Video Transcript: Differences in Hearing and Vision

In both of these situations, it's interesting to know that sometimes hearing is different, because actually, we're having a difference in our hearing.  You know, you've taken a hearing test, and those results are different.  Sometimes hearing can be different because of the way we piece together what we hear - a person's perception.  

That's true with vision as well.  Sometimes it's a vision difference in that it's our ability to see something, but sometimes it's a difference in visual perception.  Remember those strange pictures I was showing a few weeks back where they had those lions and so coming out of the picture, right?  So, visual perception.

I just want to talk a little bit about what can be part of our community.  Now, it depends on where you live.  Again, and I understand that.  But many times universal design features, if you are in a position where you can request some things in your building, there are possibilities for people with hearing differences by creating areas with a hearing loop or some kind of hearing magnification system that's piped into the microphone system of your church.  So, you know, again, where you might have a sign language interpreter, that's part of your community.  It might be that you are aware of the fact that you need to increase some of the visuals in your community or that you need to remember to use closed captioning, if you are showing a video or something like that, because of the people who are part of that.  So again, there, there are so many different tools that you can use, from sign language to aids that help people be able to see things while they're hearing them to be able to make sense of them.  

I will say I come to this discussion as a person who does have a hearing aid.  And church can be a very confusing place for me.  I have one ear that's fairly typical.  And one that is, when I take it out - I've got the hearing aid out - I have very little hearing in that ear.  In fact, it has solved any issues in our marriage that involves snoring of my spouse, because if I get put my good ear on the pillow, to sort of close it off, I can hear zero snoring in the bedroom.  So this is one of those things that has been an interesting part of my life.  

But also interesting is that a hearing aid doesn't fix everything.  In fact, coffee time at church, and this would be particularly true if I had one in each ear, can be very difficult.  It magnifies all of the sounds. I don't know where sound is coming from.  Somebody calls my name and even with a hearing aid, it's not equal in hearing, and I'm trying to figure out where that sound is coming from.  So again, it's not a perfect system.  It helps, but it can be difficult.

I often try to find that place of a little more quiet and less confusion if there's a big group of people, because that helps me as a hearing aid, a person who wears a hearing aid, to be able to navigate that a little bit more easily.  So, and the other thing is true.  I don't even with that hearing aid have great hearing.  And so here we are at prayer time at the church, and everybody puts their heads down.  And especially if it's a group of women, and I don't know why their voices are so quiet.  So I either have to pray first so that I make sure that nobody else has prayed for my item, or I don't, because I haven't exactly heard what everybody else has contributed to the prayer.  

So again, there are so many situations where people who might have a hearing difference, sure, maybe with a mic system, or maybe with some things like a hearing loop, interacting with the microphone system, the amplification system, that's a much better deal.  But it's those informal times or times when people aren't mic’d.  And that gets me, too.  It’s sort of like, Oh, do you want to use a microphone, they'll say to the speaker.  I'm like, yes, yes, please choose yes because even if it's a little bit louder, it's easier for me to focus on your voice.  They're like, Oh, well, that's a small room.  I think we're okay, I'll just talk louder.  That doesn't work for me.  So, again, just some things to think about, I think can be really helpful.  

Many churches don't have a sign language interpreter.  And so I think that's one of those things that we need to be open to.  I right now attend a church where there is a sign language interpreter most of the time, it's very casual.  There's a group of people that know she's going to be there and so they come when they're in attendance.  They can't really participate in the service if she's ill.  I don't know that we have a backup plan.  

But it was really neat last, last week, somebody sent me a picture from church because at the end of the service, they were blessing a missionary family that was leaving for a space of time.  And they were friends of one of the members of the deaf community.  And so again, with that sign language interpreter, there were two people who participated in prayer ministry through that interpreter, and it was just a beautiful thing.  

So I, I think, again, same rules apply.  Use the gifts, provide those supports as needed.  But I think, since so many, especially those who are elderly experience hearing differences, please be aware that even in small group settings, people appreciate having a microphone, having a mic’d conversation.  People appreciate having some options, so there's not this one giant, loud place for coffee, but maybe a couple of coffee pots, if that's possible.  So there's not a full commotion every time you try to get a cup of coffee.  But those kinds of things.  Just be aware that for some people that can be confusing, especially if you are wearing a hearing aid.  

