Don't ignore the deaf and hard of hearing in Church

Ignoring your hearing loss won’t make the problem go away. 

 Having the church ignore the problem won’t make it go away either. 

 Remember that bumper sticker that says ‘I’m not deaf, I'm ignoring you'? 

 Ignoring the deaf won’t make the problem go away.

 They still don’t have access to church life unless there is Captioning, Sign Language and Audio Loops, whichever is their social -cultural and linguistic preference that works for that person and makes it effective in order for them to fully participate at Mass.  

Captioning, though benefits a wide spectrum of those with hearing loss and including other ‘disabilities’ that need comprehension and effective communication support by providing captioning of the spoken word.

Don’t look the other way and ignore the deaf and hard of hearing in church.

Why not advertise a simple but very evangelizing message to them in your bulletins and newsletters saying:

Are you deaf or hard of hearing? Can’t hear the Mass?  Audio Induction Loops, CART/captioning, and sign language is available upon request.  Contact ABC person at XYZ number or ask  your pastor for further information.

That way it lets people know what is available, and that they can actually

ask for it in order to participate in church.  Otherwise, how will they

know they can ask for it and what to ask for?  

Encourage your diocese and churches to reach out with this

very simple message letting them know the church is accessible to them.

                            Can't Hear the Catholic Mass?


Does your diocese or church have this in their newsletters and
bulletins to make it known that their churches are accessible?


Are you deaf or hard of hearing?  Can't hear the Mass?  Audio
induction loops, CART, and sign language is available upon
request.  Contact your diocese at...........or ask your pastor for
further information.

"The leadership of a church needs to adopt a Church Disability Policy that includes adhering to the ADA to end disability discrimination--and make it known. The church can end its disability discrimination by pro-actively utilizing universal design, that is, by designing things and activities in a way that includes people who have impairments and pro-actively making accommodations available to people who could not otherwise participate—and making known what is available."

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

                Are the Churches Prepared? 

"The Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1992, changed the landscape of accessibility to public places in the United States. In general, churches are exempt from ADA. The law applies to the church if it has 15 or more employees and one of them has a disability. ADA also applies to the portion of the facility a church rents for a fee, which must then be accessible to people with disabilities.”

Nevertheless, ADA has had an impact on churches by creating a set of standards for accessibility. Church leaders who desire to make their facilities accessible to all people now have a benchmark that they can meet—or exceed—to accomplish this goal."

Source:  http://www.churchlawandtax.com/web/2013/march/prepare-way.html?start=4

"Various ways exist to accommodate the needs of deaf or hard-of-hearing worshipers. Signing is one alternative that provides an attractive and public volunteer ministry for interpreters. Another is called "real time" closed-captioning of songs and sermon wording on a video screen. This will require investment in a computer, software, caption encoder, and a stenographer with the skill level of a court reporter to enter the data. Some churches feature amplification systems for people with hearing impairment but who are not deaf.”

Source:  http://www.churchlawandtax.com/web/2013/march/prepare-way.html?start=4

My comment:  You don’t need to buy all that real time closed captioning system.  An ASR CART transcriber can provide that, or a steno  CART transcriber, or a voice writer  CART  transcriber – the three forms of CART real time captioning.  Its part of the price of their service.  The only thing that is needed is any cell phone, tablet, laptop on the clients part that has internet connection.  Either 4G cell phone/tablet, or wifi/laptop.  The person views real time captioning on their cell phone or tablet.

While screens can be placed on the wall or projected on a screen, more and more people are using the cell phone and tablet to view real time captioning.

               The deaf and hard of hearing lost in the shuffle

"Oral deaf and hard of hearing people often resent being viewed as being part of the Deaf community which is often the result of a mainstreamed confusion about the provision of accommodation. In addition, the hearing population can be puzzled by the myriad of communication options and communication supports resulting in situations where a needed accommodation is attempted, but falls short. For example, non-signing people with hearing loss regularly arrive at events advertised as accessible expecting appropriate amplification or text-based access, only to find a signed language interpreter standing by but no captioner or amplification technology. "

Source and see more at https://www.chs.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/beyond_ableism_and_audism_2013july.pdf

             What is the Speech Banana?

Hearing Loss Simulator: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hearing-loss-simulator/id398352094?mt=8

                         Personalizing the Homily


"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)

"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

"You get the jokes, the satire, the innuendo. You have full access. You are an equal participant. That’s CART Captioning. That’s Communication Access Realtime Translation.”  (Source:  http://www.realtimeworldwide.com/services/cart-communication-access-realtime-translation/)

"Accessible meeting space allows

 everyone to participate." 

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

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." 

 (Source:  http://limpingchicken.com/2014/01/16/deaf-discrimination-to-deaf/)

                            What is Voice Writing?


See Voice Writing:  http://www.cleveland.com/employment/plaindealer/index.ssf/2012/09/voice_writingcaptioning_offers_flexibility_and_job_opportunities.html


CART and Voice Writing Schools:  http://www.bccr.edu/pages/voice-writing-school/