kimpossible

I am SO sick and tired of hearing people becoming annoyed whenever I need to activate the CCs on something we're all watching.

It happened most recently when I was in a lecture at my school, the second half of which was used to watch a video screening like we'd done for the past 5 weeks. Only this time, I finally went up and asked them to start activating the captions as they'd ignored my request when I sent out an accommodation form. (Okay, okay, I didn't care about watching the screenings until I found out they'd be a huge part of our midterms.) They did, but today during the first 5 minutes of the screening, students shot their hands up when they noticed the English screening had subtitles.

Keep in mind I'm in a room full of at least 150 people, and I'm the only deaf one. After seeing enough people's hands raised and actually hearing some people just blurt out, "Can you take the subtitles off?" the professor stepped up to the podium and told them no, to just sit back and watch. One person said, "but they're really distracting." She eventually got them to shut up but it pissed me off to no end and actually embarrassed me.

I hate coming down to the TV room to notice my entire hearing family is watching TV and when they see me walk in, there's some serious eye-rolling when they realize they have to switch the captions on.

Also, had a similar experience in the 10th grade where my teacher struggled for about 2 minutes trying to activate the CCs and the groaning SERIOUSLY went upscale til the point where every single person in the class was doing it. I didn't even realize what was going on until this happened, then a hearing girl in the class (whose sister is deaf) helped the teacher turn them on (I was too shy about it after that!).

I know a lot of hearing people who are very comfortable with captions and actually PREFER them just because they find that they're not distracting and make it easier to follow the film (even if they're hearing). But the vast majority of hearing people I know hate captions to no end. I always get called up by my parents asking me "how do you turn the words off?" The only thing I get called for help with apart from that is fixing the computer but I always thought that would be on a bit of a larger scale than turning off the CC's... still.... thoughts?

Deafness

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Cloggy

I can understand they want to have the subtitles off when they don't realise that there is someone that needs them. If they are aware of it, then it's just plain rude.!

But I can imagine that subtitles are distracting.
Coming from The Netherlands, I grew up with subtitles. English, French, German etc. films all are subtitled.
For us that's great. You are exposed to more languages, and to be honoust, when you know the language, the subtitles are just ignored...

Now, living in Norway, I find it distracting in the rare occurance of a Dutch film on Norwegian TV that is sub-titled. The subtitles are distracting. My brain doesn't know if it has to follow the sound, or the text.
Still, it is OK after a few minutes.....

But for the students with you, I can imaging it is distracting. They will get used to it after a while...

kimpossible

Yeah that's true, I understand that they mostly don't realize it, but that still doesn't make much of a difference to me because it doesn't change the fact that the subtitles annoy them. It makes me feel almost burdensome, and the complaints just piss me off, grrr...!! It kind of reminds me of when people get annoyed after you ask for a repeat: they're expressing their irritation because they don't know you're deaf (or they're mean!). But even if they do know of your deafness, it doesn't change their annoyance. And it hurts a million times more when they do know of it, and still act annoyed (I just had an experience a few days ago where my mum yelled her repeat out at the top of her lungs which is pretty rare).

Cloggy

I understand...

Guess sometimes it's easier to deal with it....

See if you can invite someone that can give a class in sign-language, or a video with sign...
That might make them more aware....

Looking at myself, I had no clue about deafness until my daughter was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. So I guess, for the other students, you are deaf, or HOH, but it does not mean anything to them really...

I remember when I needed to speak with the deaf daycare-worked that took care of my daughter. She signed, (and spoke, but that was not understandable really.) so I was the one that needed to adjust.... and I did - in time..

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Reba

If a school is showing a video with testable content, it's supposed to either have captions showing, or include a complete transcript. If the school doesn't provide captions or transcripts, then they are not supposed to test students on the video material.

That's the rule. I don't know if every school follows it.


Wow, what immature, selfish students!


They should be grateful that captions are available. It beats having to ask family members to interpret programs. I know several mixed families (Deaf and Hearing) who simply leave CC's on all the time, and just get used to it.


That was a teachable moment that the teacher blew.

Reba

I think it's a lame excuse from selfish students. If they can drive and text msg, study homework and listen to iPods, and do all other kinds of multitasking, then they can cope with CC on a screen. Students today are used to all kinds of digital media, and they can adapt very easily, if they are willing.

OpheliaSpeaks

I only recently started relying on CC. It used to bother me before because I also have mild dyslexia and my brain has a hard time taking in the language, visual, and auditory cues all at the same time. Now I pay more attention to it and I'm slowly adjusting to using it. I notice weird things though like how CC tells you which song is in the background, etc. Some of the things make me laugh. I'm sorry this happened. College students can be so stupid.

Interpretrator

Idiot students. That's all I have to say.

In my time of interpreting in college classes I never heard one complaint about turning on the CC. As it should be. Sorry you had to experience that.

Reba

Exactly.

I never even heard complaints about CC when I subbed for terps in middle school! It's really sad to hear about college students acting like whiny babies.

