ERIC ED357591: Closed-Captioning...Accessibility to Information and Entertainment. Key Notes.

6 Pages·1991·0.21 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 357 591
EC 302 139
AUTHOR
Kipling, Marsha D.
TITLE
Closed-Captioning...Accessibility to Information and
Entertainment. Key Notes.
INSTITUTION
Access Group, Atlanta, GA.
PUB DATE
[91]
NOTE
6p.; Funds were provided by the Agent Orange
Assistance Program and United Cerebral Palsy
Associations, Inc.
PUB TYPE
Non-Classroom
Information Analyses (070)
Guides
Use (055)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Accessibility (for Disabled); *Captions;
*Communication Aids (for Disabled); *Communication
Disorders; *Deafness; Federal Legislation; Hearing
Impairments; Illiteracy; Limited English Speaking;
Telecommunications; *Television Viewing
IDENTIFIERS
'Captioned Media; *National Captioning Institute
ABSTRACT
This fact sheet provides basic information on closed
captioning as a source of information and entertainment for people
with hearing impairments. It describes the role of the National
Captioning Institute (NCI), defines closed captioning, and notes NCI
activities in three areas: development of the TeleCaption decoder,
obtaining the cooperation of television networks, and finding
financial sponsorship. Expansion of NCI's role into off-line
captioning and real-time captioning is mentioned, and the wide range
of closed caption selections now available is noted. Specific sources
for the necessary decoder and additional information are given. The
future of captioning and other uses of captioning (such as with
limited English speaking students and functionally illiterate adults)
are briefly considered. Finally, it is pointed out that equal access
to electronic information is now a right under the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
(DB)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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Closed-Captioning...Accessibility
to Information and Entertainment
Key Notes
THE ACCESS GROUP
Peachtree Rd., N.W.
17i
.
Suite 310 North
Atlanta, GA 30309
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
;-1
1,1(
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
CLOSED-CAPTIONING...ACCESSIBILITY TO
INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT
...The networks annource that there has been a
of the definition.
Even though the closed
plane crash in southern California. The plane has
captions are broadcast along with the regular
been identified as Airline Flight 503. Anyone
video and audio portion of the television
wishing information about a passenger is asked to
signal, the captions are invisible to everyone
call their local airlines.
except those households with a telecaption
decoder. Therefore, the captions are readily
.."The waters of Nancy Creek have overflowed
available yet do not interfere with the view-
again. All those people residing in the 800 block
ing of those not needing the captions.
of Walnut Avenue are asked to evacuate immedi-
ately."
Closed-captioning will be a free service of the
television industry supported by sponsorship
"Listen here Jackie, you better
similar to the sponsorship
...
listen to your sister Roseanne..."
of regular programming.
These are examples of informa-
tion and entertainment most of
Where to begin...
the American public takes for
granted. But to a segment of the
It was imperative to NCI
population, the right of accessi-
that they begin to work in
bility to television as a primary
at least three key areas:
source of news and entertainment
is a relatively new phenomenon.
1) Develop and market
the TeleCaption decoder (a
The Federal Government, in 1979,
machine which makes the
created the National Captioning Insti-
V
captions closed and can be pur-
tute, Inc. or NCI. NCI was charged, as a
chased by the consumer);
to create "closed
nonprofit corporation,
2) Meet with networks to determine their
captioning services for deaf and hard-of-hearing
willingness to support the project;
people." NCI saw itself responsible for helping to
3) Find financial sponsorship for the first
make electronic information and entertainment
closed-captioning.
universally available to all people.
So in 1980, NCI began offering its captioning
Just exactly what is closed captioning...
services to the television networks with a
total of 16 hours per week of captioned pro-
Closed-captioning is defined as the process in
gramming on ABC, NBC, and PBS.
which the audio portion of &program is converted
into written words. These words then appear at
Response to the new captioning efforts was
the bottom of the television like subtitles on a
very positive. A parent of two hearing im-
foreign movie, The caption portion of the defini-
paired children commented that her children
tion is not particularily new as it has been used in
were in the 10th and 11th grades when the
the movie industry for years.
first captioned programs were available. She
went on to say that the children were immedi-
The concept that is new pertains to the closed part
ately interested in the power of print accom-
panying the visual display of television.
