"Accessible Technology,"  ADNotes April 2013.In today’s world, technology has great potential to make it easier for persons living with disabilities to participate in the body of Christ. That potential can be compromised, however, if congregations overlook the problems technology can present for people who see or hear less well than average.

Sometimes the terms "hearing impaired" or "hard of hearing" are used to describe people who have a mild to moderate hearing loss. 

The needs of people with a mild to moderate hearing loss are different from the needs of persons who have little or no hearing, usually described by the word "deaf."  See our Deafness page. 

A good introductory resource on "Hearing and Deafness" is found in the February 2010 issue of ADNotes.

Hearing inclusion in worship

• Regular use of a public address system for group gatherings
• A roving microphone used by all speakers who offer sharing, prayer requests, announcements, etc., If a roving microphone is not available, a leader who repeats each comment over the pulpit microphone is an adequate alternative.
• Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) provided for use in worship. Ushers should be educated on the location of ALDs and know how to assist persons wishing to use them.
• An alternate technological innovation for hearing assistance is the “induction loop,” which delivers a magnetic signal directly to a tiny, inexpensive receiver in a person’s hearing aid. Hearing aid users activate the "telecoil" (T-coil) receptor within their hearing aid simply by pushing a button. A loop system reduces background noise and greatly clarifies the sound heard by the listener.  Introductory article. Radio program.
• Proper lighting of the face of speakers so that persons who rely on speech reading (also called “lip reading”), can see the speaker. 

Additional information on resources for hearing inclusion can be found on the Congregational Accessibility Network (CAN) website.

Anabaptist Deaf Ministries

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