DEAF and hearing impaired Catholics will now be able to follow Pope Francis’ Masses, prayers and speeches as the Vatican launches two new Sign Language channels on YouTube.
“I reiterate the need to make available suitable and accessible means for handing on the faith,” Pope Francis said in 2020 in his message on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
“I also hope that these can be made available to those who need them, cost-free to the extent possible, also through the new technologies that have proven so important for everyone in the midst of this pandemic.”
The launch of the channel on Easter Sunday falls under the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication “no one left out” project.
Access to the channel is free and includes Italian Sign Language and American Sign Language.
The project is experimental in nature and will operate for one year.
It is hoped that it will become a regular service and become available in other languages as well.
Along with the YouTube channel dedicated to accessibility for people with communication challenges, an App will be made available in the next few months for people with sensory disabilities.
The app’s objective will be to allow them to enjoy Vatican media content, with special attention for the visually impaired, and for those with communication challenges.
The sign language translation and the subtitles will be coordinated by Sister Veronica Donatello, in charge of the Italian Episcopal Conference’s National Service for the pastoral care of persons with disabilities.
The project was made possible thanks to the cooperation and economic support of the Pius Institute for the Deaf in Milan, CBM Italia, Friends of Vatican Radio and the St Francis Borgia Deaf Center in Chicago.
