Captioning

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The National Association of the Deaf strongly urges all producers of video, television broadcasts and film, including commercials and information presented on the World Wide Web, to caption their offerings. This section on captioning outlines the NAD's views on a wide variety of captioning technologies and advises consumers how they may file complaints about non-captioning and poor captioning.

The NAD has worked successfully with Congress and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to establish new captioning rules for broadcasters. Deaf consumers have seen more and more programs with captions. We are pleased that by 2006, virtually all new broadcast programming will be captioned. As the new rules become effective, deaf or hard of hearing people must be alert for inadequate captioning. When a broadcaster is not meeting its responsibilities, we urge consumers to file complaints with the FCC and other enforcement agencies.    

The people who could benefit from captions are many. First, some 28 million Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. They represent about 10 per cent of all Americans. Each one of them also has family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc., who can enjoy watching films and videos with them as a result of the provision of captions. Second, another 28 million Americans are "foreign born," according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, many of whom speak languages other than English (March 2000 Current Population Survey, www.census.gov). This population segment may seek captioned programming as one way to enhance their mastery of English. Third, more than 3 million school children have limited English proficiency, and could benefit from simultaneous speech and captions. (www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/OELA).

Finally, the 2000 Census revealed that more than 18 million Americans are less than five years of age. Many will find the exposure to captions on children's programs an excellent tool to learn to read.

The NAD also advocates for closed captions to be displayed at all times on all televisions located in public places (e.g., waiting rooms, lounges, restaurants, passenger terminals, etc.).