Inclusive Faith: Understanding the Relationship of Deafness and Religious Participation

• In Event: Disability in Society Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3. Social Participation and Connections

Abstract

The social model of disability posits that disability arises from institutional barriers rather than individual impairment. Using this theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between severe hearing loss and religious service attendance (as a reflection of access to religious institutions). In similar contexts, people that are deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh) face barriers such as limited support with language access, differing learning styles, sparse community networks– a pattern that may transfer to worship contexts as well. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2005-2008, the analysis undertaken is a generalized ordered logistic regression model, testing the relationship between hearing loss and annual religious service participation (controlling for use of hearing aids, gender, marital status, and race). The preliminary results indicate that people with severe hearing loss have significantly higher odds of never or rarely participating, but conversely are more likely to attend very frequently (at least 3 times per week). This pattern may suggest that many individuals lack accessibility in their worship and therefore attend less, but also may engage even more when there is a strong, supportive deaf community with their local congregation. We hope that further research will engage in ethnographic methods to truly understand the meaning of the relationship uncovered here, and also that religious institutions may be more informed of the circumstances of d/hh participants and seek to overcome communicative, cultural, and social barriers that such members navigate.

Authors

• Lacey Paulsen, Brigham Young University

• Lance D. Erickson, Brigham Young University-Provo