Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The deaf and hard of hearing EXPERIENCE in the Church- Catholics  with Hearing Loss: Captioning the Catholic Mass






The deaf and hard of hearing EXPERIENCE in the Church

“Blindness separates us from things, but deafness separates us from people” - Helen Keller





Do you know that lots of us don't hear the

 Homily? What are the deaf and hard of

  hearing experiences like in church?



" If we are to be transformed by grace


 and led  to a 


deeper communion with the Lord, both the 


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


______________________________________________________
"Statistics tell us that 98% of people with hearing loss do not have a church home, and the deaf and hard of hearing are the fourth largest unreached people group in the world." (Source:  http://captioningtheword.com/information.html)

__________________________________________________________

"I go to Mass every Sunday and never know what the homily is about unless I ask my 

husband, or if there happens to be a priest who speaks clearly enough for me to 

understand." (Source: http://www.catholicnews-tt.net/v2005/archives/nov/sun06/letters.htm)




__________________________________________________________________________________


 "As a Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis is called to proclaim the 

Gospel to the whole world. He understands that he can only do 

this if he uses language and actions that are accessible to all 

peoples." 


____________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Hearing-impaired Catholics endure plenty of aggravation and frustration when they are unable to properly hear what is going on at Mass, revealed Fr. John Hemsing of St. Clare Parish in Wind Lake, who added weekly closed-captioned Masses last December" (Source: http://write2thepoint.blogspot.com/2007/10/closed-captioning-at-wind-lake-parish.html)

________________________________________________________________________________________




"It was a very emotional moment for me when I saw the words that the pastor was speaking," Schick said. 

"I understood everything he was saying for the

  first 

time." 

___________________________________________________________________________________________


A Catholic with a hearing loss says (about hearing the Homily):

"I create my own silent place while meditating on the 

Blessed Sacrament.

But I want to hear the homily since it is the 

instructional part of the Mass and as long as I live I 

will need to keep learning about Christ and His 

teachings. "  (Source:  http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/11/catholic-churches-and-the-hard-of-hearing)




__________________________________________________


Another Catholic says (about wanting to hear the Homily etc):

" I can read my missal but would appreciate hearing the homily and announcements." (Source: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/11/catholic-churches-and-the-hard-of-hearing)



__________________________________________________________________________________






"Now I am 84 yrs, old and severly hearing impaired and cannot understand a word that is said in Mass or any other multiple gathering."  (source: http://www.hprweb.com/2012/04/questions-answered-on-confession-during-mass-and-homilies-given-by-non-ordained-person/)


___________________________________________________________________________________




A Catholic wanting access to God's Word:



"Our faith teaches that God is present in the Word, the Eucharist and the gathering. 

We will go to great lengths to provide the eucharist to physically handicapped. Yet 

most parishes will make only minimal efforts to deliver the word to hearing handicapped. " 

(Source:  http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/11/catholic-churches-and-the-hard-of-hearing)





______________________________________________________



Not All Can Hear in Church -a personal

  experience wondering why there

 are no screens with captioning at

 churches to make the church

 accessible: 


_____________________________________________

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

__________________________________________________________________________


Does Captioning Matter to You? 

See https://captioningmatters.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/how-captioning-works/


_______________________________________________________________________




Catholic Mass for the deaf and hard of hearing:



"For the Deaf or Hard of Hearing:



Arrange for seating the Deaf community in the 

front, near the

 speaker.

Arrange for interpreter or real time captioning 

services at 
least 
two weeks in advance.
Utilize room amplification system or personal 
amplification
 system…"
(Source: http://www.dioslc.org/ministries/disabilities/guidelines-for-accommodating-people-with-disabilities)

________________________________________________________


Captioning in church services: 

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

___________________________________________________
“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."





________________________________

"Out of 100 people, 10 have a significant

 hearing problem. Of those 10 people, one

 or two use sign language. The rest do not 

know sign language." 

 (Source:  http://captioningtheword.com/information.html)

____________________________



"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)

__________________________________________________________________________

" 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 is important to see, to witness and to 

be a part of the 

Mass. The connection is important.”


This applies to all those with hearing loss and
 deafness because the deaf and hard of hearing are diverse and unable to participate at the Mass if effective communication is not provided for them that allows full, conscious and active participation during the Mass.  They get lost.  They are unable to understand.

 It is important that Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops are provided in at least a couple of Masses within a Diocese that a person can reasonably travel to in order to have access to God's word in the communication access that WORKS for them  to allow full and active participation, engagement and connection. 

