"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!" (Romans 10:15).
( Source: http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a3.htm)
Hearing loss for many is viewed as something to treat both medically and socially in our society in which the spoken language is their social, culture and linguistic exposure.
"Untreated hearing loss in adults is considered a national epidemic according to the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. It affects about one-third of those 65 to 74 years and over half of those 75 and older, affecting more men than women.
"Unfortunately, only 20 per cent of those who might benefit from treatment actually seek help. Most delay getting a hearing aid on average of 10 years after their initial diagnosis." (Source: http://www.dailybreeze.com/arts-and-entertainment/20130130/helen-dennis-age-related-hearing-loss-can-affect-quality-of-life)
“… 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 one thing I want to spotlight here though is the importance of adding to the fact that hearing aids (and cochlear implants as well) do NOT cure hearing loss. You can 'treat' hearing loss with hearing aids and cochlear implants, but it does not give normal hearing, rather it gives more sensitivity to hearing.
This is important awareness because often churches think the person just needs to get a hearing aid or cochlear implant to hear better in church. Both devices often work very well on one to one in quiet settings and controlled conditions, but they break down in noisy places, like when several people are talking, or a room with a number of people in it and large high ceiling buildings with hard surfaces.
This is important awareness because often churches think the person just needs to get a hearing aid or cochlear implant to hear better in church. Both devices often work very well on one to one in quiet settings and controlled conditions, but they break down in noisy places, like when several people are talking, or a room with a number of people in it and large high ceiling buildings with hard surfaces.
It breaks down in churches in particular, more then most places, because of the high ceilings, hard floors and walls. That means the bouncing of the magnified sounds coming from the microphone, in which they can't tell when one word ends and the next word begins, creating acoustic challenges and distortions in their hearing. The person with a hearing loss may be able to 'hear' but unable to understand speech in these settings. That equates to being unable to hear the Word of God regardless of how 'loud' the volume is. In addition, the volume may be painful for some of them and they need to lower the hearing aid volume control to adjust because high volume often does not equate to clearer hearing. There is a relationship between the severity of one's hearing loss to the distortion of sound. The more hearing loss a person has, the more the sounds they do hear are also distorted and muffled, particularly speech sounds.
None the less, hearing aids and cochlear implants can often do well in interpersonal relationships, one on one settings and quiet places and no background noises, if one is close enough to the speaker and the speaker is facing the person with hearing loss to benefit from lipreading with the aid of residual hearing support that hearing aids and cochlear implants provides for them. But it is also important to realize the limitations of a hearing aid or cochlear implant in large group settings. These people need assistive listening devices, audio loops and real time captioning to receive God's word in a church setting or large groups like church conferences and workshops. This is particularly important for Catholics who have a mandate to attend Mass each Sunday and fully, actively and consciously participate per Vatican II, and as Canon law commands to obtain the fullness of their faith.
"Captioning affects a large part of the US population – whether the deaf, hard of hearing, or those learning English. Within the subset represented by a church’s congregation, traditionally a sizeable number of people are older, and may appreciate the effort shown by the church to caption. Others may wonder why a program is not captioned – why they are excluded from understanding." (Source: http://tfwm.com/captions-where-do-we-go-from-hear/)
Captioning the Word: See http://captioningtheword.com
“If we can start to understand how
people with disabilities respond
to the church, then we can see
how other people who might feel
excluded can be drawn in". - See more at: http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201312/ramp-it-how-parishes-can-increase-accessibility-28230#sthash.2NCKxs0O.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."
"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
For those who use or know sign language, it is also another accommodation. However, of the 2 million deaf people (often defined as profound hearing loss (90+ pure tone average) on an audiogram) of the 48 million with a range of hearing loss in the USA, only 500,000 (which includes a range of hearing loss from mild to profound on an audiogram) know sign language so it is important to provide Universal Access and include all three common communication accommodations, being Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops in order to be inclusive of all deaf and hard of hearing people. There is also social, cultural and linguistic sensitivity to keep in mind as well. The deaf and hard of hearing who are oral/late deaf, and either grew up with the spoken word and then lost their hearing or grew up deaf in the oral tradition have a preference for access to the spoken language, and the community of such, and are perfectly fluent in the spoken language. A Deaf person who grew up in the American Sign language tradition, will want accommodation in sign language and do not 'seek treatment' although many wear hearing aids and cochlear implants, hovering in between the two concepts to get the best of both worlds, so we are diverse socially, culturally and linguistically speaking.
