News
#1 Pornhub, the Latest Legal Target for Failing to Provide Closed Captioning for its Content
Last month, the popular Canadian-based adult entertainment website, Pornhub, along with its sister sites and parent company, MindGeek, were accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by Yaroslav Suris, a deaf New York resident. Suris claims that …
#2 Bad Captions Could Be a Liability for Post-Secondary Institutions
In 2019, MIT and Harvard were the targets of Civil Rights lawsuits for discrimination against the deaf and hard of hearing because they failed to provide captions for much of their online content and, where captions displayed, the captions were often so poor that they were unintelligible and deemed useless. [1]
As demand for online learning grows worldwide, the demand (and legal requirement) for accurate captions will also grow alongside this trend. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Canadian Digital Learning Resource Association (CDLRA), one in five Canadian post-secondary students registered in at least one online class per year, and many were taking between 3-10 courses each year.
Tricia Donovan, Executive Director of CDLRA, stated, “The 2018 survey results illustrate that most Canadian post-secondary institutions see online learning as critical to their future academic plans, particularly as it relates to increasing access for students. We believe that capturing this data will help institutions to continue to foster student success in online learning through supports for faculty and institutional practice.” [2]
At GigEcast, we believe that education should be accessible to everyone, including the hard of hearing and deaf communities, and we are happy to see an increase in Canadian colleges’ and universities’ online learning content, making education more accessible overall. A 1992 Statistics Canada report indicated that only 2% of deaf Canadians held university degrees, compared to 14% of the general population. [3] Hearing impaired and deaf students are taking in information only visually and, historically, unless the instructor was proficient in ASL, these students would have to rely on lip-reading, but only 30-40% of spoken English is distinguishable on the lips [4]. Online videos with accurate captions allow these learners to take in all of the information they need to succeed academically and GigEcast can provide visually-reliant students with everything they need to excel.
[2] https://bccampus.ca/2019/01/25/online-learning-welcomes-increased-numbers-of-canadian-students
[3] https://www.chs.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/chs-adult-education-discussion.pdf
[4] https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/08/10-challenges-deaf-students-face-in-the-classroom/
Study
#1 Outdoor Reality TV Enthusiasts More Likely to Need Captions
The assumption that most of your viewers will not turn on their captions is likely a false belief. As much as half of all recreational shooters suffer from hearing loss, according to a study cited in the Women in the Outdoors magazine, published by the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Furthermore, the University of Wisconsin[1] reports that 95% of hunters admitted to never wearing hearing protection within the past year.
These studies, paired with the nature of outdoor reality TV footage (whispering in a blind, rumbling wind, foreign accents, etc.), points to a high probability that your viewer will have to turn on their captions to understand your production’s content. Therefore, to your viewer, the quality of the captions they see will be just as important as the quality of the other production elements they will experience, such as graphics.
At GigEcast, we make captions with the assumption that every single one of your viewers will read them. That’s why our standards are some of the highest in the industry. You would not accept a misspelled or nonsensical graphic to go to broadcast because it would bring down the overall production value of your show. Hold your captions to the same standard of excellence as the other elements involved in your viewer’s experience by relying on a top-quality, specialized provider, like GigEcast, and your production will shine as a class-act.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10776364
#2 Experts in Accessible Media
According to the World Health Organization, 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, resulting from chronic ear infections, use of particular drugs, birth complications, genetics, aging, or exposure to excessive noise. 1.1 billion young people (aged 12-35) are at risk of hearing loss due to noise exposure in recreational settings, and an estimated 900 million people will have disabling hearing loss by 2050. Current estimates show an 83% gap in hearing aid needs and actual use, which means only 17% of those who could benefit are actually using aids, leaving a lot of people navigating everyday life without hearing as much as they should.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) can be caused both by continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time as well as one-time exposure to an intense sound. Significant hearing loss can occur from repeated exposure to sounds at 85 decibels such as gas-powered lawnmowers or leaf blowers or a loud noise at 140 dB or higher, including firecrackers (140 dB), gunshots (140-190 dB) or an explosion (190+ dB).
At GigEcast, we work with several players directly in the accessible media industry, including Accessible Media Inc and Ochsner Medical Centre. Additionally, due to the nature of GigEcast’s relationship with Wild TV, we work directly with hunters, as well as many outdoor-related projects, for closed captioning and translations. Firearm users are far more likely to experience hearing loss than the average person. Recent surveys have shown that 38% of target shooters and 95% of hunters have reported never wearing hearing protection while shooting and studies have also shown that the risk of hearing loss increases by 7% for every five years of hunting.
Have you ever watched TV without the sound on, but still tried to figure out what was said? Accurate closed captions are incredibly crucial for all viewers with hearing loss, or any other viewers with reasons to watch without sound.
Quality Matters
