Limited Showing Of Open Captioned "Meet The Mormons" Now Available In Utah

For those of you who live in the Provo, Salt Lake or even the Ogden area, The film Meet The Mormons will available Open Captioned for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Cinemark Movie Theater located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. The Open Caption showing will be on Thursday October 30th at 3:45 pm.

The reason why it is significant that the film is being shown Open Captioned is because this is the only time the film (that I am aware of) will be presented this way in the United States. Almost all movie theaters offer most films in closed caption for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  With Open Captioning, the dialogue will appear on the screen for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing individual to view. This eliminates the need for the viewer to rely on closed caption devices such as CaptiView, Rear Window Captioning System or the Sony Entertainment System to enjoy the film. With Open Caption, viewers can enjoy the film with the words on the screen. 

It is my hope that by spreading the news about the Open Caption showing of Meet The Mormons here in Utah, that other people will request that this film be offered at a movie theater in Open Caption. Furthermore, it is my hope that by raising awareness of this single Open Caption showing of Meet The Mormons, the LDS Church will start making future films that will be presented to the public in movie theaters or at the Church's visitor's center sites in Open Caption.

If you wish to see the film either in Closed or Open caption, you can contact your local movie theater, please contact your local theater to ensure that they offer these capabilities in their facilities. If you desire that the LDS Church make all their visual media (including those shown in the temple) to be available in Closed Captions, you can make your voice heard by contacting the Church via the following email address: deafsupport@ldschurch.org They forward the emails to various departments. Be specific as to which DVD, Youtube video or other Church film you saw when providing feedback at that email address.

Is The LDS Church Paying LDS Members To See "Meet The Mormons?"

Recently, a blog called "nearing kolob" posted an article that raised the question of whether or not the LDS Church is paying its own members to see the film. They even posted a screen shot of an email they feel is evidence that the LDS Church is paying members to go see this film. See below: 

In looking at this screenshot of this alleged letter that was sent out, I find it interesting that the show times of the film is blacked out and the location of the theater is blacked out. And we can't see the name of the person who drafted the letter. To me, that seems odd. That information isn't confidential or private. It is public information. Yet it is blacked out. Another thing that is odd about the photo above is the cost of the movie theater tickets. I have never heard of a theater where the cost of a film is $15.00.

But lets get back to the question. Is the LDS Church paying its own members to go to the film? I don't think so. I saw the film last night. The Stake provided the tickets to the film for free. That means that the Church paid for the tickets. However, they're providing free tickets to anyone who accepted their offer of free tickets.  I will post a screen shot of the email I got from my stake regarding this offer to see the film for free. See below:

Here's the screen shot of the email I received when I requested tickets for the film:

The reason why there is a "controversy"over about the LDS Church either paying for a portion of the cost of a ticket or paying for the entire ticket because they feel that the LDS Church is doing something similar to what a record company sometimes do in buying their own records just to get the music on the best  seller list.

However, I don't think this is what the LDS Church is doing. I don't think they are intentionally trying to inflate the box office numbers just to get more media attention. Is it possible that the Church is doing this? Yes. But local Wards and Stakes encourage people to participate in Church sponsored activities such as youth conference, scout camp, girls camp and other activities and depending on the activity, sometimes the members will either pay the entire cost or part of the cost of participating in the activity. Sometimes the local branch, ward or stake will pay for the entire cost of the activity. In the event where members are to pay for cost of the activity, there are members of the ward who may not be able to afford the cost of the activity. In that case, those that don't feel they can afford it have their share paid by the ward. 

Is it right to use "tithing funds" to for Church sponsored activities? I think so. This happens all of the time. The Church would not be using fast offering funds to subsidize or provide free tickets for this film. However, tithing funds, at best, are being used to pay for the tickets indirectly since wards are given a budget each quarter, and the budget is supplied by tithing funds. To pay for the cost of these tickets would probably come from the ward's budget, which is used with the bishop's or stake president's approval.

I'd like to point out that other religions use funds that they have received from their members to pay for Church sponsored events. It happens in other faiths too.

For me, the fact that the LDS Church is helping people afford the cost of the movie ticket or providing free tickets is not an issue for me. I assume it is not an issue for a large majority of Church members.

Making The LDS Church Enjoyable For People With A Hearing Loss

Going to church isn't easy if you have a hearing loss. I know because I have a hearing loss myself. It is a challenge that most people aren't aware of unless you have a friend or a relative who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing or if you have served an Sign Language Mission for the LDS Church. 

For many people, hearing loss can keep someone from enjoying church or from being fully active. Why? It can be a challenge to enjoy what is being said during Sacrament meeting or to participate in Church activities. If a person with a hearing loss attends General Conference, they will have a hard time hearing the General Authorities speak unless they are sitting in an area reserved for Deaf and Hard of Hearing members. Even going to the Temple can be a challenge despite the fact that it is very peaceful and quiet inside.

