The state of California has been running an ad for quite some time that is designed to make people want to visit the state. The ad features numerous locations and several famous people, including Gov. Schwarzenegger. Of course, the ad is not closed-captioned, cuz who can be bothered providing accessibility to us pesky deaf people? Here’s the email I just sent them:
Hello California …
Well, I just saw your TV commercial again and it is still not closed-captioned for viewers with hearing loss.
I can’t figure out why you go to so much trouble to make your ads and pay to air them, and yet you can’t be bothered to make the tiny effort required to add closed-captioning so that deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers like myself can understand them.
Closed-captioning is nothing new, it has been around for almost 30 years and it costs only about $200 to caption an ad. Since 1 out of 10 Americans has a hearing loss, it makes no sense why you are being so ignorant and insensitive.
Forcing non-captioned commercials upon viewers with hearing loss is like telling black people to sit in the back of the bus. It is discriminatory, it is wrong, and it must end now!!
Please reply to this note. I want answers!!
Tom Willard
Calm down. Being deaf is a gift, not a privelege. Commercials are made for those who do not think for themselves and is not suited to decide things for anyone.
Just focus on pertenant things, like us being involved and present and not moan and groan.
Mark
Mark – From your reply, you don’t care to live in the hearing world, among hearing people, and have full accessibility to the same things hearing people do. Well, here’s some news for you. Most deaf people DO want to have the same access and rights. We’ll only get the same access and rights if we, as you put it, “moan and groan”. How is being unable to take part in life around me a “gift”?? Wake up!
I will NOT calm down! If hearing people can understand TV commercials, deaf people should have the same opportunity. It is easy and cheap to add closed-captioning, and rude and insulting not to. I will NOT accept second-class citizen status!
I think Mark is completely missing the point….it is not about a commercial. For our whole life, Deaf people do not have the same opportunity as hearing people. It gets very frustrating, when something as simple as closed-captioning cannot be done for a stupid commerical. No reason to be calm.
This is an interesting point, Being a hearing person i have never really considered advertising and deafness before.
I have recently been asked to create an interactive art installation concerning behavioural responses to sound. I was almost immediately drawn to the boundaries of deafness. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some similar art installations that might benefit my research stage of this 8 week project.
Regards
Stuart.