She re-
What do I need to take advantage of closed-
ported that what was even more encouraging, was
captioning?
that closed-captioning promoted interest in all print
materials, particularity books, an interest she had not
To receive captions in the home, TV viewers need a
seen before.
decoder that displays the captions on the TV screen.
NCI is the sole developer, manufacturer, and distribu-
NCI expands its role...
tor of the TeleCaption decoder.
Decoders can be
purchased ,hrough a nationwide distribution network
NCI, continued its efforts with networks and began
of over 1,000 retail locations. For a distributor in your
to approach syndicated TV programmers, home video
area, you may call NCI Consumer Marketing at their
companies, and makers of commercials. It sought to
toll freenumber:
expand its sponsorship base. The National Captioning
Institute also sought to provide captioning-related
1-800-533-9673 (voice) or
advice to Congress. NCI researched the educational
1-800-321-8337 (Text Telephone)
applications of captioning in hopes of expanding its
All efforts were directed at
base of consumers.
or by writing: National Captioning Institute, Inc.
making closed-captioning available on a much
5203 Leesburg Pike
broader front, both in terms of programming and
Falls Church, Virginia 22041
viewership.
NCI also has available a program which places free
During these years, NCI continued to refine its meth-
decoders with deserving deaf and hard-of-hearing
ods of captioning. NCI has worked in two specific
children from economically disadvantaged homes.
captioning areas:
Questions concerning this program may be directed to
1) Off-line captioning;
the NCI toll free numbers.
2) Real-time captioning.
Off-line captioning employs English or journalism
majors whose job it is to caption, in a clear and
And during all those years, NCI was...
concise manner, pre-recorded programs. Real-time
captioning employs court reporters who use an ultra-
Moving ahead with offering financial and technical
modern computer which translates stenotype pho-
support for the development of the first captioning
netics into English words. The availability of both
microchip. the superchip, which could be manufac-
kinds of captioning has allowed NCI to expand its
tured directly into television sets. And then in 1990,
offerings greatly.
the Decoder Circuitry Act was passed by Congress.
This law insures that all televisions manufactured to
All of these advances mean that the following closed-
be sold in the United States, with screens 13" or larger,
caption selections are available today:
must be made with caption decoding circuitry in-
cluded.
more than 450 hours of television programming
weekly;
And what does this all mean for the future
nearly 30()() captioned movies including classics
of closed-captioning...
and children's movies;
nearly 140 local station newscasts;
The Decoder Circuitry Act will become law and will
22,00() commercials a year;
go into effect on July 1, 1993. Therefore, any televi-
4500 hours of captioned sports a year;
sion set, meeting the size specifications, manufac-
1000 hours of children's programming a year;
tured for sale in the United States, will have closed-
990 hours of cable television weekly;
captioning capacity.
live events such as the Olympics and the President's
inauguration.
The decoder (available for about $130) will still be
of Maryland Reading Center calls a conve-
available for television models sold prior to July,
nient and dignified reading environment;
1993. Everyone purchasing a television model sold
and what many consider a stimulating learn-
in the U.S. after July, 1993 should have access to
ing media, namely television.
closed-captioning.
All of these support systems benefit the targeted
Consumer problems regarding the purchase of tele- populations in a variety of ways. More information
regarding how closed-captioning specifically ben-
visions with captioning capabilities after July 1993
efits these populations and how closed-captioning
should be directed to NCI or local consumer advo-
can be used instructionally can be obtained from the
cates.
National Captioning Institute by writing or calling
their toll free numbers.
might benefit from closed-
Who else
Other "amazing" advantages of closed-
captioning?
captioning...
Braille was invented for use by the military when a
communication system was needed for communicat-
Real-time captioning systems are being used in court-
rooms. A person who experiences hearing loss as an
ing quietly in the dark. The telephone was invented
in the search for a usable hearing aid.
Likewise,
adult may not have developed speech reading or sign
language skills to a high degree. Technology has
closed-captioning may be destined to be used for
helped by providing a scripted visual image using
needs much broader than originally intended.
real-time captioning enabling the viewer to read
specifically each party's speech.,
Dr. Robert Davila, Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services with the U.S.
Schools are able to film, edit and caption video with
Department of Education has identified "parity" as a
goal of technology in the classroom.