____________________________________________________________________________________



“I have the feeling and the joy, but without the message,” he lamented. " (Source:  http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=9653)





___________________________________________________________________________________



"It's hard to be prayerful or peaceful when you're constantly straining to catch what's being said, and at Mass you want to be both," Dodds said. "

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
“ There are a lot of people like me who

  just stop going (to church). They don’t 

 say anything because many, many people

  with hearing loss hide it,” she said

” Source: http://www.baptiststandard.com/resources/archives/46-2006-archives/4762-technology-enables-hearing-impared-to-experience-worship)
___________________________________________________________________________________________
What is it like to be a hard of hearing person (mild to moderate loss)?  
"In . . . Gospel, . . . reminds . . . disciples . . . they . . . be . . . light of . . . world . . . salt . . . the . . . . "
Now, what is it like to be in church with a severe hearing loss?  profound hearing loss? What if you can only understand 30 percent? 20 percent? 10 percent?  None?  Captioning, Audio Loops and Sign Language are accommodations that help these people depending on where they are on the spectrum, as well as their cultural and linguistic background.  Captioning however can throw a wide net in reaching the gospel to those with hearing loss as well as many other 'disabilities'.


_______________________________________________________________

"Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the word of 

God, and Mark 4:24 reminds us to pay attention. In John 5:24 

Jesus asks us not only to hear but to believe."  (Source: http://ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/hearing-ear-soul)


_____________________________________________________________






" Listening is a most important form of

  active

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



______________________________________________________________

The increasing demands of real time captioning

 and broadcast captioning is driven by two

 forces:

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



_______________________________





 Mass for the deaf and hard of hearing/Mass for the 'Hearing Impaired':  


Opening the Doors for the deaf and hard of hearing in church with real time captioning : 


___________________________________________________________


"She had tears in her eyes, Malley said. 

She told the priest, “I could finally hear 

what was going on.” " (Source:  http://lakerlutznews.com/lln/?p=18870)


________________________________________________________


“You need to be able to connect to the

 Mass,” she said. “You need to be able to

 participate and engage and you need to 

witness it, and I had a hard time with 

that because I would just sit there.” 


 ___________________________________________________________________________


Captioning in church services: 

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


___________________________________________________




" I get tidbits and pieces, but not the whole 

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

be the only one who feels this way." 

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



_______________________________


"A longtime Bergen County resident and advocate for people 

with hearing loss, Romoff said one of the main obstacles was, 

and often still is, 

“ that the mainstream thinks sign language 

interpreters are what all people with hearing loss 

need, when the vast majority actually need assistive 

listening systems and captioning. So educating about 

needs has to occur first.” 


______________________________________________________________



Myths about the 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


_____________________________________



Lost without real time captioning:  

"Had it not been for the captioning," she

 wrote, "I would still be out there lost."  




__________________________________________________________





"The faithful are called to spread the

 word, and captioning makes that more




________________________________________________________________________________________

"If you or someone you know has ever said, "I can hear the words, I just can't understand them," this is probably why." 

_____________________________________________________________


“I know that assisted listening devices have helped a lot of people enjoy the theater experience, but they don’t work for everyone,” Grasso said.  Grasso saw “Billy Elliot: the musical” last year with her mother, who is also hard of hearing.  Grasso noted, “We used the assisted listening devices, but while the sound was louder, the dialogue was still muffled and slightly delayed.” 

_________________________________________________________________________________________



Fully connected to the Mass with real 

Real Time Captioning at a  Catholic Mass connects you to the Mass for the deaf and hard of hearing picture :  https://twitter.com/dborowskiach/status/498512063480987649/photo/1

_____________________________________________________________
"We depend on captions for television, movies, relay phone calls, live theater and meetings, etc. However, captions are lacking at churches and synagogues. As a result we no longer attend. We feel excluded from the spiritual communities." (Source:  http://xpressivehandz.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-churches-and-synagogues-need-to.html)

 _______________________________________________________________________________________


"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)


_________________________________________________________________________



"(Catholics) who want to attend mass and be a part of ministries but do not find a willingness or desire for their inclusion. Often times this is do to ignorance and a lack of awareness." (Source:  http://www.disabilityawarenesstraining.com/component/content/article/3/40)

______________________________________________________________________

" 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.

