Language is what maintains a human connection, whether it’s spoken or Sign Language. We use it to share thoughts and ideas and develop our point of view of the world. Language also represents the culture that uses it. 

Sign Language is the identity of the deaf community. However, deaf people don’t want to be isolated because of the lack of Sign Language, especially in religion. So, what is the role of religion in promoting sign language preservation, and why faith needs to support it? Keep reading to learn more. 

Why is Sign Language Important for Accessibility

The one thing that the deaf community has always struggled with is inaccessibility. It includes some inaccessibility to social services, public venues, education, and other sectors. Awareness is a big part of this issue. 

Sign Language as a Barrier

There are some public services and educational institutions to give deaf accessibility through translators and assistance. The problem seems to be with the religious community. 

Freedom of religion means everyone can access and practice their faith. However, there is a barrier to who is welcomed. The church, mosque, or synagogue should be an accepting place. Even Christianity preaches that God made everyone the way they are. That should be a reason to ensure that deaf people have the same access to the church.

The Exclusion of Hearing vs. Deaf Churches

There are far and few deaf churches established, especially in North America. The lack of access creates a less inclusive culture for the deaf community. That results in feeling excluded from the practice. There’s also an argument that hearing culture doesn’t respect ASL (American Sign Language). It’s a true statement considering the status of accessibility. Religion is hearing and spoken-based, and that can’t change. What can change is incorporating sign language into religious services.

Incorporating sign language into the church is challenging but doable. While getting a deaf religious leader or interpreter isn’t easy, it is helpful. What a deaf leader can do is impact the deaf worshippers. It’s not only about understanding the message but also about the atmosphere of celebrating with others. That’s what creates such an inclusive experience for people. It’s the feeling they get from being in a sacred place—that sense of belonging with the community. 

The Privilege of Hearing People

The privilege of not being deaf in this world means accessibility. Hearing people don’t have issues with where to attend a religious service. They can venture out, try new things, and see where they feel the most comfortable. There’s a sense of community that a person looks for in a religious setting. 

Deaf people must find an accommodating place for their needs, which can’t be everywhere because of a lack of resources or awareness. This leads to frustration within the deaf community as their connection to a spiritual entity is being denied because of inaccessibility.  Religious groups will pride themselves on welcoming all people, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. They should open more doors for the deaf population. 

Deaf Community as Visual Worshippers

Lost in Translation

As we know, deaf people use visual communication. The hearing world nor religious books don’t exactly support the need for Sign Language. People often think it’s as easy as signing the holy book in that language. That’s not the case because Sign Language is its language. There are different ways to convey meaning, structures, and mechanics that aren’t the same as the original language.  The meaning gets lost because of poor interpretation of who isn’t knowledgeable enough in the given Sign Language. 

American Sign Language is the foundation of the deaf community in North America. It represents their culture, how they perceive the world, and make meaning out of it. That’s why deaf people can’t just read a book and completely understand it. The meaning does get lost because the words written don’t hold the same significance as they would to a verbal language user. 

That is the trouble with not having religious texts translated into Sign Language. It is ultimately up to the believer as to how they interpret the message. 

How can they interpret the message if they cannot comprehend it?

Oral and Literate Cultures

Another aspect to consider is the oral vs. literate culture. The difference between these two is that oral culture doesn’t necessarily have a written form, but literate culture does, like in English. Therefore, the deaf community falls under the oral category because their language is visual. That’s why it’s important to have sign language in the church. In this way, religious texts are presented as a story. That is much easier for a deaf worshipper to conceptualize rather than struggling to decipher in written form.

The Future of Sign Language

If faith is about welcoming everyone, isn’t it only right to make it accessible to all people? 

The power of having sign language in religion is connecting two worlds, hearing vs. deaf. The barriers should be broken to give deaf people the opportunity to feel more connected to their creator. There has been an initiative for a brighter future for the deaf community, which includes the establishment of deaf churches, and some places are utilizing technology for deaf people to understand service with closed captioned videos or interpreters. 

The First Sign Language Bible 

In more recent news, 2021 led to a big change for the deaf community. After 39 years of intensive work, the Bible has been translated into ASL (American Sign Language). Over 100 volunteers teamed up to create the final version of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. It also includes videos to support the need for Sign Language to be visual. The Bible became alive for deaf people now that God speaks in their language. 

There is still more effort and awareness to span globally for all communities to have access to practice their beliefs. It’s a work in progress, but religion will be another area for the deaf community to gain full accessibility. 

To learn more about how the team at Unspoken Language Services is doing more for the deaf community, https://www.unspokenasl.com/

Thumbnail Photo Credit to: “One Religion [Explored]” by Rickydavid is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.