Deaf Awareness. Including D/deaf people in the life of the Church

Transcription

1 Deaf Awareness Including D/deaf people in the life of the Church

2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Communicating with deaf people 4 Visibility 4 Clear speech 5 Allow time for communication 6 Communication needs of deaf people 6 Listening with communication aids 6 Lip-reading 7 Using written English 7 Using sign language 8 Including deaf people in Church life 8 Good lighting 8 Copies of sermon notes, drama sketches, prayers 8 Using visual aids 8 Good positioning 9 Clear instructions 9 Sign language and other communication support 10 Loop 10 Social events 10 Ask what helps 10 Occasional Offices 11 Involving a deaf person in a group 11 A person who relies on lip-reading needs If a deaf person is using communication support 14 Using interpreters and other communication support 14 Checklist before booking communication support 16 You must provide Other points to consider 19 Booking communication support 20 Addresses of two interpreting agencies 20 Further information 21 Learning British Sign Language 22 Qualification levels in British Sign Language 22 What happens when an interpreter is not available

3 Introduction You may have noticed in the title on the front D or d of this leaflet the use of D/deaf. It is not a typing error. We wanted to draw attention to the way some deaf people understand themselves. Deaf people consider themselves to be part of the Deaf Community with its own culture and language, British Sign Language. Deaf people in the Deaf Community use a big D for Deaf people in the Deaf community. They look on being deaf as positive and not negative and don t see themselves as disabled. Some deaf people see themselves as disabled by their deafness, which may vary between a partial or profound hearing loss. Usually these deaf people have a spoken language with which to communicate through lip-reading, hearing aids and speech. Some Deaf people consider this approach to deafness to be negative since they do not look on themselves as having a loss. Why should we be making sure we include deaf people in the church? Including deaf people in the church is not only about providing access through communication support and technology. It is also about our attitudes to deaf people. Deaf people have gifts and skills that can enrich the life of the Church alongside others. There are many different ways of communicating with deaf people. Whatever the deaf person s preferred communication they may have difficulty in communicating with hearing people. This can lead to a sense of isolation. It is important to take note of some basic awareness when communicating with deaf people. 3

4 Communicating with deaf people Visibility Face the deaf person so they can see your face and lips. Make sure the deaf person is looking at you before you speak. You may get their attention by a gentle tap on the arm or shoulder or by waving if you are further away. (Don't wave your hand in front of their face.) Do not cover your mouth with your hands, cigarettes or cups. Make sure the deaf person can see your face and there are no obstacles between you and the deaf person. Make sure there is enough light on your face to lip-read. Do not stand with your back to the light as your face is in shadow and this makes lip-reading more difficult. Move to a position where the deaf person can see you more easily. Clear Speech Speak clearly and not too quickly. Some deaf people lip-read and others may also have the help of hearing aids. Speaking clearly, with clear lip patterns will help lip-readers and will also help hearing aid users to understand speech more easily. Do not exaggerate lip patterns as this will make lip-reading harder. Do not shout! This will only distort lip patterns and will also cause embarrassment. Be ready to repeat when a person has not understood what you have said. You may need to rephrase what you have said. Some words or patterns of words are more difficult to lip-read than others, so rephrasing could make it easier. Use simple words rather than complicated words. 4

5 Even without the beard, lip-reading has an element of guesswork Cut out as much background noise as possible. Hearing aid users pick up all sounds through their hearing aids and not just what they want to hear. Cutting out the background noise will make it easier for them to hear you. Allow time for communication Be ready to write down what you say if necessary. If you haven't understood the deaf person, do not be afraid to ask them to repeat what they have said. Be patient. Give the deaf person time to reply and don't turn away too soon. 5

