[Faith-Talk] Technology Review With Inclusion of the Blind in Faith Communities

Tue Dec 9 21:36:14 UTC 2025

Allen

Some churches are doing these things as a convenience for the rest of the congregation. Just thought I would let you know. And those that we have attended have been for the most part willing to adapt as we need things. You reminded me I have to email the church secretary and start getting my bulletins for the following Sunday via email because the lighting isn’t good enough for me to use my Magnifier anymore in Church. They already sent weekly announcements about what’s coming up, but my husband is the only one that gets those so I have to remind Lynne that he doesn’t share very well. Lol I think what’s your suggesting including making Facebook pages and websites accessible is good. I don’t know what kind of training you’re talking about from Jonathan Moen but some churches are now more willing to learn I think because of Covid. Everyone started putting things out on Facebook, etc., and just knowing what they can do would be very helpful. It all depends on the primary age group and the size of the congregation. Free is always enticing to churches so anything put out there needs to be free or low cost. I can only speak for the evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but I know most of them that I have attended had the loop system for the hearing impaired, so it worked with the hearing aids. I know one church who had someone in the congregation that was deaf and they had someone sign every service. That hasn’t continued, but not because it wasn’t wanted. It just wasn’t needed because no one that anyone knew of had a hearing impairment in red sign anymore. Kids grow up and move on you know. T They also have braille and large print hymnals which a Church can purchase for about $70. The large print can be photocopied so they can make a large print bulletins. They also pull from software and can create large print worship bulletins if they know there is need. We do have a person that is quite familiar with all kinds of disabilities and is the Disabled services representative or whatever if they call her for churchwide. I’ve sent her Braille to redistribute so people can portal a prayer and other devotionals. They as an office have also as assisted members and staff to get things emailed so they can read everything through a braille display. I cannot use one effectively enough so that’s why I’m asking her to email it to me the bulletin and music. I could use magnification on my phone so I am quiet. Just photocopying well scanning the bulletin with my phone wasn’t working.

It sounds like Linda and others are doing a pretty good job and I am anxious to see what they have. I am also anxious to see what they say in that tool kit because some of us have dual disabilities. I’m visually impaired and epileptic for example. I’ve been pretty lucky and been respected for the most part. But once I had a seizure in church and the pastor didn’t want me to teach the school anymore. Th That Pastor wife team laughed, and I never lost my Sunday school teaching position. There are people out there that don’t want to understand which is really sad because that’s a Christian calling I think. I just feel that if you’re supposed to embody the fruits of the spirit, you ought to be able to ask good questions and understand things from another person‘s perspective, in other words treating someone who happens to have special needs from blindness to nut allergies, ought to be treated with the same kind of respect and inclusion

Ericka Nelson
KE9DYN
Proud general class him license owner

> On Dec 9, 2025, at 2:58 PM, Linda Mentink via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Allen,
> 
> We are addressing this in the multi-faith toolkit that some of us here are working on with the Faith Inclusion Network. I will forward your message to the Executive Director, since I don't know anything about what Jonathan Mosen has done. I am not personally in needed of all that you suggest, which is why I'm not familiar with it all.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Blessings,
> 
> Linda
> 
> 
>> On Dec 9, 2025 1:08 PM, Allen via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi All,
>> 
>>                With the excellent accessibility technology being provided
>> through the Access-On hosted by Jonathan Mosen, wondering if any of our
>> folks have considered  summarizing and/or reformatting   selected content
>> with the intent of providing  it to church/congregational leadership?
>> 
>>                From my experience as a blind person, it is surprising how,
>> those who are otherwise experts in the use of audio and visual arts
>> technology, seem to be uninformed of, and unaware of the tools within their
>> tool-box of software applications which can be employed to accommodate
>> congregants with vision, or hearing,  loss in the life and ministry of the
>> church.
>> 
>>                The understanding is that there is/may not be anything unique
>> in the use of this technology for church-based application; but rather, is a
>> matter of repackaging the content with language that would resonate with our
>> congregations.  For example, speaking of making church bulletins/worship
>> folders  available in an accessible format, providing annual reports in
>> accessible Pdfs, or equivalent, providing Sunday morning worship songs/hymn
>> lyrics  in a form usable and concurrent along with other congregants, etc.
>> 
>>                This may seem to some of us to be obvious, or a given;
>> however, my experience over the past 20+ years has been the opposite.  Even
>> special education educators in our congregations seem to have a disconnect
>> in applying schoolroom classroom practices to the church.
>> 
>>                Welcome any thoughts.
>> 
>> Allen
>> 
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