_________________________________________________________________________
Closed Captioning (CC) during Mass:  http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/03/closed-captioning-during-tv-mass-better-serves-faithful/


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



__________________________________________________________



"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)


















_______________________________________________________________________________________________________




























“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. " 













_______________________________________________________________
















































"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.  "








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


















_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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


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

__________________________________________________________________



      
         Captioning Shares the Message



__________________________


" 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. "


____________________________________________________________________



"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)



__________________________________________________________________

















"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








______________________________________
"It is important not just to be able to use 

communication that works for you, but also to 

advocate for full and equal access to

 information." 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I can’t tell you how much CART 

(captioning) makes 



_____________________________________________________________________________________
“If we can start to understand how
 people with disabilities respond
 to the church, then we can see
 how other people who might feel
______________________________________
"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)


_______________________________________________________________________________________


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'.  
_________________________________________________________________

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


__________________________________________________________________________


 How do you make it Inclusive to all those 

who are deaf and hard of hearing?:


"However, in order to serve ALL deaf, hard of hearing, 

the hearing impaired or people with hearing loss 

(whichever terms you choose), all of these accessible 

solutions need to be provided, and the Deaf and 

hearing impaired should always be placed down front 

where they can use their eyes to see to hear and the 

audio amplifiers to be picked up by their assistive 

devices. Captions should be on the wall or a screen for

 those who need to read what is being said." 


__________________________________________________


“There are all kinds of accommodations they make for
 other disabilities, but very few accommodations for
 hearing loss,” Charlie said."  (Source: http://lakerlutznews.com/lln/?p=18870)

_______________________________________________________


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)


__________________________________


"The Rev. Paul Prevosto, pastor of Holy Trinity, said that the captioning helps the hard-of-hearing {and severe to profound hearing loss, oral deaf, late deaf} with parts of the service that are not in the prayer book.  'Certainly, they can read along with parts of the Mass, but certain parts are not in the book — the homily, for instance, which is an important part of the Mass,' Prevosto said." 





_______________________________________________________________________________


"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)



____________________________________________________________

"Catholics with impaired hearing often 

miss out the most as they are unable to

 hear or understand the liturgy."




__________________________________________________


"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 DAILY TELEGRAPH)


________________________________________________________________________________________________

How does Remote CART (real time captioning )




____________________________________________________________________


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

____________________________________________________________________________


"This is a common occurrence for deaf

 and hard of hearing people who do

 not 


sign, to request speech to text at

 events and find it is not provided, or

 to turn 

up and find there are only sign

 language interpreters." 


_________________________________________________________________________________________









"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)




_______________________________________________________________________________________________
"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 or 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." 

___________________________________________________________________________


"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/)

_______________________________________________________



Deafness does not equate to sign language because the majority of the deaf and hard of hearing do not know sign language, and speak English as their native language (usually in the USA). 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.


_____________________________________________________________________


"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)

Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops are the three most common communication access in the secular world of business, education and entertainment that allows for full and active, effective, and equal participation.  The Church can do the same in sharing the Joy of the Gospel.  Captioning is a wonderful way to share this Joy for so many who are deaf and hard of hearing.

_________________________________________________________

"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)




_______________________________________

Universal Access:  


" we need assistive listening technology like hearing loops and captions, and 

signage that 

makes it clear that the service is available. This is a goal that we can achieve, but in order 

to do so, we need to change the way we think about communication and hearing access." 


__________________________________________________________________________


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

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

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


"Only 14% of older adults with hearing loss use

 hearing aids, according to estimates from a 

nationwide survey.

The proportion dropped to fewer than 4% of people

 with mild hearing loss across all age decades and 

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

 irrespective of the severity of hearing loss."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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



______________________________________________________________
"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)

__________________________________________________________________________

"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)



________________________________________________________________________________________
How can we make the Catholic church accessible to ALL the deaf and hard of hearing?:  





______________________________________________________________________

Accessibility Guidelines from a non-Catholic church (scroll down to find 'hearing accessible' guidelines at:  http://www.uua.org/documents/equualaccess/accessibility_guidelines.pdf



Captioning (CART or remote CART), Audio Loops and Sign Language should be the three standards in place to address the diverse population in order to share the Joy of the Gospel.

_____________________________________________


"(Because of CART), now I don't lose words the priest says," said a 

happy 81-year-old William Kelly, who sits with his wife Marie near the 

front of the church on the same side as Bonilla during Mass; even though 

he wears hearing aids, he would often miss a word or two during key 

sentences in the homily before Bonilla brought her CART. "In the past, I 

would have to ask Marie, 'What did he say?'"

