 percent of those with hearing loss and deafness do not know sign language. 



If the Mass is in English, they shouldn't have to be expected to learn ASL (which is not English in Sign) to then get an ASL interpreter to interpret the English Mass when CART (captioning) is real time verbatim of the SAME language as the English Mass and available  in today's world.








"As with translation between any two languages, nuance can be lost and ambiguities can be introduced in the translation from English to ASL."  (Source: http://stenoknight.com/FAQ.html#cartasl)


________________________________________________

















"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)


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"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)




__________________________________________________________________________







"Communication access, the various




 tools and methods through which people




 receive and exchange information, has a




 profound impact on nearly every aspect 




of life for individuals with hearing loss




 and their families. From infancy, many




 children with hearing loss depend on




 hearing aids or cochlear implants to




 receive auditory information. Later, the




 language and educational development




 of children who are deaf or hard of




 hearing depend, in part, on access




 through accommodations such as




 assistive listening devices and 




Computer Assisted Realtime Translation







 (CART)." 

- See more at: http://www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org/What_We_Mean_by_Communication_Access/#sthash.tB0rUIBf.Bjul5vqB.dpuf

___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

"An obvious benefit of closed captioning is to allow







































everyone to have an equal opportunity to participate in







































 and enjoy the benefits of a service, program or activity." 







(Source:  http://tfwm.com/captions-where-do-we-go-from-hear/)






_______________________________________________________

"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." 

(Source: http://amarillo.com/stories/2000/05/02/new_137-2762.001.shtml -LIZ EVERETT)  

_________________________________________________

"Although many churches use sign language to convey

 a sermon to the deaf, others are using technology to

 translate each word so that it appears simultaneously

 on the big screen. "(Source  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2001-06-16/lifestyle/0106150471_1_schick-fellowship-bible-church-born-deaf)

__________________________________________________________________

"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

________________________________________________________________

"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




______________________________________

Please consider getting to know all of us before deciding what accommodations the deaf, hard of hearing, and those with hearing loss 'should' have to fully participate at Mass. 

 I'm all for diversity, choices and respect in the various responses and adaption to deafness, including the use of sign language if that is the person's language and culture.  I love the diversity and beauty  in languages.   Sign Language is a beautiful language,  but please don't pound the canon law hammer down on the majority of deaf/deafened/hearing loss folks who really could use the support to get Masses captioned IN ORDER FOR US TO 'fully conscious and actively participate…..'  at Mass.  

 Captioning is the language of many with  hearing loss, deafness and hard of hearing. We want to be able to participate at Mass too.  All those with hearing loss and deafness should be able to participate in their own social-cultural and linguistic preference and native language whether it is sign language, captioning or audio loops.  

 Jesus was inclusive in allowing everyone access in the way they were able to receive his message and participate in.  We all want everyone to be able to hear God's word in the way they are able to receive it in and participate with whether it is Captioning, Sign Language and Audio loops (and other means).   We want everyone to have access to God's word and spread the Joy of the Gospel.  Let's pray for that.

__________________________________________

"However, like 98% of the 35 million* deaf

 and hard of

 hearing people in the USA, I consider

 ASL (American

 Sign Language) a gorgeous language

 that I can't 

fluently understand. CART

 (Communication Access 

Realtime Transcription) offers an

 alternative option for 

folks like me;…"

(Source: http://opensource.com/life/11/12/open-source-changes-face-stenography-and-possibilities-hearing-impaired)  * note: now 48 million and counting and will double by 2030

____________________________________________________

Who uses Captioning (CART or Remote CART)?:

" 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)

What is Canon Law?:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church)

Why Canon Law?:  http://www.archchicago.org/canon_law/one_121002.shtm 





What is 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."

