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Many deaf activists are calling the new Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rulings on closed captioning a step forward, but complain that there are too many loopholes, says the Washington Times. The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) requires producers to add closed captioning to TV and website programming for people with hearing loss.
Some of the issues are:
The new closed captioning law requirements only apply to regular, full-length television shows on TV or the Internet
The law does not apply to Internet shows on websites such as Netflix and Hulu News
Broadcasters must caption full-length newscasts on TV or live streams but are not required to caption short video clipsEarlier this year, a grassroots movement in the deaf community called #captionthis launched on Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness about captioning and demand more captioning on television and the Internet. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and many deaf organizations support the movement.
“The NAD strongly encourages all content providers, producers and promoters to ensure 100% access to captions for all online video content,” Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President said in a statement.
“To achieve this goal, it is more important than ever to enter an open dialogue with companies like CNN and the Food Network, and work together to secure caption access for all.”
Several organizations have filed lawsuits claiming that the lack of captioning on news broadcasts and on the Internet violates the civil rights of deaf and hard of hearing people.
NAD vs Netflix claims that the lack of captioning of streamed video violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Another case claiming discrimination against people with hearing loss is The Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. vs CNN.com.
The Coalition of Organizations for Accessibility, a consumer group of organizations of people with disabilities, also raised concerns in August, 2012 that communications companies are watering down the legislation by applying for exemptions and waivers to avoid their obligations under the CVAA that would require them to provide accessibility measures such as captioning and described video for the visually impaired.
The CVAA came into effect on Sept. 30, 2012.
Deaf advocates say FCC rules on closed captioning fall short - Toronto Disability | Examiner.com
Some of the issues are:
The new closed captioning law requirements only apply to regular, full-length television shows on TV or the Internet
The law does not apply to Internet shows on websites such as Netflix and Hulu News
Broadcasters must caption full-length newscasts on TV or live streams but are not required to caption short video clipsEarlier this year, a grassroots movement in the deaf community called #captionthis launched on Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness about captioning and demand more captioning on television and the Internet. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and many deaf organizations support the movement.
“The NAD strongly encourages all content providers, producers and promoters to ensure 100% access to captions for all online video content,” Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President said in a statement.
“To achieve this goal, it is more important than ever to enter an open dialogue with companies like CNN and the Food Network, and work together to secure caption access for all.”
Several organizations have filed lawsuits claiming that the lack of captioning on news broadcasts and on the Internet violates the civil rights of deaf and hard of hearing people.
NAD vs Netflix claims that the lack of captioning of streamed video violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Another case claiming discrimination against people with hearing loss is The Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. vs CNN.com.
The Coalition of Organizations for Accessibility, a consumer group of organizations of people with disabilities, also raised concerns in August, 2012 that communications companies are watering down the legislation by applying for exemptions and waivers to avoid their obligations under the CVAA that would require them to provide accessibility measures such as captioning and described video for the visually impaired.
The CVAA came into effect on Sept. 30, 2012.
Deaf advocates say FCC rules on closed captioning fall short - Toronto Disability | Examiner.com
