Sharing the Christmas Message in Real Time Captioning

"Faith come by hearing how will they hear if there is no one to preach?" (Roman 10:14-17). 

                                                                      ( Source: http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a3.htm)

This was the first Christmas in which I heard the Christmas message from the priest during the Homily (and announcements and Universal Prayers as well) via real time captioning.   It was a joyous  Christmas morning receiving the gift of hearing God's Word.    I was so excited when I was told that the Christmas Mass was going to have real time captioning so I could  have access to the Christmas Mass.   I felt like a kid eagerly waiting to go to church Christmas morning.   Words appeared on the screen during the Homily in real time conveying the priest's message, and I got all the humor, emotions, and laughter too.    The priest witnessed the real meaning of Christmas - The Joy of the Gospel.   May everyone have the opportunity to hear the Christmas message, and share it with everyone.   Merry Christmas! May the Lord bless everyone with their moment of Epiphany too!

                      Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 

                                          (Col 3:16)  

                                                 (Source:  http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/daily/easter/4-wednesday.htm)

      

                    Captioning Shares the Message

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

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"If we find that diversity, then we are going to put in the ramp. And we'll put in the elevator and we'll add real-time captioning [for the deaf]." 

(Source:  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-10-19/news/0110190023_1_disabilities-accessible-open-hearts)

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"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)

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"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

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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 )

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"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)


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 "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)





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"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)


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Myths about the hard of hearing (and 


severe to profound hearing loss, oral 


deaf and late deaf):  


See http://hearinglosshelp.com/weblog/seven-myths-hearing-people-harbor-concerning-hard-of-hearing-people.php





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" 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/)



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"The faithful are called to spread the




 word, and captioning makes that more




 achievable. " (Source: http://www.closedcaptioning.net/webcasting/captioning-church-programming)







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“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/)




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The Deaf/deaf/HOH need Universal Access:  

"When designing a space or 

planning 

an event, we need to strive for 

universal access—so that all 

members of our communities can 

attend and participate. This means 

that, in addition to ramps and 

elevators, we need assistive 

listening technology like hearing 

loops and captions, and signage 

that makes it clear that the service 

is available. This is a goal that we 

can achieve, but in order to do so, 

we need to change the way we

 think about communication and 

hearing access. "

- See more at: http://agewisekin

gcounty.org/en/134/1/661/Too-Many-People-with-Hearing-Loss-Miss-Out.htm#sthash.em7Uhug6.nW91Nm7I.dpuf

(Source:  http://agewisekingcounty.org/en/134/1/661/Too-Many-People-with-Hearing-Loss-Miss-

Out.htm#sthash.em7Uhug6.dLa2G9JJ.dpuf)

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" Listening is a most important form of 

active participation." 

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

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

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“The ripple effect extends

 beyond those with hearing 

impairment."

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

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Thanks for Listening:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2011/12/thanks-for-listening-a-christmas-homily/





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"§ 211 §    Every person should be welcomed into the worshiping assembly with respect and care. It was the prophet Isaiah who announced the Lord's message: "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."  " (Source:  http://www.archatl.com/ministries/disabilities/livingstones.html)




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"Catholics with disabilities are much more likely to be inactive Catholics than their non-disabled counterparts." 
(Source:   http://www.adoremus.org/3-00-Tevington.html#sthash.zuG5hvks.dpuf)

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"We want people with any disability to be nourished in the faith and to be able to contribute to the life of the parish community," Benton said. 
(Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1003026.htm)

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When You Can't Hear the Mass:

 http://thepracticingcatholic.com/2011/08/29/when-you-cant-hear-the-mass/

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"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)

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"The homily is a Personal word. "Before anything else...the Sunday homily is the word of a person of faith, the word of a person who has experienced the Lord and who wishes to share that experience." (page53). Paul VI said that our modern world thirsts for authenticity and a homily that is personal will communicate verbally and non-verbally the preacher’s authentic love of God and pastoral love for the assembly."

(Source:  http://www.preacherexchange.com/br_writtentextbecomes.htm)

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"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)

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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. 

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"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)

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"Accessible meeting space allows

 everyone to participate." 

(Source: http://www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm)

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 Catholic Mass for the Hearing Impaired  
      

The Christmas Mass in real time captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing or hearing impaired (and any one really who might benefit like English as a second language, learning disabilities, CAPD, auditory dyslexia, ASD, LD, short term memory issues, visual learners,  or  anyone who benefits watching the CC just like on TV)  at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Ashburn, VA:  http://www.sttheresa-ashburn.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eGXW60xx4Og%3D&tabid=106&mid=451

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Pope Francis and Blind and Deaf/deaf Catholics in English subtitles 

notice the real time captioning screen on the far left of the stage!

:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5FLq7-6pf4

Sign language was also available (in Italian Sign Language).

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History of the song 'Silent Night':  http://silentnight.web.za/history/

Silent Night:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCwnwXm7RDA (lyrics on screen)

Silent Night with subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79iF6du9pHo

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Lord Hear Our Prayer

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

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

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

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Pray For Us All!

See: http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/mary_do_catholics_pray_to_her.php

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                           Aid to the Church in Need:  http://www.churchinneed.org/site/PageServer?pagename=mainpage

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What is the Mass?:  http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/mass.php

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

     Returning to the Church:  http://landingsintl.org/returning-to-the-church/

             Once Catholic?:  http://www.oncecatholic.org

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

(text guided version offered to follow along)

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


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Witnessing to Catholics:  see  http://www.oncecatholic.org

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Evangelizing Catholics: 

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/evangelizing-catholics

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Got a Question about the Catholic Faith? 

Catholic Q and A -- See:  http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/site_map.php

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Nice Year Round Christmas Gifts:

Catholicism; Its Your Story:  http://www.catholicismseries.com/watch

Catholicism; a Journey to the Heart of the Faith:  http://www.amazon.com/Catholicism-A-Journey-Heart-Faith/dp/0307720527

Catholicism DVD set is in closed captioning! (my favorite)  :  http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/dvd/catholicism-series-dvd-set-ntsc/1036/

This has both English and Spanish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, whether your language is English or Spanish! You are going to love it!

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"It's not enough to know Christ, we must bring him to everyone!" - Pope St. John Paul II

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





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"Accessible meeting space allows 



everyone to participate." 



(Source: http://www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm



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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)











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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-Caption Catholic