We put this picture up as a reminder, again, I am very tired.  I love it when there are pictures or visuals around, too.  It just lets me double check that I heard what was said.  So that again, I have one ear that is pretty stable that hears well.  But wow.  Two is ideal.  And I don't have that.  So as I look at pictures, or I always turn the closed captioning on on my own TV at home just because I can see the words then; I can double check that I heard accurately.  So be sensitive to that.  And it's a very common thing.  There are many people that either have a hearing loss, or are part of that deaf community.  So we need to provide those tools.  

But again, I mentioned that sometimes it's not about hearing itself, but interpreting what we hear.  And for some individuals, as the sign says, sound bite… every third… right?   So we don't always hear everything.  And so using those positive comments of always say what you want that individual to do, but hearing can be spotty.  And so using pictures along with that are good.  

And remember, even with hearing, that picture of raining cats and dogs, that perception of what I've heard, sometimes is impacted by having a literal interpretation or interpreting something differently.  I am always amazed and ask a lot of questions when I'm gathered in a community that has people from a variety of cultures.  Because we say a certain word in this arena doesn't necessarily mean it will be interpreted the same way in that particular culture.  So hearing can sometimes be about interpretation.  

And it isn't always about having a hearing loss.  It might be about just difference and understanding a concept, difference and understanding a word.  So just remember that as you think about people with some hearing differences in your community.  Very common, especially as people age.  And, again, being sensitive to that, providing amplification systems available, visuals when possible, so that people can have good communication - what's going on?   

Ah, yes.  And sometimes slowing down.  I suppose with hearing too with hearing language.  Even that having English as a second language or whatever is your first language spoken in your congregation, and we're dealing with a variety of individuals that may not have that as their first language.  We need to be sensitive to that too.  

All right, some differences in vision.  And again, my friend Ken Medema.  Have you heard of him?   You should.  He is with Briar Patch music.  And Ken is in the middle.  I've done some sessions with him.  He's been part of training that I do in different places in the country.  But one of the things that Ken has is that he's a phenomenal musician.  

So he has gifts that he brings to the setting.  And when Ken talks about that, too, he needs the opposite of what that person with a hearing difference has.  He relies heavily on that spoken word in order to navigate because he is unable to see.  He said to me once he can see some, you know, lights and in in that but he can't make out anything else.  He was raised by some people who did a phenomenal job on teaching him to look in someone's direction and he gives a lot of credit to people who were part of his upbringing.  But I think Ken also would say a few things.  

Please be careful.  If you are giving messages make sure that you are using words.  If you put something in the bulletin with a little mark that says everybody please stand, but nobody says it, he will have no clue that he's supposed to stand up.  So he's relying on people giving that verbal instruction.  And I think that that's really important.  

Ken has a very well trained ear.  In fact, he rode in my car once and he said, in case you want to know, the note that turns your car on is in A major, or something like that.  I'm like, seriously.  So he's got perfect pitch.  And he creates these songs that are just phenomenal.  But a gifted man, but lots of reminders.  He does a lot of worship leading in churches, but he relies, again, on people giving him that information.  He travels with someone who can speak into his ear to say, you know, this is what's happening around you, but if that person weren't along, it would be really helpful to have some individuals who could do that with and for Ken.  

Again, I talked about this earlier, how important advanced information is, about the woman in the church who prints things off on a Brailler.  We need to be ready to embrace some of those things as well in this area.  So again, just an awareness.  And a really great question, Ken, in order for you to best use your gifts here, how can we come alongside you.  

And that was true for this gentleman as well.  I think I showed his picture earlier on as I was highlighting a church with universal design features and using the gifts of each one.  But this gentleman, too, needed to have some specialized equipment in order to act as a worship leader within that community. Gifted musically, but needed to have a large monitor sort of flipped on its side.  It took some time to get things onto that monitor but now that they have a system worked out, he's able to play, sing, because they have a very large piece of equipment that's interacting with how his eyes can receive the information.  So, again, Ken would be unable to see such a piece of equipment.  But as they looked for the gifts for this gentleman here and interacted with him, what would you like to do, and he really would like to be on the worship team, they figured out how to do it by equipment.  