 (Source:  http://www.ehow.com/about_6385337_ada-regulations-churches.html)

__________________________________________________________________

Captioning is being acknowledged as a valid accommodation: 

  " AG Bell filed an amicus brief in the case in support of K.M., a high school student who is deaf and uses cochlear implants and speechreading to communicate." (Source: http://handsandvoicesor.org/cart-case-supports-students/)

__________________________________________________________________

"CART consumer Andy Nelson:   "This enabled me to actively participate in discussions and lectures, something I had never ever been able to do before."  (Source:  http://www.ncra.org/Specialty/contentCARTP.cfm?ItemNumber=9107)    


The format of a Catholic Mass and the social dynamics of being  in a large group where there is a 'lecture' (homily) and active 'group participation' (praying together as a group and lay responses) is somewhat like a lecture hall or classroom that require listening and active participation in the liturgical celebrations in real time. 


_________________________________________________________________

Given the demographics of those with hearing loss, there are many people who may not find either ALDs (assistive listening devices), or Audio loops,  or ASL (American sign language) useful during a Catholic Mass.   Captioning is in high demand in the secular world and is a valid access under ADA.  

_____________________________________________

“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)

_______________________________________________________________

"The importance for people with any 

disability to interact 

in a standard setting rather than do it 

differently is 

critical," (Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/real-time-captions-helping-deaf-kids-realise-potential/story-e6freuzi-1226453656874 -ROSEMARIE LENTINI)


________________________________________________________________________________________________

The meaning of deaf and deafness is diverse. 

The signing deaf  do not  have 'copyrights' for the definition of 'deaf' or the access that all those with deafness and hearing loss 'should' use to fully participate in the liturgical celebrations of the Catholic Mass and church life.   Whatever works best for a given person is what is 'best'.    Why do I emphasize this?  Because it affects communication access.  The mainstream think all the deaf and hard of  hearing use sign language when  in fact, the meaning of 'deaf' is very diverse, as is the communication access they use.  It also means that Captioning (CART or Remote CART) is a valid and effective communication access for the deaf backed by ADA laws in secular society (but church is exempt from ADA so enforcement doesn't exist), but Captioning is a valid and effective communication for church, and in fact, allows active participation - Sacrosanctum Concilium 14.



ALDAs official communication philosophy is: 


“Whatever 

works!”



 (Source: http://www.alda.org)  Like Hearing Loss Association, ALDA also 

uses CART (real time captioning) at their meetings.  It works for many.

Hearing Loss Association: http://www.hearingloss.org

"Terminology usage varies. People may

 refer to themselves as “hard of hearing,”

 “hearing impaired,” late-deafened,” 

“deaf,” or may say they have a “hearing 

loss.” " (Source: http://healthbridges.info/?p=333)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"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)

__________________________________________________________

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'.  

_________________________________________________________________

Deafness does not equate to sign language because the majority of the deaf and hard of hearing do not know sign language. Why do I emphasize this?  Because it affects communication access.  Raising awareness of the diverse deaf and hard of hearing population allows more Universal Access for all because 
often the mainstream think all the deaf and hard of hearing use sign language. Universal Access needs to consider Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops in order to provide equal and effective communication access for the deaf
and hard of hearing.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Communication can happen in any form – spoken, signed, cued, written, 

amplification, or a combination of a few of those forms. As ALDA (Association of 

Late Deafened Adults) says: “Whatever works.”  


(Source: http://audio-accessibility.com/news/2013/12/importance-of-quality-communication-access-no-waving-hands-or-auto-captioning/)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There is no one size fits all approach for full 

participation at Mass for the deaf and hard of 

hearing.  Sign Language is a wonderful and 

beautiful language,  but so is Captioning. They

 both work. They just serve a different segment of

 the diverse population of those who are deaf and 

hard of hearing and hearing loss.  

_________________________________________________

Sign Language and Captioning at this live event together: 

http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/266/case-study/quality-captioning

_____________________________________________________________________

"Recent years have yielded significant advances for deaf and hard-of-hearing Jews. 


More synagogues are providing interpreting and captioning services, and more day 


schools — and rabbinical schools, too, which have yielded several deaf rabbis — are 


opening their doors to hearing-impaired students." 

