Contact Cathy Blatnik for Interpreters in your area, blatsie63@yahoo.com or 517.381.1410
Mass Schedule
St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor
503 Elizabeth Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Interpreted Mass on the first three Sundays of each month at 9:30 a.m.
Holy Redeemer, Burton
1227 East Bristol Road, Burton, MI 48529
Every Sunday, the 11 a.m. Mass is interpreted
St. Gerard Church, Lansing
4437 West Willow Street, Lansing, MI 48917
Interpreted Mass once a month
See Mass schedule for Lansing area below:
St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing
219 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933
Mass signed by the priest approximately once a month
See Mass schedule for Lansing area below:
St Jude Church, DeWitt
801 N. Bridge Street, DeWitt, MI 48820
St. Jude offers interpreted Mass upon request. Please call Denise at 517.881.9641 by Friday morning if you want interpreting for the Saturday Mass.
Lansing Mass Schedule
St. Mary Cathedral
219 Seymour Ave
Lansing, MI 48933
St. Gerard Church
4437 W. Willow Highway
Lansing, MI 48917
St. Mary Church
201 N. Westphalia Street
Westphalia, MI 48894
Masses in other Dioceses
Archdiocese of Detroit
St. John Deaf Center
14057 E. Nine Mile Road
Warren, MI 48089
Sundays at 11:00 a.m.
586.439.0146 VP (Office)
Our Lady of Loretto Church
West Detroit Catholic Deaf
25700 W. Six Mile Road
Redford, MI 48240
Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
248.318.4839 Voice
Information
The televised Diocese of Lansing Outreach Mass is closed captioned for the deaf/hard of hearing populations. The Outreach Mass airs at 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on WLAJ Lansing TV3 and at 10:00 a.m. on WBSF-TV Flint Channel 46 (CW Network).
Please contact your local cable provider for channel information.
VLOG now has a voice
Father Michael Depcik, OSFS has, for several years, had a website which consists of a VLOG or visual blog, all in American Sign Language (ASL). The Sunday homilies, the Rosary with each set of mysteries; stories about Saints and other links can be found there. The VLOG is now also in spoken English so those who do not know sign language can benefit as well. To visit the VLOG, go to www.frmd.org. The name of the website is Father MD's Kitchen Table.
The Catholic Mass shown daily and Sundays on EWTN is now being live-captioned for deaf and hard of hearing people. The Mass is aired live at 8:00 a.m., with repeats at noon, 7 p.m. and midnight. Check with your cable provider to locate the EWTN channel in your area. Please share this information. Their e-mail address can be found at their website: www.EWTN.org
To find EWTN in your area, visit: http://ewtn.com/channelfinder/
Assistive Technology for Hard of Hearing People
Assistive technology is available to enhance hearing in churches and parish buildings. This is often done by adding equipment to the existing public announcement system.
Assistive listening devices (ALDs) can be thought of as binoculars for the ears. They increase the loudness of specific sounds by bringing sound directly into the hearing aid or ear.
ALDs solve three problems:
- Minimize background noise
- Reduce the effect of distance between hard of hearing people and the sound source
- Override poor acoustics
ALDs can be used in large areas like churches, one.on.one at meetings, in restaurants and even for television viewing in one's own home. There are three types of assistive listening system technologies: FM, Infrared and Inductive Loop.
Each one:
- is cordless
- works well
- works with or without a hearing aid
- can experience interference
- comes in wide area (for churches) or personal versions
FM systems work by transmitting radio waves to receivers worn by the hard of hearing person. They can cover 200+ feet and are generally connected to the public announcement system.
Inductive loops transmit through an electromagnetic field and are often permanently installed. The hard of hearing listeners are seated inside the looped area. People with telecoil hearing aids do not need to use a personal receiver with this system.
Infrared systems are less suited to churches because they are susceptible to interference from bright sunlight. Excerpted from www.hearingloss.org
The Americans with Disabilities Act has specific requirements regarding assistive listening equipment in new construction and alterations. Please refer to the ADA for this specific information: www.hearingloss.org
Parishes can contact the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Ministry Office for information about assistive listening devices to be installed in churches and church facilities to assist hard of hearing members who do not hear well.
Organizations and Links
National Catholic Deaf Organizations
The National Catholic Office on Deafness (NCOD) holds an annual conference which is crucial for deaf Catholics to keep informed on what is happening in the Church. These conferences provide a wonderful opportunity for networking with others in the field.
International Catholic Deaf Association (ICDA) is a membership organization for deaf, hard of hearing or hearing individuals which holds a biennial gathering.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Related Links
Sign language Instruction www.ASLPRO.com
Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing website
Information for hard of hearing people
Gallaudet University (deaf/hard of hearing university)
Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical institute for the Deaf
The following companies sell assistive listening equipment for people who are deaf or hard of hearing or deaf / blind. These include alarm clocks, fire alarms, telephones, FM and loop systems, low vision telephones, etc.
Harc Mercantile, LTD for assistive listening equipment