Many churches have members with hearing loss. How can pastors make their sermons accessible to all folks with hearing loss?
One option is to use a speech-to-text transcription service. There are several software options online, with Dragon being very popular. Like all programs, the software will have to be trained to the speaker’s voice, so a period of time will be needed for adjustment before pastors can start successfully transcribing sermons.
Kyle Keasler
Gone are the days of leaving the church wondering what the pastor said. (As a deaf person myself, I can relate to that. I remember visiting a church where I had to ask my wife each Sunday for clarification on things because I couldn’t understand the pastor.) If a church does not have a personal FM system in the sanctuary, then making sermons available in print is a necessity. (Side note: Personal FM systems are life-changers!)
This doesn’t replace the need for American Sign Language interpreters. If a person identifies as “Deaf” (uppercase), then they likely communicate through ASL. People who identify as “deaf” (lowercase) have no hearing ability unless aided by a personal listening device (such as a cochlear implant or hearing aid) and may communicate by ASL and/or speech. Then there are the “hard-of-hearing” folks who may have age-related hearing loss but still communicate primarily by speech.
Deaf/deaf/hard-of-hearing ministry is needed to adequately meet the needs of all folks with hearing loss. Pastors can begin a plan of action by talking to their members with hearing loss to find out what their degree of hearing loss is and what communication method is best for them. My church has the perfect setup for me; I can sit anywhere in the church and hear my dad preach. Gone are the days of sitting up close just to speech-read. The gospel can be accessible to all folks. It just takes some adjustment on our part.
(Editor’s Note: Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors and Greenville Baptist Association will host a weekend event July 14-16 for the state’s deaf community. For details, visit https://baptistcourier.com/2017/04/deaf-event.)
— Kyle Keasler (www.facebook.com/kkeasler, kkeasler13@gmail.com) lives in Seneca and attends Westminster Baptist Church. He is a consultant and full-time teacher for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Oconee County schools.