Depending on the criteria, the number of deaf people in the Netherlands is estimated at 10-40 thousand. The number of hearing-impaired people is much higher, at 1.5-2 million. So in the churches, too, there are a lot of members who cannot hear or are hard of hearing. Because hearing problems are an invisible disability, it is important to pay extra attention to what deaf and hard-of-hearing people need in order to participate fully in church life. After all, we are church together!
Impaired hearing
In every congregation, we know brothers and sisters who wear hearing aids. This usually allows them to participate reasonably well in church and in personal contact. However, a good loop in both the church hall and the other rooms of the church is a basic requirement for these members to be able to participate. As a church, invest in a good loop! Take the wishes and possible complaints of loop users seriously. For good info and advice, you can also contact the organisation Hear me∙NVVS
For hearing-impaired members, participating in circles and groups is often difficult, especially when more people are speaking at the same time. Sometimes they also suffer from ambient sounds coming in loud and/or distorted.
Many hearing-impaired people experience loneliness. This is because it takes them a lot of effort to participate in municipal activities. Because they literally get tired of it, many drop out. Therefore, have an eye and a heart for these members and look together with them for ways that they can participate fully in congregational life.
When church members are or become severely hard of hearing, sometimes even a loop is no longer sufficient. Usually, learning to sign is no longer an option either. Communication with others then becomes very difficult. With all its consequences, especially socially. But also, for example, during a pastoral visit. Always make face-to-face contact with them. And if necessary, write down what you say. Nowadays there are also good and free apps with speech recognition. Of course, this requires a smartphone or laptop. But such an app greatly enhances communication! You can also use a laptop on which you type what you say, read aloud and pray. A tip for church services is to arrange for the preacher to work out the sermon as much as possible and mail it to members who are severely hard of hearing.
Nowadays, there are also written interpreters. During conversations, meetings and church services, they type literally everything that is said and this then appears on a tablet or a larger screen. You can apply for a speech-to-text interpreter via Interpreter Contact.
Deafness
Deafness means much more than just not being able to hear. It has a tremendous impact on language and development, speaking, information and all kinds of contacts with the environment. Especially also a great impact on living together in the church community.
Broadly speaking, we distinguish the following groups of deaf people:
a. Early Deaf
These are people who were born deaf or before their 3e year of life have become deaf. They have usually developed a visual way of communicating. For this, different parts of the brain have become active than in hearing people. This group mostly likes to use Dutch Sign Language.
Fortunately, nowadays babies are already screened during the maternity days. This is important because then parents can start learning sign language right away. This is important for their child's development. When it is discovered that a child is deaf, it is often difficult for the parents. Moreover, they are faced with the choice of whether or not to have a CI placed on their child. As a municipality, it is important to support these parents. Be sure to enlist the help and guidance of the chaplain for the deaf.
b. Deaf with CI
Modern medical science has developed the possibility of a Cochlear Implant (CI). Through surgery, a number of electrodes are placed in the inner ear (the cochlea). These are connected to a transmitter/receiver, which is fixed in the rock bone behind the ear under the skin.
Once the surgical wound has healed, an electronic hearing aid is later attached to the outside. This electronic hearing aid converts sound into electronic signals. In the inner ear, these are transmitted via electrodes to the auditory nerve. This allows a new form of hearing to emerge. The interpretation of the new hearing is a matter of long practice. This device allows deaf people to receive and interpret sounds. The result varies from person to person. The maximum result is that a person becomes hard of hearing.
Of early deaf children, about 95 per cent get a CI. Some even get two. With good results, these children often go on to regular education later on. But it is still important to pay special attention to them in church too, especially as they do not hear everything and certainly in groups have difficulty hearing.
c. Late deaf
Late deaf people are those who after their 3e year of life have become deaf. Sometimes the cause is an accident. But there can also be a medical cause. A large group of people become hard of hearing or deaf in old age. What can occur at all ages is sudden deafness: a person becomes deaf in a short period of time (ranging from 1 day to several weeks or months). These people go through a difficult grieving process. They have to thoroughly adjust their lives. Pastoral counselling is very important in this process.
d. The deaf-plus people
These are people who have one or more other disabilities in addition to their deafness. These include the deaf-blind. Fortunately, there are good communication options for them too, but of course it is not easy. Many deafblind people have Usher's syndrome. They are often born deaf and gradually develop tube-blindness from puberty onwards. Furthermore, there are also deaf people with intellectual disabilities. Within the deaf chaplaincy is knowledge and experience available and we are happy to advise and assist church councils and church members. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Sign Language
Sign language was banned until 1980 because it was thought to be bad for the development of deaf people. However, it has been scientifically proven that sign language is actually good for the development of deaf people. It also totally suits their visual way of thinking and communicating.
Dutch Sign Language (NGT) is mainly used by people who have become early deaf. NGT has its own grammar and is a language in its own right. By 2020, NGT will be legally recognised. For deaf people, an NGT interpreter converts everything said by hearing people into NGT. Deaf NGT users omit their voice. Therefore, the interpreter is also a voice interpreter for hearing people. In this way, communication can be optimal.
In addition to NGT, there is also Dutch with supportive gestures (NmG). Older deaf and late deaf people in particular use NmG. This involves speaking plain Dutch and gesticulating in support.
There are also music interpreters nowadays. They portray the music in their gestures, facial expressions and body language. In short, sign language is a living language in full development.