Kaitin

Hi, Kim. I'm sorry people have been rude. I haven't experienced this. My two hearing roommates keep the CC on all the time. They say they like it so they can turn the sound off when the other is studying. My family also keeps the CC on. No one has said that it is distracting. At times the CC blocks part of the screen, but it is not a problem usually. I can't understand asking to turn it off when someone needs it. That shows a big lack of understanding and compassion. Your professor should have said "no" once and let people know the topic was closed. We almost never watch a screen during my classes, but when we have it is not a problem. All my classes are small, however, and most? everyone? in my classes knows I can't hear and need the CC. One advantage to small classes maybe.

Peachy Lady

The teacher should have left the sound off and have class watch it anyway with no cc, then the teacher tell class ready for test now. Then the teacher can explain to the class that's how the deaf person feels. How would you like to watch the movie with no voice and have to take test? I'm sure it will wake them up as to why deaf people need to watch closed captioned...lol

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Kaitin

That is great!

shel90

That is a good one!!!

I know how you feel even thought it didnt happen to me in college. It happened a few times at the gym. Before getting on the exercise machine, I would ask the attendant to turn the CC on so I can enjoy watching TV while working out so they would do that for me cuz they know the laws. However, once it gets turned on the other patrons start complaining and yelling at the attentant and it really sucks cuz the attentant would point to me and some of those people would give me dirty looks. One time I got fed up and gave the finger to this one guy who kept giving me dirty looks. Stupid ass!

My hubby's parents are very resistant to turn the CC on whenever I come over and I would see the eye-rolling but too bad for them. I dont give a damn anymore cuz they all leave me out while chatting away so at least I can watch some TV.

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JClarke

That's a excellent comment, PeachyLady! :cheer: I suggest that the professor to stand up for the young lady at some lecture to let everyone know that CC is important as there is a deaf person - what would the others think if they want the CC's off? Kim would have absolute no idea what the story on the video would be about. CC is the excellent tool for the deaf. At the lecture, they should be ashamed of themselves, on why they are putting their hands up to ask the professor to switch the CC's off? Idiots.

Keep the CC's on for your studies, Kim.

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Reba

Reba

Ha! They'll be sorry a few years from now when old-age hearing loss hits them. They'll be whining when their favorite shows aren't captioned then.

Aimra

I never can understand why people hate CC so much. We always watch tv and movies with CC because of my husband. I don't notice anymore, well, except for when it is turned off! I also hate it when they're really terrible and spotty.

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CCfan

I has no problem with my school from K to 12 in deaf and hard-of-hearing;
even hearing mainstreaming classes when its captioning was on.

Kim, I'm sorry to hear about that, I hope these students should following that captioning that make understandable follow through it.

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kimpossible

Yeah, my school follows it, I just had to let remind them a couple times. The caption-activating part was sort of my fault, because I didn’t know we’d be tested on the screenings so I didn’t even bother to remind them to turn on the CCs (the videos are SO BORING. I’d rather sleep!)


Haha, me too, especially if it’s at the very beginning, there hasn’t been any dialogue, and the first thing you see on screen is “(ominous music).” Anyone seen The Lion King DVD where Elton John is supposedly singing “Circle of Life” but the subtitles say a woman is singing it? lol


Yeah, I even know of my hearing friend and her all-hearing family and they use the CCs all the time... understandable since their household is pretty noisy!

yeah actually the professor handled it fine – she’s actually done a wonderful job in accommodating my hearing loss. I had one small request from her to stand slightly closer to the microphone, and she remembered to do so for every lecture afterwards. She even said once, when people were getting up while she was still talking at the end of class, to wait until she was finished because they were making noise and it’s difficult for some people to hear. so I’m grateful for that teacher, and I’ll blame myself (and the audio-visual department lol) for not activating the captions.


people have said it, but, that’s SUCH a great idea! I really wish she could have done this, that would have been great!


the weird thing is, I only had that one problem with it during high school (I never used CC’s in elementary school though), but I’m COMPLETELY surprised that this happened in college. I guess the students were all just used to seeing the screenings without CC... I’m starting to think that, maybe, they thought the CC was on by mistake because up until that point there were no captions.

authentic

Many hearing people are having problem with spelling, grammars, etc. CC do help them to fix their mis-spelling vocabularies, grammars, etc. Those people need to realize that.

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kimpossible

Yeah I think that may be true... my 7-year-old hearing sister watches TV with CCs with me and when she's bored, reads them all out loud before the characters on TV can say it, and tries to beat them. I won't tell her to stop, she's reading! =P

JClarke

That has occured to my little sister too.... CC's is a good thing for little kiddies to practice reading stuff, which they can improve their reading ability.

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VamPyroX

I know the feeling.

I've had to deal with that several times in the past when I'm in class and we're watching videos.

At my college, there's a big deaf community and they emphasize a lot on accommodations. So, no one really complains about the captioning or subtitles.

However, it was a minor problem in my high school. There would be at least 1 or 2 students (usually troublemakers) who would complain about the subtitles or captioning.

My response to those whiners? Too bad. I don't see what's so distracting about subtitles or captioning? In fact, it actually improves reading speed and some hearing people can actually catch more things from reading than from simply listening.

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JClarke

That's true... remember - you have eyes to listen two

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Silentwolfdog

Finally, someone who get it! It's just show how spoiled they are, wanting everything their way whether other person have to suffer for it or not.

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