Resources for Those with Disabilities
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strives to ensure that all within its reach, including those with disabilities, are valued and can contribute in meaningful ways.”[1]
In addition to providing access to Church buildings, leaders of the Church also work to help those hearing impaired participate in the meetings.
Some members may be unaware of the efforts made to overcome the acoustical challenges in Church buildings in the United States. If the building has been built in the past thirty years (after 1986), it has been equipped with a wireless FM system called a Comtek device. Most older buildings have been updated with this technology. The device transmits from the chapel audio system directly to a set of headphones that are available in the building’s library. Listeners receive a direct signal to the audio without any distracting noises. The system is not available in the various other classrooms found in the meetinghouse.
Many Church materials are provided in a variety of accessible formats including braille, captioned video, audio, and large print formats. Electronic Braille and text files can be downloaded from lds.org/Braille. Many materials are also available in American Sign Language.
In June 2023, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released additional disability resources on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, including Bible Videos in American Sign Language (ASL) and audio description formats, 25 translated disability resource videos, and new and translated gospel symbols in nine languages. “Creating and translating disability resources is an ongoing effort,” said Katie Edna Steed, disability specialist manager for the Church. “We recognize we still have a long way to go, but we are committed to increasing the disability resources available to Latter-day Saints around the world.”[2]
The First Presidency has said that “There is an even greater need to reduce the barriers imposed by a lack of understanding and acceptance of those who have disabilities.”[3] The Church disability website, disability.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, is available in 10 languages and helps members with disabilities, families, teachers, and leaders.