6 Communication needs of deaf people There are various degrees of deafness but just knowing someone is deaf does not tell you what their communication needs are. Listening with communication aids People who are hard of hearing, that is they only have a slight hearing loss, can usually make use of a hearing aid and a loop to follow a meeting or service of worship. Hearing aid users not only pick up the sounds they want to hear, they also pick up the noises they don't want to hear. Hearing aids amplify sounds like echoes, rustles, coughs and whispers with the same intensity as the voice which a person is straining to hear. Also the further away from the sound source the hearing aid user is the more difficult it is to hear. Apart from the on-off and volume switch, many hearing aids have a third switch, 'T', which makes it work like a tiny radio receiver. The sound from the microphone passes through an amplifier to a loop of wire which goes round the church. This loop of wire acts like a transmitter aerial and anyone switched on to 'T' can pick up the signal and hear the voice at the microphone, even if the person is many feet away from the speaker. We call this an induction loop. If you have a loop in the church make sure you have a sign that clearly shows this fact in a visible place as a person comes into the church. Lip-reading Then there are those who have become severely or profoundly deafened later in life. A spoken language is their first language. They may be able to make some use of hearing aids and a loop. They may need to lip-read a person who is speaking. 6

7 They may need access to the written word. They are not able to hear enough to be able to understand speech through hearing aids. Using written English People who have become profoundly deaf and who cannot lip-read and cannot understand sign language need the written word to follow speech. These people need a reasonable command of the English language to communicate in this way. They can often speak and make themselves understood. Speech-to-text operators and Palantype operators can enable people to understand speech through the written text. Note takers may also help. Using Sign Language Some people have learnt English as their first language but can use sign supported English (SSE) where a person signs and speaks English at the same time to communicate. They may or may not lip-read. Some deaf people are bilingual and can use both British Sign Language (BSL) and English. British Sign Language is a language in its own right. Deaf people may have a preferred language for communicating in different contexts. Some deaf people, usually those born deaf, use British Sign Language as their main communication. This means that English is their second language and for some deaf people using English is difficult. Use of a capital D in Deaf represents a deaf person identifying with the Deaf Community. 7

8 Including deaf people in Church life Good lighting People who lip-read need good lighting. Make sure there is light on your face and not behind you. If the light is behind you, for example from a window or spotlight, your face will be in a shadow making it difficult to lip-read. The light needs to be bright enough. Low lighting found in some churches is not satisfactory; it places a strain on the lip-reader s eyes. Copies of sermon notes, drama sketches, prayers Copies of the parts of the service which are not in the service book can help deaf people to follow more easily. Using visual aids Remember that a deaf person can't lip-read and look at a visual aid at the same time. So pause when you show a visual aid and give people time to look at it. If there is much text, reveal a section at a time to give people a chance to read it. Good positioning This is important, both for good sound and to enable lip-readers to see your face. Stand where people can see and hear you. Be aware of lecterns which are too bulky or high and hide the reader s face. Be aware of other church Hide me in the shadow of your wings 8

9 furniture or architecture which may obscure the face, for example microphones can hide the lips. Be ready to change the tradition of standing in a particular place! It is better to lead intercessions from the front as lipreaders cannot follow if something is happening behind them. Similarly, it is impossible to lip-read the back of someone celebrating the Eucharist facing away from the congregation. Avoid standing too far from the deaf person. Be aware that if you have a beard it may be difficult to lip-read. Clear instructions Make sure that everyone has understood. It is helpful to include the references for the readings and order of service and hymn numbers on a weekly newssheet. Make copies of the Bible available so people can follow the reading, preferably in the same version as the person reading from the front. Sign language and other communication support If the deaf person uses sign language use an interpreter to help them contribute to the life of your church. If the deaf person needs other communication support then provide it. Remember deaf people have gifts and skills too and can enrich the life of your Church alongside others. Encourage members of the church to learn sign language. Some deaf people may need to use a lipspeaker or speech-to-text operator. 9

