Sharing the Gospel with the Hard of Hearing “Hearing loss and deafness is an invisible disability. You can’t tell if a person is deaf or hard of hearing just by looking at them. Especially if they are like teenage me, who styled her hair purposely to hide her “embarrassing” hearing aids,” writes Llandaff Diocese’s new Deaf Community Mission Outreach Worker, Nicola Roylance.
Many people are still like teenage me, embarrassed by their hearing loss and/or hearing aids. How can we as churches, help those people without drawing attention to them?
Nicola is passionate about sharing Jesus with people who may not hear about Him in traditional ways. Here she explains why inclusivity matters and highlights some small steps churches can take to be more welcoming to people with hearing loss:
A quick checklist could be: • Ensure the loop is always switched on and that it works. • Ask all speakers to use the microphone, ensuring their voice goes through the sound and loop system. • Put all important information in writing, whether in a newsletter or on the screen so that no one misses out.
Nowadays I am confident in my deaf identity, but it took literally years to be comfortable asking people to repeat themselves, to face me when they are talking to me or to ask for access to assistive devices that some public buildings have. Teenage me would have been mortified of bringing attention to her deafness. She spent her time nodding along, hopefully in the right places, and straining to understand teachers or preachers rather than ask for them to switch the loop system on.
There are many more ways we can be deaf aware but putting these 3 things in place immediately increases accessibility and inclusivity without drawing attention to those who are not comfortable being singled out. Teenage me would have been very grateful and I know other people will be too.”
Top Ten Tips to Boost Inclusivity in Your Church 1. If you are investing in wheelchair ramps, make sure they are designed for a door that is usually open. If you have more than one door, make sure there are ‘welcomers’ at each one. 2. Think about the language you use. Instead of saying “Please stand”, say, “Please stand if you are able.” 3. Use ‘friendly’ fonts which are easier for people to read, e.g. Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, and Calibri. Text should be at least size 12, avoiding italics, all caps, and difficult colours. 4. Avoid fluorescent or compact-fluorescent bulbs if you can. Also, try to avoid bright spotlights. 5. If you have a loop system in place, make sure that it’s tested and working properly. Also make sure that posters are displayed to let worshippers know that they can use the loop. 6. Make your printed materials available online. These could be emailed in advance or downloaded by visitors. The text can then be enlarged on a screen, if necessary. Also, don’t assume that someone using a phone or laptop isn’t paying attention! 7. If your website includes images, make sure a description of the image added to “alt text.” Alt Text is read aloud by a screen reader. 8. Consider ways in which those with mobility impairments can go up to receive communion along with the rest of the congregation. 9. D on’t touch someone without asking them first. Don’t grab a person who is blind or pet a guide dog without asking permission. Respect personal autonomy and don’t touch someone’s wheelchair without asking. 10. Think about identifying a quiet space, where someone could go if they feel overloaded during the service. Normalise being able to get up and go outside if necessary.
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