People think that wearing hearing aids will help improve the person's ability to hear. Actually, hearing aids can only do so much because there are other factors that an affect a person's ability to hear. Such factors are sound quality, distance from the sound source and the person, ambient noise and reverberation, the quality of the hearing aids and the percentage of hearing loss are just some of the many factors that can affect a person who is wearing a hearing loss ability to hear. 

However, there is technology that eliminates all of these different factors that affect a deaf person's ability to hear. Its called hearing loops.

What Are Hearing Loops? 

A Hearing Loop, (also known as a T-Loop or Induction Loops), takes the desired speech or sound signal signal straight from the basic source (microphone, television set, music speakers) and broadcast directly to the listener’s hearing aids. The signal at the listener’s ears is free from distance issues, reverberation and ambient noise interference. Thus, it provides a person with a hearing loss with the ability to enjoy what is being said at Sacrament meeting or General Conference without any interference of any kind. 

How do Hearing Loops Work? 

How the LDS Church Would Benefit From This Technology?

Although many LDS meetinghouses offer Assisted Listening System devices, there are many drawbacks that hearing loops don't have. The LDS Church would benefit tremendously from installing T- Loops at LDS Chapels, Temples and the Conference Center. Interestingly enough, there are Mormon Churches in Europe that have been installed with Induction Loops. However, this technology is not common in LDS places of worship in the United States and other parts of the world.

The biggest benefit is that Church would become more enjoyable for people because they will get alot more out of Church meetings because they are able to understand what is being said. This will bring many members back to Church who have gone inactive due to their hearing loss or who have left the Church because they cannot hear. When other Churches have installed hearing loops, they see increase in membership both from inactive and new members. People have been known to drive miles to a different Church if they know it has hearing loops.

How Do I Get My LDS Meetinghouse Installed With A Hearing Loop?

If you wish to have your LDS Meetinghouse installed with a hearing loop, the best way to start is to send a letter to your Bishop and to request that your letter be sent up the chain of authority until it reaches Church Headquarters. Your Stake President should also contact the Area Facilities Management Department to make the request. If that is not successful, he could also go directly to the Facilities Management located at the Church Headquarters.

I also advise talking to other people within the Church about your hearing loss and talking about how you would enjoy Church more if only you could hear better at our meetings. Getting the word out about the challenges you face will help you find people who want to advocate on your behalf. They too, will want to write letters to their bishop and ask that it be passed along the proper channels or will want to talk to their Church leaders about why their friend or relative is having a hard time at Church because of their hearing loss. 

I suggest people with hearing loss find other people within your ward or stake who have a hearing loss. It is very common for people who have a hearing loss to be unaware that there are people with similar challenges. Once you find each other, you can then work together to share your concern with your Bishop or Stake President who will pass these concerns on to the proper authorities until it reaches back to Church Headquarters. 

Another idea is to share informative articles with other people.  For a handout on how to procure a hearing loop for your facility, read this article. If you want to learn more about the benefits of having hearing loops in a house of worship, I strongly suggest reading the an article in the May 2010 and September 2013 issue of Technologies for Worship Magazine.

There's also this short informative video that explains the benefit of installing hearing loops that you can share with friends, family members and Church leaders. Watch below: 

I also suggest using social media like Facebook and Twitter to initiate the conversation with other members that you know. Many wards and stakes now have Facebook pages.  LDS Church is on Twitter along with various General Authorities who now have a twitter account. I strongly encourage you to pass this blog article to others or share it on social media. 

How Do I Get The Conference Center Looped? 

The LDS Church might loop a certain section of the Conference Center. But they need to know if members would really want to have the Conference Center looped. The best way let the Church know about your desire is to send a letter to your Bishop and to request that your letter be sent up the chain of authority until it reaches Church Headquarters.

Conclusion

The various challenges that come with being a member of the Church with a hearing hearing loss can be easily remedied if induction loops become a standard feature in LDS Meetinghouses, Temples and the Conference Center.

However, in order for the LDS Church to begin making hearing loops a standard feature of Church buildings, there has to be a need for it. However, the Church won't install this technology unless they hear from a lot of members regarding this issue. Right now, there isn't enough awareness about Hearing Loops or a demand to justify installing the hearing loops. However, you can let the Church know about this issue by following the proper steps of making your Bishop or Branch President aware of this matter who will pass the request up the line of authority. The more people share their concerns, the more LDS meetinghouses will have hearing loops in the future.

If you would like to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to install a hearing loop at your local ward meeting house or at your favorite Temple or at the Conference Center, please politely share your thoughts and requests at the following email address: DeafSupport@ldschurch.org.