What if captions became a kind of curb cut in education? Instead of providing access to a location, captions provide access to information and learning, especially in online environments. I imagine for most people captioning goes unnoticed similar to curb cuts. I do not have this privilege. I am acutely aware of their presence, absence, poor quality, and method of access. My vision is that captions become as prevalent as curb cuts so much so they disappear and go unnoticed in our educational landscape. I imagine one day being at conferences or within a classroom where captions are automatically displayed without question. Captions could be part of universal design similar to curb cuts so that persons with hearing disabilities can experience and interact in their environment in a similar manner as others. Captions would provide access to those with disabilities that benefit from captions while also providing additional inputs to other participants that would serve to enhance comprehension.
Unlike curb cuts, captioning of online content isn't required by law. Currently, only material that has been broadcast on television is required to be captioned. With the decline of television and the rise of online content, this means more and more content is inaccessible. I expect this gap to continue to expand over time. As educators, who produce online content, ask our students to create to multimedia materials, and present to the larger educational community, do we really need to wait for a law to display and produce accessible content?
Personally, I think we can do better as educators. As I continue to brainstorm and think about how to make this vision a reality, I know awareness of the why behind accessible design will be critically important. I also recognize the need to establish workflows for creating good, quality captions more efficient for teachers and students. I am not sure of the steps yet, but know that just like creating curb cuts, it will take a team. It only seems fitting that I drove past this work crew creating a new curb cut that serves as a reminder that this project will be an ongoing, team effort.Feedback Requested.
If you haven't already completed my survey, I love to hear more about how you currently use captions in your role. Please complete this short, anonymous Google Form so I can gather additional data to inform how best to proceed with my project.
captions for facebook
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