10 Loop Make sure your loop works efficiently with the public-address system and that people know it s there. Check the loop regularly, ideally with hearing aid users. It is possible to get equipment that will allow a hearing person to listen in to the loop. Consider getting a portable loop for use in places that do not already have a loop installed and ensure that someone takes responsibility to set it up. Social events Clear communication is important. Make an effort to speak clearly and not too quickly. Give people time to respond. It can be easy for a deaf person to feel isolated in a group where everyone is talking. Make sure the deaf person is looking at you when you are speaking so they have a chance to follow the conversation. Ask what helps Deaf people will be able to tell you what is helpful or unhelpful if you ask them. Show them that they are worth including. Actions and positive attitudes speak louder than words! Occasional Offices Remember to ask if there will be deaf people present and check what communication they need. Be flexible about the way you conduct services. For example, when conducting a funeral at the crematorium be aware that if deaf people are watching an interpreter they will not see the curtain close or the coffin disappear from view when the minister says the prayer of committal. It is better to arrange to press the button at the end 10

11 of this prayer and to tell the interpreter to look towards the coffin so the deaf people will know where to look. During marriage preparation for marriage between a deaf person and their hearing partner do not expect the hearing partner to interpret for their deaf partner as this introduces an inequality in their relationship. It is better to use an interpreter. When baptising or confirming deaf people with others make sure they have a chance to reply to the responses. Remember a deaf person cannot see your face or their interpreter when their head is face down over the font. Involving a deaf person in a group People who have never worked with a deaf person in a group may find it difficult to adjust at first. Group leaders must take responsibility for making sure people understand and follow some simple guidelines A deaf person who relies on lip-reading needs... To be able to see your face. This will mean looking at the deaf person even though you may be responding to someone else in the group. This is not natural to do. It also means keeping your hands away from your face. To know who is speaking. Each member of the group will need to make sure the deaf person is looking at them before they speak. Therefore it is important to show when they wish to speak so the deaf person knows who is speaking. People must repeat what they have said if necessary. 11

12 To know if there is a change of subject. Lip-reading involves much guesswork, so it helps to know the subject of conversation and to know when this changes. Time to respond. Lip-reading needs much concentration and does not leave much energy for thinking about the issues or questions presented. When the deaf person makes a response the group may have moved off the subject. A break from lip-reading. If discussion of a subject continues over coffee or lunch break then be aware the deaf person may miss out. A dilemma for deaf people is the need for a break from lip-reading and yet a need to feel part of the group and to get to know people. Lip-reading in a group gathered for coffee is hard work and including a deaf person is also hard work. Ideally there should be a fiveminute eye break after every thirty minutes. When working in several smaller groups it is helpful for the deaf person if their group moves to a separate room. This helps reduce background noise that hearing aids pick up and helps a communication support worker in their task. If a deaf person is using communication support: Make sure the deaf person has a chance to respond. The deaf person will be behind the group in receiving information through the communicator. It is also easier to forget a deaf person is part of the group when you do not communicate with them direct. Remember that both the deaf person and the communicator need a break. There should ideally be a fiveminute break after every thirty minutes. 12

13 The deaf person needs to know if there is a change of subject since it helps the interpreter sign in the right context. Allow the deaf person and communicator to choose the best place to sit as it will depend on lighting and whether there is visual information the deaf person also needs to be able to see. Please make sure that if you use visual information that you allow a pause to enable the deaf person to look. Unlike hearing people the deaf person cannot listen and look at a visual presentation at the same time. The window for lip-reading can be quite narrow 13

14 Using interpreters and other communication support Each deaf person has their own preferred method of communication. You must respect their preferences. Be aware that some deaf people may prefer a different method of communication in different contexts. Some professional Deaf people attending conference prefer an SSE interpreter to a BSL interpreter when the speaker presents a paper in English, even if the deaf person normally uses BSL. When using communication support, for example, a lip-speaker or an interpreter, it is important to look at the deaf person and not at the interpreter or lip speaker. Direct your questions and comments to the deaf person. Checklist before booking communication support It is important to have as much information as possible before booking interpreters, lip-speakers and speech-to-text operators. Below is a checklist and some comments to help you consider what you need. How many deaf people will be present and what are their communication needs? If you have more than one or two people needing speech to text for example, you will need an operator with the equipment to put text on a large screen. You may not know how many people will be present but it is helpful to have some idea. Do not delay booking interpreters, lip-speakers or speech-to-text operators as they are in great demand and short supply. If people have to register for an event you are organising, ask them to specify any particular communication needs when booking and do not delay in arranging for this support. 14