Closed- a system costing less than $6000. These techniques
are allowing schools to develop local interest pro-
captioning has been, and is being, tried with several
populations in an attempt to use technology as a
grams and share them with a much wider audience.
parity tool. Closed-captioning is being used with:
hearing impaired students, English as a Second Lan-
A hearing impaired adult reports that the most amaz-
ing aspect of closed-captioning is that she actually
guage (ESL) students, functionally illiterate adults,
and reluctant readers.
can watch the national and local news and understand
what is going on. As an oral hearing impaired person,
she says that she can generally watch a comedy or
The 'inderlying premise for closed caption use with
drama and follow the dialogue by watching the
all of these populations is that the captions provide
what is called "comprehensible input" (Krashen,
speaker. However, with the news, there are always
"interruptions" with maps and other graphic dis-
1985). Comprehensible input can be defined as the
plays, pre-recorded taped segments, or live tele-
process by which people learn language and literacy
phone interviews... all things that interrupt the pre-
without formal instruction, using language they al-
sentation of the news for a person dependent upon
ready know and cues from the environment.
speechreading.
A student using closed-captioning has the advantage
One deaf adult reports that she had never voted
of having several reading supports available includ-
before the Presidential debates were captioned. She
ing:
admits to never having felt
a real sense of the
the visual image;
candidate's beliefs before being able to watch and
spoken dialogue or narration;
printed matter in proper sentence form; read what the candidates were saying.
what Dr. Robert Wilson from the University
gl
future of closed-captioning a bright one.
Another adult deaf person reports that, finally they
had felt a part of the American political system after
References:
watching their first inauguration captioned with real-
Caption, 1991 issue publication of the National
life captions.
Captioning Institute.
A senior adult who says "I can't quite hear what I
"Captioned TV Benefits Hearing Audiences", press
used to" finds captions a pleasant way to continue to
enjoy his/her favorite TV program.
release from NCI, Septemer 20, 1990.
Carney, E. (1987), "Caption decoders: Expanding
All of these people are now able to enjoy the advan-
Accessibility to elec-
options for hearing impaired children and adults,
tages of closed-captioning.
tronic information is no longer just the advantage of
American Annals of the Deaf, 132(2), 73-77.
the mainstream.
The National CaptioninP__Institute, 10/91 brochure
No longer just a possibility...now it's a
from the National Captioning Institute.
right
"New NCI Study Reveals that Closed-Captioned TV
Helps Asians and Hispanic-Americans Learn En-
With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities
NCI, August 27, 1990.
glish", press release
Act (ADA), equal access to electronic information
such as television and videos is now a right. The
"The Tools of Empowerment, From Captions to
availability of a decoder or a television with captioning
Computers, Technology Provides Educational Par-
capacity at a hotel, a motel. or hospital should be-
ity", by Kathryn Schmitz, FOCUS, National Techni-
come a common courtesy ofTered to the user of
cal Institute for the Deaf- A college of Rochester
closed-captioning.
Institute of Technology, Fall, 1992.
As with every right granted. responsibility follows.
The "big job" confronting the consumers of closed-
This article was written for THE ACCESS
captioning is to help educate the public. Broadening
GROUP by:
the consumer base, soliciting support to help finance
Marsha D. Kipling, Teacher of the Hearing Im-
closed-captioning, encouraging vendor awareness,
paired, Atlanta Area School for the Deaf.
and in general, "spreading the word," will make the
KEY NOTES are created by THE ACCESS GROUP to proyide irdhinnr*On
t >aimistive
technology to the families of Vietnam veterans. who have children:::
ACCESS GROUP isjointly funded by the Agent Orange Class AssistaniiirOgrain.andVaitett
Cerebral Palsy Associations. inc. If you are a family member or :a prok.talinial:noortinglvith:
families of Vietnam veterans, THE ACCESS GROUP can serve asatesoaree:Ackiyouirtyour
i c a t i t m i s a l s o available sm..audiett m::Fer more
e f f o r t s t o obtain a s s i s t i v e technology. This p u b l
information ea& 1-800-821.8580 (Voice, TT
THE ACCESS GROUP
1776 Peachtree Rti., N.1V,
Suite 208 North
Atlanta. GA 30309
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oEST
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