_______________________________________________________
"All through my life during the sermon, I never 

 understood the complete sermon. You can't hold up

  your hand and say, 'Will you please repeat that?' I was

  very frustrated."  (Source:  http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/05/31/bel_skillshelp.shtml)

__________________________________________________________________________________



Ephphatha!  - The Catholic Mass is in real time

captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing!  Click on this link and scroll down to page 16 to read story:  http://www.vcra.net/newsletters/fall2014newsletter.pdf


______________________________________________________________

“The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be
 excluded.  That is what the angel proclaimed to shepherds in Bethlehem: ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all people’ (Lk 2:10)” (EG no. 23). How might one reach people all over the world with the Good News? "




__________________________________________________________________________________

Audio Loops and Captioning: 



“Like any technology, it works well for some. 

For others that might have more severe or 

profound hearing loss, it wouldn't be as 

beneficial as a captioning type of a 

system,” she said." 

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


________________________________________________________________











"Assistive listening devices, presently made 


available under ADA regulations, do not serve 


the significant portion of the population who rely


 on visual translations of sounds due to more 


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




_______________________________________________________________________________________________________









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








_____________________________________________________________














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


________________________________________________________________________________

























Myths about the hard of hearing (and 




severe to profound hearing loss, oral 




deaf and late deaf):  








_______________________________________________________________













 " 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/)





____________________________________________________________





"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








________________________________________________________________

























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. 







______________________________________________________________























Hearing Loss (deaf and  hard of



 hearing) demographics:  



http://captioningthemass.blogspot.com/2014/08/hearing-loss-demographics-catholics.html

























___________________________________________________________________________















Hearing Loss in the Church:  














____________________________________________









"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










___________________________________________________________________























Lets pray that we break the 


communication barriers for all!































_____________________________________________________________________________________



























































Why I'm Catholic:  http://whyimcatholic.com





























_____________________________________________________________________

















"Catholics with disabilities are much




 more likely to be inactive Catholics




than their non-disabled counterparts."























________________________













"Accessible meeting space allows 




everyone to participate." 



















____________________________________













Why do the Deaf/deaf and hard of hearing Catholics need accommodations in church in order to understand the Mass?



They are unable to understand the Mass if 'effective communication' is not provided for them (captioning, sign language and audio induction loops are the three most common accommodations that serve a diverse group of people who are deaf and hard of hearing).











Take a look at this Hearing Loss Simulation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_NbqGVWsqI&feature=related 







_______________________________________









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/)

















________________________________________________________________________________











Caption Catholic Tidbits:

















































Captioning is the Way to Go!








Clear Captions; FREE captioning for your phone calls:  http://www.clearcaptions.com








_________________________________________________________













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











"I know for sure ALDA never would have thrived without CART-for deafened adults, communication is a special challenge; some of us lip-read, some of us sign, some of us hear with cochlear implants, and some of us do none of the above. The only way for us all to communicate together is through realtime captioning. CART is the cornerstone of ALDA."
Read more at http://www.lorilynroberts.com/late_deafened_adult_shares_his_story.html#Bi4w1OkBYoTdArCq.99





























______________________________________________________________________

























Pray For Us All!
















_____________________________________

























































































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







































(text guided version offered to follow along)















_________________________________________________________________





































Reaching Catholics:  see  http://www.oncecatholic.org







_________________________________________________________________________________________________















Help for Catholics – a wonderful 







resource for understanding Christ:  














______________________________________

























“… people over 65, that is 80% of people over 65, that is your mothers, your fathers, your older friends, your older relatives, [have] some sort of hearing loss. Here is an important message to you and to them. Only 50% percent of them do something about it. The rest have kind of ignored [it]. This must not happen." ?- See more at: http://chchearing.org/blog/what-does-severe-hearing-loss-feel-like/#sthash.8dYXKEOm.dpuf







_____________________________________________________________________



































The Coming Home Network:  See http://chnetwork.org





Witnessing to Catholics: http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/are_catholics_christian.php







_____________________________________________________



























The Stranger in Our Midst:  







http://captioningthemass.blogspot.com







____________________________________________________________







































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











_________________________________________________






























"Statistics tell us that 98% of people with hearing loss do not have a church home, and the deaf and hard of hearing are the fourth largest unreached people group in the world." (Source:  http://captioningtheword.com/information.html)













________________________________________________________



"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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