Links to useful websites
Interesting article (mainly for the American market) about AI and hearing aids.
AI & Hearing Aids: How AI Is Helping Those With Hearing Loss (aifwd.com)
BID Services,
BID is a charity that provides specialist support services for those with a hearing loss http://www.bid.org.uk
ATLA
(Association of Teachers of Lipreading to Adults) https://atlalipreading.org.uk
LiveControl Guide to Accessible Worship
https://blog.livecontrol.io/post/guide-to-accessible-worship
Organisations accepting unwanted hearing aids
- Lions Clubs International www.lionsclubs.org
- Sound Seekers www.sound-seekers.org.uk
- The Hearing Care Centre Recycling Scheme www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk
Anna Chaplaincy
Anna Chaplaincy supports older people emotionally and spiritually. Anna Chaplains are community-based, offering such support to older people in residential care, congregations, in their own homes and in the community at large. We aim to promote the spiritual welfare of all older people, irrespective of someone’s professed faith or not.Inspired by the widow Anna who appears with Simeon in St Luke’s gospel – both good role models of faithful older people- it began in Alton, Hampshire. Broadcaster Debbie Thrower was appointed the first such Chaplain for Older People. Chaplains offer spiritual and emotional care to people of strong, little or no faith at all. Originally the result of a covenant-signing between Anglicans and Methodists, there are now Anna Chaplains from across the denominations: Catholics, Baptists, URC, Free Evangelical Churches, as well as Anglicans, Methodists and others have joined in developing this community-based way of supporting older people and their carers. It has grown dramatically since becoming part of The Bible Reading Fellowship, (BRF) in 2014. Just as with BRF’s Messy Church that’s enjoyed phenomenal growth, BRF is the home of Anna Chaplaincy; it supports, resources and enables its work.At the heart of Anna Chaplaincy for Older People is a growing network of Anna Chaplains based in urban, suburban and rural settings across the country. To date 1 there are 167 Anna Chaplains (and others in equivalent roles in ministry among older people) in the Anna Chaplaincy network in the South-East, South-West and other Home Counties, in Scotland, Wales, Northumberland, Cumbria and the Midlands.
Rail cards for disabled people
www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk
Equipment for deaf and hard of hearing people
e.g. to alert people to the door and phone, amplifiers for TV and phone, alarm clocks etc. Deaf and hard of hearing people can also apply for VAT exemption on many of these items.
Connevans www.rnidconnevans.co.uk
DeafEquipment www.deafequipment.co.uk
Living Made Easy www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk
RNID (formerly Action on Hearing Loss) www.rnid.org.uk
National organisations for deaf people
- RNID (formerly Action on Hearing Loss) www.rnid.org.uk
- Hearing Link www.hearinglink.org
- National Association for Deafened People www.nadp.org
Local organisations and resource centres for deaf people
- Hello Church www.hellochurch.co.uk This community group seeks to raise awareness among churches in East Sussex of issues experienced by Christians who are British Sign Language Users, lip readers and those with hearing loss
- East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre www.eshrc.org.uk This is a registered charity aiming to improve the quality of life for Deaf, deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing people living in East Sussex
Charity Commission
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) AfterWorkNet
Churches for All
IVSS-Churchear
International Nepal Fellowship
Open Ears Facebook Group
Enter your Facebook account and then search for ‘Open Ears Fellowship Group‘ and then request to join.
Lip Reading Services
LipReader | Expert Lipreading Services | The Cochlear Community
Resources for accessing worship and teaching online
The BSL Church Worship Group on Facebook and YouTube is still the best resource for information about what’s on. Each Sunday, a group of Church leaders take it in turns to present a service in BSL.
Streamed services with interpreters:
Many Churches are now making their streamed services accessible by including BSL/English interpreters and/or subtitles. Below is the list as currently known.
Do check. Times may change.
Kings Church London In person BSL interpreted services are held every Sunday except the first Sunday of the month at 9.30 a.m. at the Lee site. A service led by Deaf people is held on the first Sunday of the month, except January and August, at 10.30 a.m., also at the Lee site. Talks from the main services are on the website. A closed captions and BSL interpreted option is available.
Merland Rise Church, Tadworth (10.30am)
Rising Brook Baptist Church Stafford: (10.30am)
Bromley Town Church (10am)
Wood Green Church, Worcester (10.30am)
Kerith Community Church (9.30am)
Bilton Evangelical Church (10.30am)
Belfast Christian Fellowship Church (10.00am)
Derby Vineyard (You can select Facebook or YouTube) (10.30am)
St Matthew’s Church, Walsall (10.00am)
Bridgewater Baptist Church Eccles
Holy Trinity Brompton: HTB at home
Looking for something else this Sunday?
The Church of England streams a service each Sunday at 9am with subtitles and a BSL interpreter.
Mark Smith’s YouTube channel always has a Sunday offering, accessible to hearing and Deaf people as it is signed and captioned.
Word of Hands (Birmingham) have a short act of worship with sermon each Sunday.
Watch out also for their excellent children’s videos under the name of “Lighthouse Kids”
Metropolitan Tabernacle has a Deaf Ministry page on Facebook where you can see interpreted sermons and talks
The Catholic Deaf Association offers a signed mass each week on their YouTube channel
Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York during the second national Lockdown
Other resources
New Wine United Breaks Out teaching and worship is available via their Accessible Church playlist on YouTube
BSL Daily Devotions – short devotions based on a Bible verse for each day
Go! Sign Website has some lovely videos of parables of Jesus in BSL and If you are looking for Bible Study material, you can see the Christianity Explored Course translated into BSL:
And some beautiful worship songs in BSL
Christian BSL is a resource site offering a searchable database of BSL vocabulary. It also has a prayers and readings section where individual items may be downloaded.
Sign & Word: has Christian reflections, drama and prayers in BSL on YouTube
When you cannot attend a funeral is a short service in BSL based on a service created by the Church of England life events team. It is in BSL with spoken English and captions and may be used by people in their own homes when they can’t attend the funeral of someone they loved who has died.
Rev Canon Gill Behenna. Deaf Ministry Adviser
Email: gill.behenna@churchofengland.org
mobile: 07715 707135
Both the BSL and DANCE UK BLESSING can be viewed via our BLOG page.