The neglect of the deaf and hard of hearing

                                  in churches 

If 'effective communication' (2010 revision of the ADA law) 

is not being provided for them its called discrimination.  Are the churches required to comply?  In a short word,

No.

Here is why the churches have little pressure to comply

to remove barriers for the deaf and hard of hearing: 

"  Title III of the ADA mandates that no individuals shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in their enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public accommodation. To comply with this provision, a public accommodation must remove barriers to full access of its facilities.

The equal access provisions of ADA, however,do not apply to religious organizations or places of worship operated by religious organizations."

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

Some churches do comply if the communication accommodation is 'effective'.  Most do not.

Many churches will say they can not afford to provide 'effective communication'.  None the less,

it still creates barrier to God's word and community ( full and active participation) if it is not being provided.  People can read the double standards when they see other ministries being funded, but not for the deaf and hard of hearing or even other disabilities for that matter (roughly only 50 percent of

all diocese have a Disability Ministry for example).   Disability Ministries are helpful because it serves as 

a springboard for accomodations and access, along with advocacy, awareness training and education of such that provides full, conscious and active participation resources for all Catholics.  It serves

to celebrate diversity in people by embracing and welcoming the 'stranger' among us much like multi-cultural ministries do.  

"What does it mean for communication to be “effective”? Simply put, “effective communication” means that whatever is written or spoken must be as clear and understandable to people with disabilities as it is for people who do not have disabilities."

(Source: http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap3toolkit.htm)

Examples of Effective communication:   http://www.dartmouth.edu/~accessibility/effcomm/index.html

"The importance for people with any 

disability to interact 

in a standard setting rather than do it 

differently is 

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

"Accessible meeting space allows

 everyone to participate." 

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

Catholics With Hearing Loss Yahoo Forum Group

If you are Catholic with a hearing loss (mild to profound) and  interested in
discussing with others about how to make the Mass and other parts of church
life more accessible, along with supporting one another spiritually  - Subscribe at

cccatholic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Group Description

Catholics with Hearing loss interested in having the Mass in CC (CART), audio induction loops and other accommodations, along with conferences and workshops and how to support accessibility in the church and one another.