If She Couldn't Have Captions, No One Would Have TV

Thank you to Kathryn Hill of Stone Deaf Pilots for permission to reprint this recent blog post!

From Stone Deaf Pilots:

TV-B-Gone
By Kathryn Hill

The gym I work out at has five television sets in the cardio room. I noticed that when I went to work out, sometimes the closed captions would be displayed on one set, but not all five sets. And sometimes the closed captions wouldn’t be turned on at all. For the past few weeks, the captions have been completely off. When I went to talk to the employees about this, they all claimed they couldn’t do anything to the TV’s because only a manager has the remote and the managers are never there when I am (I go around 6 PM) so I couldn’t ask them directly.  The employees kept claiming that they had left notes for the managers, but the captions still did not come on. Since I can’t listen to music, I was getting pretty bored while I worked out on the elliptical trainer.

Finally, about a week ago I had enough of this runaround, so I asked for the manager’s phone numbers. I called them, and the woman I spoke with claimed that the company installed the TV’s so only the company can control the TV’s, not the employees, but couldn’t tell me why the captions still were not coming on after numerous messages left by me.

My partner bought me a TV-B-Gone and we decided to try it out recently.  It’s a small handheld device the size of an electronic car key that is an universal remote control with one button: off.

First, we went to the front desk to ask for the captions to be turned on and they gave us the usual spiel; only managers control the TV and the manager wouldn’t be back until Monday morning, blah blah blah.

Well, fine; if I can’t have captions, then no one is going to have TV. Let’s see how fast those TV’s come back on when I turn them all off.  So, I went in the cardio room and discreetly turned off all the televisions.  Eventually, someone let the employees know that the TV’s were off.  They came in the workout room and stared quizzically at the blank screens, but didn’t turn the TV’s back on.  They remained off for the duration of my workout.

When I went back to the gym the next day, the same problem was there: TV’s on, no captions.  So, I turned them off again.  And I kept doing it for a week and half without getting caught until they finally got the hint somehow, and now all the TV’s have the captions turned on.

You know what I’d really like?  For someone to invent a Captions-B-On device.  That would be perfect.

Comments

[Margaret]

Hooray for you!!

[Margaret]

Hooray for you!!

[Darrell Shandrow]

I have to say I just love this example of self-advocacy! Now, to find a similarly effective way to advocate for blindness accessibility, particularly with respect to CAPTCHA!

[Candace Low]

I thought the advocacy regarding the captions was great. I too have done a lot of advocacy for captioning and we seem to take three steps forward and two back on accessibility but we need to just keep at it. Thanks for printing that article.

[Larry Wanger]

You go! I like the way you solved this. I'm curious if this is a national chain of gyms? I'm fighting with LA FItness who, while having special machines set aside for PWD's on the lower level, says that making tactile markings on them so I can distinguish the buttons is just impossible! Can I get a universal remote to disable all of the bikes? Darrel is right; we need to find some kind of advocacy like this for the Internet!

Larry
www.disabilitynation.net

[Luke P. Lawless]

You may be on to something with Your last sentence, do some research I'm sure you could probably convince a manufacturer to make a univ/remote to turn them on... I'm not deaf, I am physically disabled & I'd sign a petition to back it...

[Jenifer Simpson]

I recommend filing a couple of easy-to-do federal complaints about this:

1. An ADA complaint about lack of effective communication which is a violation of your civil rights. Follow the U.S. Department of Justice instructions at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/t3compfm.htm

2. File a complaint at the Federal Communications Commission asserting lack of captioning on the TVs without captioning. The complaint would be against the TV station/channel for which you are not getting the captioning. If it's Emergency Information that was on-screen, such as about wicked weather or school closings, this situation is beyond horrible! Use the new FCC online complaint form at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_general.html

[Colleen]

Good for you! Too bad that 18 years after the ADA we still have to take matters into our own hands because someone else is too narrow minded, ill informed, or just plain insensitive and people like Kathryn have to go to such lengths to get equal rights!

[Jeanette Grimaldi]

All tv should have caption on at all time if not all then 99 percent of all tv should have it no excuse

[Carolyn]

Gee, I'd like one of these TV-B-Gone gizmos to use in medical office waiting rooms where the TV is blaring some program when I'm trying to focus on my upcoming medical conference. Here it would be better to have captioning and NO Sound so the program does not disturb the whole room.

[Alisha]

Good for you! That was a great idea. I would have never thought of that. I agree if you can't watch it, no one else should be able to.

[Kathryn Hill]

Hi everyone, thanks for the support!

[Larry A. Murphy]

I Am cp preson. I AM AN SELF-A. I HELPED WROTE THE ADA. Good for you! I would wait for the bosses and tell them I will see them in court!

[Gail Kear]

I'd like to see captioning on at all the bars, sports bars, restaurants, etc., too!