(Source: http://www.pjvoice.com/v52/52003news.aspx)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

“I had such a hard time finding a

 church

 that had captioning. "

 (Source: http://thejcr.com/2014/03/31/a-captioning-ministry-beyond-church-walls/)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

"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

____________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________

Please -let's get the facts right about Captioning because so many of us are being overlooked or denied access due to misunderstandings.   It does work for many.  Let's also celebrate diversity in deafness.  Jesus would want us to support each other in charity so that all can participate  at his table.  We don't want to close the church doors on any one. This is heartbreaking to have to read misinformation about the deaf and hard of hearing when there are so many of us just not getting our access needs met because everyone thinks sign language is the universal language of ALL the deaf and hard of hearing, and then go tell everyone Captioning doesn't work when captioning is the language of many with hearing loss.  

I think it is very important to dispel this myth because Captioning is extremely useful and allows full and active participation for so many with hearing loss.

We need to open more doors so that all the deaf and hard of hearing can fully, actively and consciously participate at the Mass.
_________________________________

                    Captioning Shares the Message

________________________________________

The increasing demands of real time captioning

 and broadcast captioning is driven by two

 forces:

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

________________________________

 People with hearing loss are a diverse group with diverse communication needs, all are valid. Whatever works is key in order for one to fully participate in liturgical celebrations. 

 Let us pray that all those with hearing loss receive access to the Mass in the way that works for them to allow the fully conscious and active participation necessary for Catholics.

____________________________________________________________________

"While captioning can’t reproduce the sounds of 

voices, music and other audible effects for hearing-

impaired Catholics, it does allow all members to 

participate fully in the celebration of the Eucharist, 

and for Fr. Hemsing, that is music to his ears." 

(Source: http://write2thepoint.blogspot.com/2007/10/closed-captioning-at-wind-lake-parish.html)


________________________________________________________________________

"…This is a community whose unity is due to divine power, 

the power of the Spirit.  And it is no spiritual club for those 

who look alike and dress alike."


 - See more at: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2012/09/dambrosio-sunday-reflection-miracles/#sthash.b5KFQM2Q.dpuf  


__________________________________________________________________________________

"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 those who lose their 

hearing later 

in life do not always devote the time 

required to learn sign language. "

(Source: http://abercap.com/blog/2008/10/07/sign-language-interpreter-vs-closed-captioning/)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The increasing demands of real time captioning and broadcast captioning is driven by two forces:  http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh78.pdf

_______________________________________________________________________

"Can the Word of God be made accessible to all of the above? The answer to that is: Yes!"  Source: http://gbgm-umc.org/disc/b5.cfm

__________________________________________________________

“One of the things that really needs to be

 considered pastorally is if we’re truly 

multicultural, how does the church build 

bridges among these groups?” Pogorelc 

said. “Catholic means universal. We’re a 

universal church, we’re not just one 

ethnicity, we’re throughout the world, we 

speak all languages.”  (Source: http://www.religionnews.com/2013/11/15/study-catholic-parishes-increasingly-multicultural/)  

Captioning (CART and Remote CART) is the language of 

many who are deaf and hard of hearing. 

_____________________________________________________________

List of various sign languages in the world:  (USA uses ASL which is American Sign Language):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sign_languages

____________________________________________________________________________

"Live captions delivering access to lesson content is particularly beneficial to students impacted by ASD. It provides consistency of message delivery and a single point of focus for the student leading to less distraction, reduced anxiety and improved attention. People with autism often have audio processing issues. " (Source:  http://www.ai-media.tv/magic-live-captions-students-asd/)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"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)



___________________________________________________________________________________

" 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)

____________________________________________________________________

" 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?

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

"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)

________________________________________________________________________________________

"Our church motto is "enlarge your circle of love," and he explains how captioning is one way of accomplishing this."




 (Source:  http://www.ncra.org/Membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=9130&navItemNumber=11457)

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





_________________________________________________


















"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." 




(Source:  http://voberkramer.blogspot.com/p/captioning-communication-for-hearing.html)











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)




_________________________________________________________



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)

CC-CaptionCatholic