Sunday, March 31, 2013

How Deaf Members Of The LDS Church Enjoy General Conference In The Conference Center

When A Deaf person comes to Salt Lake City to watch a live session of General Conference, the LDS Church goes through great lengths to make sure that the Deaf person can enjoy General Conference in American Sign Language. 
Located inside the General Conference Center and hidden from public view is a room entirely dedicated to interpreting each of the sessions of General Conference in real time as it occurs. Among the many languages that Church provides translation for during General Conference is American Sign Language. Take a look at the impressive roster of languages that is interpreted during General Conference: 
Below is myself in the one of the rooms where the translations take place during General Conference.
In one of the rooms is where American Sign Language Interpreters sit in front of the camera and interpret the talks as they unfold. Either the Choir sings or when the audience the hymns, a Deaf person will interpret the music in front of the camera. What is being done in that room will be broadcasted to  Deaf members who are either in the audience at General Conference as well as those who are at home watching it on television or the Internet. The recording is seen in the Church's broadcasting room as seen below: 
For Deaf members who have come to the Conference Center,  the Church has set up two television screens for the Deaf members to watch. The reason why there is two television screens will be explained more in detail in a little bit.
Throughout General Conference, Deaf members will either be able to see the the talks translated into American Sign Language on the left screen or watch the conference just with closed captions on the right screen.
The reason why there are two screens is that not all Deaf people understand American Sign Language. There are many reasons for this. Some Deaf people were not taught ASL as a child but learned how to speak. Others learned different types of Sign Languages such as Signed Exact English (SEE), Pidgin Sign Language, the Rochester Method, and Cued Speech. Some deaf individuals have become Deaf later in life and never had the opportunity to learn ASL. There might be other Deaf individuals who know ASL but prefer to watch it with closed captions. As a result, watching General Conference with closed captions or in ASL gives Deaf members the freedom to choose to watch either screen to help them enjoy General Conference.
The LDS Church is aware of that not all Deaf people communicate in the same way. I appreciate the Church's sensitivity and efforts to make General Conference easily understood for all Deaf members in the Church here in America. Perhaps, some day in the future, the LDS Church will provide this opportunity for all Deaf people around the world in their nation's sign language

Thursday, March 28, 2013

April 2013 183rd General Conference Broadcast Scheduale For Deaf Members of The LDS Church

The LDS Church has released the schedules to view General Conference with American Sign Language Interpretation on multiple television and online formats. Look at the scheduale below. If you know someone who is Deaf and is a member of the LDS Church, please refer them to this scheduale. This is also a great missionary opportunity to invite those who are non-LDS Deaf to learn more about our Church. 

1.  Internet ASL Schedule
2013 General Relief Society Meeting
Saturday, March 30, 2013

March 30 6pm LIVE

1) Type conference.lds.org
2) Click on “Live Conference”
3) Click on “Watch Live”
4) Click on “Select Another Language”
5) Choice “American Sign Language ASL”

April 6-7th General Conference
Saturday and Sunday Sessions
April 6 & 7, 2013

 April 6 and 7 at 10am and 2pm LIVE

1) Type conference.lds.org
2) Click on “Live Conference”
3) Click on “Watch Live”
4) Click on “Select Another Language”
5) Choice “American Sign Language ASL”

April 2013 General Conference
Priesthood Session
April 6, 2012

Provided in the Conference Center or in your local meetinghouse only.
2.      KSL, Comcast, and BYU TV ASL Schedule
2013 General Relief Society Meeting
Saturday, March 30th, 2013
KSL Television 5.3

March 30 at 6pm             LIVE                 (English)
March 30 at 8pm             Rebroadcast      (ASL)

October 2013 General Conference
Saturday Morning Session
April 6, 2013

KSL Television Channel 5 and 5.1
April 6 at 10am  LIVE (English)

KSL Television 5.3
April 6 at noon Rebroadcast (ASL)

Comcast 105
April 6 at noon Rebroadcast (ASL)

BYUtv & Global
April. 14 at 10 am Rebroadcast (English and ASL)

April 2013 General Conference
Saturday Afternoon Session
April 6, 2013

KSL Television Channel 5 and 5.1
April 6 at 2pm  LIVE (English)

KSL Television 5.3
April 6 at 4pm Rebroadcast (ASL)

Comcast 105
April 6 at 4pm Rebroadcast (ASL)

BYUtv & Global
April 14 at 1pm Rebroadcast (English and ASL)

October 2012 General Conference
Priesthood Session
October 6, 2012

Provided in the Conference Center or in your local meetinghouse only.

