Technology enables hearing-impared to experience worship

Posted: 3/03/06

Technology enables hearing-impared to experience worship

By George Henson

Staff Writer

RICHARDSON—A Texas Baptist church is using technology to make worship more accessible to hearing- impaired members and guests.

Through the use of Computer Access Real-Time—CART—translation, hearing-impaired worshippers at The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson can read the words of songs and sermons from a computer screen.

While many churches use sign interpretation, Esther Kelly of the Deaf Action Center in Dallas said that reaches only a small segment of the population.

“Of all people who are hearing impaired, only 6 percent to 8 percent know sign language. That means that there’s a huge population who need this type of help,” she said.

Susan Jones translates during a recent committee meeting of the CART ministry at The Height Baptist Church in Richardson.

CART is federally mandated for the hearing impaired in many arenas, such as college classrooms, to give equal access.

Churches are exempt from that law, but it points out the need for such a ministry, she said.

“I always joke that if you see someone falling asleep in church, it’s probably because they are not hearing, not because they are bored,” Kelly said.

She knows from personal experience. Kelly’s hearing loss came as an adult. For six years, she continued to teach Sunday school with the help of another teacher but then went home before the worship service because she couldn’t hear the sermon or read sign language.

“There are a lot of people like me who just stop going (to church). They don’t say anything because many, many people with hearing loss hide it,” she said

“I wish churches would get a vision here and see the mission field that’s out there. Churches won’t be overwhelmed with people because they have CART, but it has to be looked at as missionary work. How many people have to be reached before it’s worth doing?”

To keep up with the pace of speech, CART volunteers need training as court reporters, said John Palmer, senior adult minister at The Heights Baptist Church.

“It is not for people who have minimal skills in that area, because the words can come fast and get rather long,” he explained.

The Heights Baptist Church has two volunteers who meet the criteria—Michelle Varner and Susan Jones. Varner translates the 9:15 a.m. service, and Jones serves at the 10:50 a.m. service.

While Varner’s job requires her to take legal depositions, Jones works primarily as a CART operator for the hearing impaired in college classrooms and training sessions for corporations.

Many of her clients have cochlear implants and can hear well in small-group situations, but they still struggle in larger gatherings, she said.

The ministry at The Heights began when Jones noticed a man with a cochlear implant. On impulse, she asked him if he would be interested in her providing CART translation for him, and he said he would.

Sam Sewell, a 30-year member of the church who serves as usher chairman, is grateful Jones started the ministry. His 28-year-old daughter, Amanda, was born hearing impaired.

“Reading lips, she can get about 80 percent of what’s said,” he explained. “With CART, she gets 100 percent.”

That type of testimony energizes Jones.

“It’s just so satisfying, and it makes me feel like I’m really contributing to kingdom work,” she said.

Four or five people read the sermon from laptop computers most Sundays at The Heights, Palmer said.

But as congregations continue to age, the need may become greater, he pointed out.

“Growing old is a progressive series of little events that gradually isolate you, so anything we can do to prevent that, we want to do it,” he said.

Anyone involved with court reporting would have the equipment needed to perform the service, Jones and Palmer stressed. That means any expense to the church would be minimal if that person was a part of the congregation.

If the church needed to hire someone to do the translation, the cost could run as much as $125 per hour, depending on the location.

But as Sewell said, “That might not make it cost effective, but we’re not in the business of being cost effective.”