We write this not as a “call out” letter, but as a “call in” one. We are asking all who care about fostering cultures of inclusion to move virtual programming, group calls, community meetings and beyond to a platform that is accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing communities. The growing reliance on computer platforms for social interactions given the constraints imposed on all of us during the COVID-19 crisis has seriously increased barriers faced by many people. The resulting isolation experienced by those who cannot access online options is real, profound and life threatening.
We are part of a small group of people who have been gathering regularly to partake in virtual worship services. As we started to make plans in March to proceed online, we learned that there were individuals who wanted to join but who would be excluded if we did not include captioning. Figuring out how to do that took some time and a bit of ingenuity. It also required patience as many of us, not techno-savvy to begin with, struggled to figure out a different platform than the one to which we had grown accustomed. But the reality is that the frustration of figuring out how to find the mute button in a different place than where we are used to seeing it pales in comparison to the isolation experienced by those cut off from communication because of inaccessible technology.
Will you join us in this effort to create programming that invites those who are deaf and hard of hearing to be a part of it? It takes some forethought and a willingness to adapt. But, in the end, we are all enriched by broadening the groups to whom our spaces are open.
Susan Donnelly, Jennifer Levi, Lauren Meade, Mary Stanton, Anne Bussler, Heather Deirdre Norman, Deanne Loonin, Ruth Barham