15 Is there more than one type of communication support needed? For example, a speech-to-text operator and a BSL interpreter. How long is the event? For example, an all-day event will need at least two interpreters. Who will pay for the communication support? What sort of event is it? The type of event influences how many communicators it involves and the skills needed. For example, a lecture needs a different skill from a meeting where there will be much discussion. Some subject matter may be emotive, for example, dealing with child protection issues. You may need more than one interpreter or lipspeaker. Types of event and some considerations might be: A Lecture or Presentation where one or two speakers provide information. Please ensure that speakers provide their notes to interpreters or communication support workers well before the event. If you are having questions from the floor please ensure that people can hear and don t be afraid to stop people and ask them to speak clearly for the benefit of all and not just interpreters. Ensure people use microphones for the loop and if they need to come to the front allow for this when planning your time. Lip-readers appreciate people speaking from the front. A service of worship may follow a particular format and need people to stand in particular positions. If you have a confirmation for a deaf person you may need to book two interpreters because the deaf person being confirmed needs one and the deaf people in the congregation need another. Weddings may also present 15

16 similar challenges. If there will be a video taken of the service then the interpreter needs to know. A service that makes emotional demands on interpreters is a funeral or memorial service. It s a good idea to let an interpreter know if you expect a large congregation or if it is the funeral of a young person or child or a suicide. When you are planning meetings it is helpful to provide information on the agenda, the background information of the meeting and the names of people present. Consider using large name cards if seated around a table. Control discussion. It is a good idea to get people to say their names before speaking and only allow one person to speak at a time. If this is a large group or discussion on an emotive subject then you may need more than one interpreter. If you have drama or theatre productions then it is a good idea to have the interpreter attend the last rehearsal to enable them to familiarise themselves with the production and the best place to stand. You must provide Copies of orders of service, readings, prayers, talks, sermons, agenda, script, words of hymns or songs including those sung by a choir or solo, translations into English of words sung or said in another language. This is essential so interpreters can prepare for your event. Provide the copies in large print on A4 paper. Translation into BSL from English is hard work and even SSE is hard work so interpreters need these notes 16

17 preferably a week in advance and much sooner than just before the event starts. If you are providing copies of hymns it is helpful to provide large print so the interpreter can see it on a stand that doesn't impede their signing space. It is also important to provide all the words because words of hymns do vary from book to book. Other points to consider What lighting do you need? Some buildings will need extra lighting to see the interpreter or lip-speaker easily. You may need to think about how this might affect your use of an OHP, a screen for speech-to-text, use of candles. It is almost impossible to lip-read by candle light. Tell any visiting speakers there will be deaf people present. Let them know that you need copies of their notes early and make sure you pass on those notes to the interpreters immediately. There have been cases where the speaker has provided their notes and worked hard to do so but the 17

18 interpreter has only received them before the talk because someone didn't realise how important it is to pass them on. It is a good idea to give a copy of this booklet to visiting speakers before the event. Positioning of deaf people and interpreters. It is a good idea find out the best positions before the event to avoid moving furniture later. It is a good idea if deaf people can see what is going on at the front. Deaf people already miss out by not hearing and being at the front enables them to see the interpreter and what is happening and to link the two together. Do you need to provide a platform for the interpreter? If so, please ensure the health and safety of all. The interpreter was determined to be seen Think background! It is difficult to lip-read or watch an interpreter... If there is bright light from behind, including the sun through the windows, so think about time of day too. If there is a patterned background or pictures, especially if they are bright and colourful. It's lovely to have art to brighten the place up but make sure there isn't anything distracting to the eyes of a deaf person it does make a difference. If there are people moving in and out of the background 18