April 2013 General Conference
Sunday Morning Session
April 7, 2012

KSL Television Channel 5 and 5.1
April 7 at 10am LIVE (English)

KSL Television 5.3
April  7 at noon Rebroadcast (ASL)

Comcast 105
April 7 at noon Rebroadcast (ASL)

BYUtv & Global
April 21 at 10am Rebroadcast (English and ASL)

April 2013 General Conference
Sunday Afternoon Session
October 7, 2012

KSL Television Channel 5 and 5.1
April 7 at 2pm LIVE (English)

KSL Television 5.3
April 7 at 4pm Rebroadcast (ASL)

Comcast 105
April 7 at 4pm Rebroadcast (ASL)

BYUtv & Global
April. 21 at 1pm Rebroadcast (English and ASL)
3.      Closed Caption (CC) Schedule
2013 General Relief Society Meeting
Saturday, March 30, 2013
March 30 6pm LIVE

Provided live in the Conference Center or in your local meetinghouse only.

Rebroadcast at 8pm:
18 BYUTV (Southern UT)
21 BYUTV (Northern UT)

April 2013 General Conference
Saturday and Sunday Sessions
April 6 & 7, 2013
April. 6 and 7 at 10am and 2pm LIVE

5 KSL
5.1 KSL - Digital
18 BYUTV (Southern UT)
21 BYUTV (Northern UT)
143 SiriusXM
374 Direct TV
9403 Dish Network

April 2013 General Conference
Priesthood Session
April 6, 2013

Provided in the Conference Center or in your local meetinghouse only.
4. Roku ASL Schedule
April 2013 General Conference
Saturday and Sunday Sessions
April 6 & 7, 2013

April 6 and 7 at 10am and 2pm LIVE

To stream general conference through a Roku player, download the Mormon Channel app from the Roku Channel Store.

Live video broadcast: Mormon Channel > Broadcasts and Events > Live Broadcasts

Languages: American Sign Language, English

Archived video broadcast: Mormon Channel > Broadcasts and Events > Conference

April 2013 General Conference
Priesthood Session
April 6, 2012

Provided in the Conference Center or in your local meetinghouse only.
5. Local Meethouse ASL Schedule
Please check with your local leaders as to when ASL interpretation will be provided in your area buildings.

Friday, March 22, 2013

What is General Conference?

