This post includes a video which talks about captioning and its importance to the Deaf Community. Scroll down to watch this video, which is captioned to allow for Equal Communication Access to all of Deaf Pagan Crossroads readers. Watch this video, give it some serious thought, and then share this link with all of your friends! Spread the word….CaptionTHIS!
As a Deaf person, I often use this blog as an opportunity to educate and advocate for Equal Communication Access – the right of deaf and hard of hearing persons to have access to communication, and thus to information that is shared in the world around them. Oftentimes we take such information for granted, and forget that access to such is often dependent upon the ability to hear. So what happens when one cannot hear? The ability to gain such information is often seriously compromised.
However, there are ways to push through these barriers and navigate that informational sea… if people are willing to make the effort. That’s by providing the necessary accommodations that grant deaf and hard of hearing people access to such information. Access can take on many different shapes and forms – including sign language interpreters, real-time captioning (CART services), assistive listening devices, writing notes or providing scripts, repeating information so one can read lips, etc.
But what about videos? As we start gaining more and more of our information from the internet, we are seeing an increasing use of on-line videos for sharing news, teaching new skills, providing entertainment, and basically keeping us connected to the world around us.
So what’s the answer? Watch this video and find out!
As this video explains, we need more and more people to get the message, folks. Equal Communication Access begins with YOU. If you make a video, learn how to caption it. Make an effort to assure that all of the videos that you post on Facebook are captioned…and if they aren’t, then speak up and let it be known that you want to see more captioned videos! Send a letter to CNN, Netflix, and other sites to let them know that you support the need for captioning of videos.
Let’s stop making excuses and start making waves. The technology exists. Does it take a little more time and effort? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.
At least I think it’s worth it…and I hope you do as well.
And on June 6th, 2012 I will be joining with others to say it loud and clear:
CAPTION THIS!!!
A big “HAT TIP” and hands waving in applause to Adam Jarashow of California for creating this excellent video. You rock, Adam! Know that I’m with you on June 6th, and hopefully many other Crossroads readers (such as Kim below) will be joining us to educate and advocate for greater captioning access!
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
Deaf Pagan Crossroads 
June 6th. Noted on my calendar. Will try to recruit some Truthies to help along with efforts to get #captionTHIS trending on twitter that day.
Thank you, Kim. I hope that others will join us in this effort to educate, advocate, and encourage everyone to Caption This!
Did a double-take. LOL Not used to you calling me Kim. Forgot I changed my display name to appear as that instead of Crystal since I added my Trek trips blog to wordpress. I wonder if anyone sent a link to this video to Marlee? She’s very active on twitter. Oh, which reminds me I can send it to the Switched At Birth official twitter too.
Chuckle – okay, Sis…I’ll call you Crys instead (wink).
I really don’t know if Marlee has gotten this or not, since I don’t twitter myself. However, I have seen it show up on the walls of a couple of my Facebook Deaf friends who live in California and are linked to Marlee, so I am going to guess she has received it. However, there’s nothing to stop you from mentioning it yourself. And I think sharing it with the Switched At Birth group would be good too.
Heck, I think sharing it with any and all is a good thing. The more we get it out there, the better.
I sent an email to the Bay Area Reclaiming Collective, and it’s been getting some good response and causing some positive discussion there. I’m hoping that this is the beginning of seeing something happening in the Pagan Community in regards to increasing understanding of and support for Equal Communication Access and accessibility in general.
Well I did send a note to her with the link yesterday, as well as tweeted Switched At Birth’s official twitter (though I can’t say I have much hope for that, whoever runs the SAB twitter account leaves me scratching my head sometimes.)
Today, the blogger from Deaf Politics sent the info to Marlee, and I see that Marlee has tweeted it to her followers. Perhaps that will get the other cast members of Switched At Birth on board and sharing with their followers too. It would be nice to see Sean tweeting about it as well and bringing the awareness to his younger followers. 🙂
One of these days I gotta figure out how to plunk a video into a blog post like you have here. I’ve tried in the past & never got it to work.