In order to provide God's word to all the deaf and hard of hearing, Captioning, Sign language and Audio loops/Assistive Listening devices need to be in place. Hearing aids and Cochlear implants, while helpful often do not perform well in churches. Culturally Deaf people needs sign language, the oral and late deaf need captioning (those with severe and profound hearing loss) and the hard of hearing (mild and moderate hearing loss) need audio loops or ALD's. ALD's and audio loops often are not strong enough for those who have severe and profound hearing loss, but ideal for the mild and moderate hearing loss folks. 90 percent of those with deafness do not know sign language. It is not considered appropriate to expect someone of one social, cultural and linguistic background to be expected to receive accommodations in another format. The oral and late deaf usually prefer accommodations in their native spoken language, whereas the culturally Deaf usually prefer accommodations in their native sign language. The hard of hearing (mild and moderate hearing loss) usually prefer more sensitive sound system like ALD's and audio loops.
It is important to realize the diversity within the deaf and hard of hearing population. There is also the deaf-blind as well with their own unique needs. The best way to find out which accommodation is appropriate for them is to simply ask them and not expect them to use another format that is not effective or is uncomfortable for them.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
"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
___________________________________________________________________
"One third of all senior citizens have
hearing problems" (CaptionsOn, 2010).
Thus when we focus on digital natives
and so-called Millennials, we risk
ignoring the needs of this fast-growing
group of older Americans." (Source: http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1667/1604)
_______________________________________________________________________________
"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)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"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."
___________________________________________________________________________
"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)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
" No captions is like no ramp for people in wheelchairs or signs stating ‘people with disabilities are not welcome."
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.
"The ADA calls us to be aware of and correct what we do that unnecessarily excludes people"
__________________________________________________________________________
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."
____________________________________________
Captioning in church services:
___________________________________________________
Real time 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.
___________________________________
"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)
_________________________________________________________________________
"CART 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. "
______________________________________
"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)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"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."
___________________________________________________________________________
"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 ADA calls us to be aware of and correct what we do that unnecessarily excludes people"
__________________________________________________________________________
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."
____________________________________________
Captioning in church services:
___________________________________________________
Real time 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.
___________________________________
"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)
_________________________________________________________________________
"CART 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. "
______________________________________
“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/)
_______________________________________________________________
"…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
__________________________________________________________________
“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 'Universal Communication Access' for the late deaf:
"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
_________________________________________________________
"When an event needs to be made inclusive, projecting the CART display for the benefit of the entire room can be the best way to provide universal access for Deaf, late deafened, and hard of hearing people, as well as people who might have some degree of hearing loss but who don’t self-identify as hard of hearing or deaf. CART is also useful for English language learners and people with dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, or ADHD. When the CART display is available to every audience member, no one has to feel singled out or as if they’re demanding special privileges. Everyone benefits."
(Source: http://composition.al/blog/2014/05/31/your-next-conference-should-have-real-time-captioning/)
____________________________________________
Lets pray that we break the
communication barriers for all!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Caption Catholic Tidbits:
Captioning is the Way to Go!
Clear Captions; FREE captioning for your phone calls: http://www.clearcaptions.com
_________________________________________________________
"…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
__________________________________________________________________
“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 'Universal Communication Access' for the late deaf:
"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
_________________________________________________________
"When an event needs to be made inclusive, projecting the CART display for the benefit of the entire room can be the best way to provide universal access for Deaf, late deafened, and hard of hearing people, as well as people who might have some degree of hearing loss but who don’t self-identify as hard of hearing or deaf. CART is also useful for English language learners and people with dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, or ADHD. When the CART display is available to every audience member, no one has to feel singled out or as if they’re demanding special privileges. Everyone benefits."
(Source: http://composition.al/blog/2014/05/31/your-next-conference-should-have-real-time-captioning/)
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Lets pray that we break the
communication barriers for all!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Caption Catholic Tidbits:
Captioning is the Way to Go!
Clear Captions; FREE captioning for your phone calls: http://www.clearcaptions.com
_________________________________________________________
Captioning on Glass: http://www.rosepeng.com/captioning-on-glass/
Instant closed captioning –interact AS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytT6E_p-GI&list=UU5UJmBev_7WpSZhW-Z29vTw
Deaf-blind communication: http://www.aadb.org/factsheets/db_communications.html
______________________________________________________________________
 |
Pray For Us All!
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)
_________________________________________________________________
|
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'.
_________________________________________________________________
Inclusivity for all: See https://www.captionfirst.com/Universal_Design_________________________________________________"Accessible meeting space allowseveryone 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)__________________________________________________________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.)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)_________________________________________________________________
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
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