In Conversation with Matthew Horspool, a Blind Christian, Part 1 (Insights Episode 22)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
On 27 June 2022, Becky Davies, Sight Loss Friendly Church Coordinator, interviewed Matthew Horspool about growing up as a blind person and his Christian faith. The event was held in front of a live audience as a fringe event at the Methodist Conference in Telford, and recorded for this podcast.
In part 1, Matthew talks about school, early memories of church and the valuable part that music plays in his Christian faith.
The word “blind” has many conotations. The Biblical meaning is not nnecessarily the same as the cultural meaning, and some people may not respond well emotionally to being referred to as “blind”. However, this is not the case for everyone, and in many cases, “blind” is the best description. Join us this week as we reflect on this topic.
A Person with Sight Loss Walks into a New Church for the First Time (Insights Episode 18)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
How do I get there? Can I introduce myself to anyone? What will the hymns be? What will the service order be? How will I find my way around the building? How will I get home afterwards?
These are all questions that a blind or partially sighted person might ask when thinking about attending a new church. Some of them are for the person to answer. In other cases, the church may be able to help. This episode discusses these issues in more detail.
How Can I Help a Person with Sight Loss Lead Music at my Church? (Insights Episode 20)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
Matthew and Linn both sing. Other blind and partially sighted people may play instruments. This is a wonderful way in which people with sight loss can contribute to the worshipping life of the church. This episode shares some personal experiences of doing this and some tips on how churches can integrate blind and partially sighted musicians.
People with Sight Loss Can't Use Computers … Can They? (Insights Episode 19)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
With the use of screen readers and magnification software, they can! They can also use smartphones, tablets and smart speakers. We explain all of this in this episode.
Where can I get braille from? (Insights Episode 17)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
Torch, of course! In addition, however, there are a few other major braille producers which mostly produce secular material, but which also offer a few Christian titles. Furthermore, some churches may wish to produce their own braille resources, especially if they are single use. This episode offers an introduction to all of these topics and describes the size of braille relative to print.
Which Bible translation is best for people with sight loss? (Insights Episode 16)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
In theory, whichever one they like best, or whichever one your church usually uses. However, it’s true that some translations are more easily accessible than others. We talk about the various ways in which people with sight loss can access the Bible, including braille, large print, audio and online, and we explain which translations are available in which formats. We also introduce Operation Pathway, a new way in which people who are losing their sight can obtain an audio Bible for free.
How do I involve a person with sight loss in a homegroup? (Insights episode 15)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
Homegroups can be daunting for people with sight loss because, unlike church, someone’s home is often an unknown location. We unpick this issue on this episode, and we also talk about how to effectively plan and prepare the resources in use.