In the next few weeks, you will see an increase in social media from member of the LDS Church and members of the press talking about General Conference
What Is General Conference?
It is a semiannual meeting for members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) that meets every April and October.  When people speak of General Conference, they are talking about two day long meetings consisting of four main sessions of the Conference starting on Saturday morning and ending Sunday afternoon. Each of these four main sessions are two hours long starting with a two hour meeting in the morning followed by a lunch break and another two hour meeting afterwards. On Saturday night, a special two hour meeting is held specifically for male priesthood holders. 
For women, a special meeting is held for all young women on the on the Saturday a week prior to the April conference while women in the Relief Society have their meeting on the Saturday a week prior to the October conference. 
In total, there are of six two-hour sessions: four general sessions, one Priesthood session, and a session for either women or teenage girls. 
What Happens During General Conference? 
Each two hour session begins with a prayer offered by someone in the LDS Church leadership. Then there will be a series of sermons, known as "talks", given by members of the Church leadership with hymns sung during the selected breaks in the two hour session. At the end of that session, a closing prayer is given at the end of the session.  
Throughout the two hour session, a member of the Church leadership who will conduct the meeting which consists of introducing the people who will be giving the prayers and talks and which hymn will be sung. Almost always, a member of the First Presidency will conduct the meeting. Typically, the Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the first speaker of the first session on Saturday evening and last speaker of the fourth and final session on Sunday evening. 
After the first two hour session, a lunch break is given in which members of the Church will have dinner at home, or at a meeting house or at a restaurant. After the lunch break is over, the next two hour session begins again with the same format of prayer, talks and hymns. Hymns are usually sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However, LDS missionaries who are living at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) and have not left to the areas where they will proselyte have frequently sung at General Conference. Sometimes, youth or young adults will sing as a choir.
Typically, during the second session of the General Conference, Members of the Church who are present at the Conference Center or watching it being broadcasted are asked to raise their hand to either support or oppose the Church Leadership. This begins with introducing the Prophet of the Church, followed by the counselors in the First Presidency, then the Members of the Quorum of the 12 and then other Church leaders. A vote is requested after each introduction. After this, an auditor will speak to give a short accounting of the Church's finances followed by another person who will explain give a statistical report of the Church such as many members are in the Church, how many church buildings there are and other important statistics. After that, the speeches and hymns begin.
Where Is General Conference Held?
Currently, General Conference is held at the LDS Conference Center where all sessions of the conferences are held. It is located in downtown Salt Lake City across from Temple Square.
When Does General Conference Begin?
General sessions commence at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday and Sunday. Priesthood Sessions begin at 6 p.m. and are only viewed at local LDS Church meeting houses and are only available to male Priesthood holders. Sessions for either young women or Relief Society Women are also only viewed at local LDS Church meeting houses.
How Can I Attend General Conference?
You do not have to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Attend General Conference. Anyone can attend. The tickets are free of charge. If you plan on physically attending the General Conference, you can obtain tickets by your local ecclesiastical LDS Church leader known as a Bishop. You can also obtain tickets by writing to church headquarters. Standby tickets are also available by waiting in line at the the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square many hours before the Conference begins. You may not be able to make it into the LDS Conference Center itself but may be seated to watch it in overflow rooms on screens in various places such as Temple Square, including the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building
Can I Watch It On Television Or The Internet?
You can also watch it on television, on the Internet, by radio or by watching at your local LDS meetinghouse. 
If you plan on watching it on television Check your local cable provider.You can also watch them on either Dish, DirecTV, and C-band in some markets on the BYU TV station. To be very specific, it is viewed live on BYU Television on the Dish Network, Channel 9403 and DirecTV, Channel 374. If you are in the United States and wants to get BYU Television, go to the BYUTV website. Also, BYU Television International also broadcasts General Conference on man Cable systems in Latin America in Spanish and Portuguese. If you are in Latin American and want to watch General Conference on BYUTV, go to the BYUTV international website. Also,  The conference usually airs on the LDS-owned media outlets KSL-TV and KBYU-TV.
If you have other devices to watch television such as Roku, you can watch it on the Mormon Channel.
If you plan on watching it on the Internet, the LDS Church has a website where you can watch it online in multiple languages. 
You can also listen to it on the Church's own official radio station, Mormon Channel or at online on the Church's radio system and at KSL (AM) or KBYU (FM) which broadcasts the four general sessions of General Conference live. So, if you are on the road or don't have television or the Internet, check your local radio listings or find the Mormon Channel on your radio.
If you want to watch it online, you can watch it on the Church's official General Conference page in which you can watch it being streamed live in various languages including American Sign Language. You can also watch previous General Conferences either on the LDS Church's YouTube page or purchase them from the LDS Church. You can also watch it on Facebook at Facebook.com/LDS
You can also watch them at your local LDS Church meeting house which is broadcast by satellite around the world either simultaneously or time delayed to accommodate for differing time zones.
The cool thing about having a variety of options to watch or listen to these General Conferences is that the Mormon Church makes these meetings available to 83 countries, transmitting to over 7450 church facilities worldwide and airing over 20 television and 2177 cable stations. 
Can I Watch Or Listen To The Conference In My Langauge? 
The LDS Church has volunteer language professionals translate the talks into over 90 languages live during the Conference. For Church members, this means that 98% of church members can listen to general conference in their native language.
What Does The Inside and Outside of LDS General Conference Center Look Like?  
See below for some photos I found on the Internet. I have added captions to the photos to help explain what you are looking at.
Bird's eye view of the Conference Center
Inside the Conference Center
This what the Conference Center looks like during a session
Church leaders and Choir sits on the stage facing towards the audience
Any other Interesting Facts About General Conference? 
Yes. See the infographics below: 

Monday, March 18, 2013

New ASL Branch Created In Mesa Arizona

Last Sunday, on March 17th, 2013, exciting changes occurred for Deaf and Hard of Hearing members of the LDS Church in Arizona. Due to the growth of Deaf members of the LDS Church, the Phoenix 34th Branch grew so big that it had to be divided which created a new Deaf branch in Mesa, Arizona.
The Phoenix 34th Branch will now be known as the Phoenix Branch.  The new branch will be called the Mesa, Arizona branch. They will also be known informally as the ASL Phoenix Branch and the ASL Mesa Arizona Branch. The LDS Church no longer calls these congregations "Deaf" wards or branches and prefer to call them ASL wards and branches because people who know ASL or are CODAs can also be members of that congregation. 
See below for more details about this exciting news for Deaf members of the LDS Church: