The Ridgeway 

North Harrow 

Middlesex 

HA2 7PF 

Signing

 St Alban’s Church, North Harrow, is proud to welcome members of the Deaf community to its services.

 The Church of England believes that all disabled people have an equal right to access worship in their local parish.  Here at St Alban’s Church the 9.30 service on the first Sunday in every month (apart from January and August) is fully interpreted into British Sign Language (BSL) by a team led by John Ryan.  Other major festivals, for example Easter and Midnight Mass, and on request, meetings with the ministry team, weddings, christenings and funerals can also be interpreted.

John Ryan currently works as a qualified freelance Sign Language Interpreter (with MASLI/MRSLI status).  He works in all settings where there is the need for Deaf and hearing people to communicate. This includes religious, medical and legal settings, training courses, team meetings and such like.

Sarah Hart is a qualified Teacher of the Deaf; she provides support and advice to deaf children, young people, their families and schools in the London Borough of Hillingdon.  Sarah was born with a permanent high frequency hearing loss and uses hearing aids to help her access the entire speech spectrum.  She has CACDP Stage 2 in British Sign Language.

Emma Garner has been working with the Deaf community for over ten years in a number of roles.  In the Spring of 2010 she submitted her portfolio of work for assessment for her NVQ3 in British Sign Language. 

For more information about the life and work of this parish, please contact Rev Joan Foster  020 8868 6567 revjoanfoster@yahoo.co.uk  John Ryan 020 8866 1175 ryansign@btinternet.com  

In the London Diocese there are 479 Anglican churches, currently 8 of which provide signed services. If you would like anymore information about other churches that provide British Sign Language or the work of the Deaf Chaplaincy in the London area, please visit : http://www.london.anglican.org/DeafChaplaincy

Other Christian and BSL websites that may be of interest include :

www.signsofgod.org.uk

www.christiansigns.co.uk

www.bslbible.org.uk

www.gosign.org.uk

For books and other resources concerning deafness and hearing loss : www.forestbooks.com