19 (or the foreground) it is distracting. Deaf people cannot carry on listening like hearing people while watching something else. Think obstacles. Is there a pillar in the way? A microphone? A music group? Will the procession if you have one, get between the deaf people and the interpreter? How can you get round this? If there are many deaf people present it may be better to ask people not to stand up unless interpreters are on a stage because often interpreters are difficult to see around other peoples heads. Allow for timing within your schedule. If you need breaks then make sure you schedule them in and tell speakers and others who are leading or chairing an event. Booking communication support Having decided on the communication support needed by deaf people book the support as soon as possible. Don t forget to be clear about the address of the venue and provide a map if necessary. It is a good idea to provide an emergency contact number at the event for the interpreter or communicator. Make sure you are aware of the cost of administration if you are using an agency. Make sure you are aware of the cancellation costs you will have to pay the full cost if you cancel less than a week in advance and half the costs if you cancel less than two weeks in advance. Again check with the agency or interpreter because their rules may vary. 19

20 Addresses of two interpreting agencies These interpreting agencies should be able to help you find interpreters (SSE or BSL), lip-speakers, speech to text or palantype operators and note-takers. SONUS The Language Services Dept. 1 & 2 Carlton Commerce Centre, Dukes Road, Southampton SO14 0SQ Telephone: Fax: r.holmes@sonus.org.uk First Point Rentwood Resource Centre, School Lane, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 9JX Telephone: Fax: Minicom: ssd.sia@surreycc.gov.uk Further information If you need further help or advice with booking an interpreter or communication support then please contact the Deaf & Inclusion Co-ordinator. The Co-ordinator has details of other interpreting agencies and contacts for freelance interpreters. If you need further information or help on including deaf people in your Church, the Co-ordinator is happy to advise. Contact details are on the back page of this booklet. 20

21 Learning British Sign Language Courses in British Sign Language can be studied at colleges of further education. Sign Language qualifications are provided by Signature ( Their website provides details of what qualifications can be learnt and where. It is helpful for sign language users if there is a group of people in your church who can communicate in sign language so a deaf person has more than one person they can communicate with. It takes a long time for someone to train to become a qualified interpreter. Qualification levels in British Sign Language Level 1 Award in Deaf Awareness and Communication Level 1 certificate in BSL Level 2 certificate in BSL Level 3 NVQ Certificate in BSL Level 6 NVQ Certificate in BSL An interpreter in British Sign Language is a highly skilled individual who has not only learnt sign language but has also learnt to translate from one language to another. He or she will translate from English into British Sign Language and from British Sign Language into English. 21

22 What happens when an interpreter is not available? There is a shortage of sign language interpreters so sometimes it will be difficult to get an interpreter when you need one. The recommended minimum level for someone to assist in communication at a church service is level 2 provided that they are given all texts well in advance including sermons and prayers. The Diocesan Co-ordinator works closely with people who have level various levels of BSL qualifications and/or experience of working in a Christian context. If your church wants interpreted services on a regular basis you must either use a trained interpreter or enable someone with level 2 skills to advance in their skill level. Courses in British Sign Language are expensive and time consuming so be aware of a persons family and other commitments. People learning British Sign Language will need full support and opportunities to meet with Deaf people locally. Do not pressure someone who has some signing skills to interpret. Misunderstandings can arise if communication is not clear. Contact the Co-ordinator for advice and support if you have any concerns or questions. 22

23 Further information If you need further help or advice with booking an interpreter or communication support then please contact the Deaf & Inclusion Co-ordinator. The Co-ordinator has details of other interpreting agencies and contacts for freelance interpreters. If you need further information or help on including deaf people in your Church, the Co-ordinator is happy to advise. Contact details are on the back page of this booklet. Copyright 2007, The Diocese of Guildford First produced by Susan Bloomfield The cartoon drawings are by Ron Wood Copyright June 2007 This booklet may be copied, in whole or in part, with local amendments as appropriate, and used non-commercially, provided that the author and source are duly acknowledged. 23

24 Communities Engagement Team, Diocesan House, Quarry Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3XG Deaf & Inclusion Co-ordinator Tracey Wade Tel: Mobile: SMS (txt/voice) Fax: Or Open to All Adviser Suzette Jones Tel: Large print versions of this booklet are available on request