So again, everybody's going to be different.  There are so many tools, so many tools these days.  Again, getting information ahead of time, putting it on your iPad, making it big, making it the size that you need it, having a Brailler to print some things off, all of these things are tools that I think are important.  Having, you know, the option.  Do you have an individual … I know, there was a company that would turn children or youth material into material with Braille, so that people could access that as well in their church community.  So if you keep eyes open as you need to access some of these pieces of equipment, many of those are available at no or low cost and a community to help serve the church; their ministry.  So depending on where you live, they there could be some organization in your area that can turn key pieces of materials into a Braille presentation if that is what would be helpful to you.  

All right.  And then may I say those are, again, very individually getting to know some people who may need some alternate options.  I wanted to talk to you a little bit about a few other things that can happen.  Sometimes it's not about vision, sometimes it's about perception.  I would say a couple of the tools that have been super helpful and continue to be helpful is their readability issues.  

There are readability issues with PowerPoint, there are readability issues with even items that are on a piece of paper.  And I'm going to actually find something that I can demonstrate this with.  Here we go.  I think I've got something in my arsenal over here.  I just would love to show you what a difference something like this makes.  The contrast.  

So for some individuals, having a layer that allows it to change the background color can really make that print stand out.  And so what was not readable before is now readable.  So stocking a few things like this, that highlighter tape that I've showed you, and maybe I can just even make that more impressive on this piece of paper, but what you're basically doing with both of these items is changing the background to something that's readable. 

So if you ask a struggling reader what is the most difficult print to read, they will almost always tell you black on white.  That black and white contrast is not helpful.  The letters float.  It's not easy.  But sometimes if you just change the background color, it can stabilize in that person's eyes; those letters.  So these are tools we certainly have around schools, but I don't know if a person benefited from this why we wouldn't stock or offer some of these options within a congregational setting as well.  

So background color can be important.  Or if you're running something off for a reader's theater at church, to do it on blue paper instead of white paper might be really helpful for someone.  So just a reminder that, again, sometimes it's vision and sometimes it's changing the color contrast, because it's how the brain is perceiving those particular letters and that print.  So a couple of tricks, having some large print editions around.  And let's talk about PowerPoint for a little while, too.  

Let's just imagine that we had a person who was unable to see the PowerPoint.  We hadn't supplied the information ahead of time, so they didn't have access to it on their device.  And the PowerPoint consists of these powerful visual images with printed words.  And the auditory part was just this beautiful piece of music that was playing.  Right.  So what would this person experience from that PowerPoint?   Well, pretty much just this beautiful piece of music.  So we have to be careful with PowerPoint.  

Also, there are readability issues with PowerPoint.  How many words do you put on one slide?   What's a good color contrast to use with PowerPoints?   We will certainly supply a link to you in this week's learning that shows you what those readability standards are, what good color contrasts are, what large print is.  So we're going to put this out in large print.  What does that mean?   What size font does that mean?   So we want to give you some of this information.  It can be really, really helpful for lots of members of your community.  But as you think about readability issues, as you think about vision differences, these can be huge.  

So yeah, it gets tricky, doesn't it?   So in one hand, we were talking about persons who may need increased visuals because of hearing issues.  And now we're talking about people who need increased auditory because of vision issues that many times.  So it comes down to supplying options within a congregation.  Why not just have a large print option?  Why not just make materials available ahead of time, then people themselves can take those items and turn it into something that works for them.  They can run it off on a Brailler; they can go ahead and view it at a distance that works for them.  There are so many different options within both of these areas.  But again, it's providing those opportunities, and also coming alongside certain individuals to really get to know what that person might need and what that person might appreciate.  

So that was a quick trip through three and plus diverse areas.  But we didn't want to offer this course without at least touching on some of the highlights in those areas.  Not complete information, but certainly some information to get you started.  And go back to those same rules, that framework.  I feel comfortable giving you pieces of information because go back to that framework, what can you do via universal design?  Create participation.  Options?   And then going back to that individual?   How do we gather information and come alongside an individual who may need a personalized plan?   

So there we go.  Wow.  All the way through Week 10.  And the next week will be completely covered by my colleague Tori White, who's going to help us think about individuals who may have some challenging behaviors.  How can we think about that in our congregations and put together some plans that makes sense?  So have a wonderful day and look forward to the next part of this course.