Prioritising Captioning in Media, Public Spaces, and Events
Statement on the Prioritisation of Captioning Across Media, Public Spaces and Events
Version: v1.0
Date Created: 04/10/2024
Next Review Due: 04/10/2025
Approval Status: Approved
Introduction
Captioning, in its many forms — whether on television, at live events, concerts, theatres, public transport announcements, and other public and private spaces — is an essential tool for ensuring communication accessibility for people with hearing loss.
While BHA fully supports the provision of sign language as a vital means of communication for the Deaf community, it is crucial to recognise the difference between the population that uses sign language and the much larger population with hearing loss who benefit from captioning for accessibility.
Captioning offers an inclusive solution that benefits not only individuals with varying degrees of hearing impairment, including those who do not use sign language, but also the wider population. Research has shown that many people, including those without hearing loss, utilise captioning when available for better comprehension in noisy environments, to support language learning, or simply to enhance their overall engagement experience[1].
Captioning as an Essential Accessibility Tool
Television and Streaming Services: The availability of captions on TV programs and streaming services provides critical access to information and entertainment for people with hearing loss. This is particularly important for breaking news, emergency broadcasts, and live events, where real-time information must be accessible to all viewers.
Live Events and Theatres: Captioning at live events like conferences, concerts, and theatre productions ensures that individuals with hearing loss can fully participate in cultural and social experiences. Real-time captioning and subtitles enable audiences to follow dialogue, lyrics, and important audio cues, enhancing inclusivity in public life.
Public Transportation: Captioning for public transport announcements, whether displayed on screens or through mobile apps, allows individuals with hearing loss to stay informed about travel updates, safety instructions, and schedule changes, ensuring greater independence and safety.
Educational and Professional Settings: Captioning in educational institutions and workplaces can support students and employees with hearing loss by ensuring that all individuals have equal access to presentations, lectures, meetings, and discussions, fostering a more inclusive learning and working environment.
Digital Media and Online Platforms: The rise of digital media platforms and social media has increased the need for captioning across videos, webinars, and virtual events. Captioning on these platforms is not only an accessibility requirement but also a means of enhancing engagement for diverse audiences.
Current Captioning Requirements in Australia
Television Services
The Australian Government mandates captioning for tv broadcasters[2] including:
Free to Air Services
- all programs on main channels, from 6 am to midnight
- all news and current affairs programs, at any time
- programs repeated on a multi-channel if the program was broadcast previously with captions.
Subscription Services
- Subscription TV licensees (eg cable and streaming services) must meet annual captioning targets, which can vary.
Live Events and Theatres
- While encouraged there are currently no mandates to have captioning available at live events or theatres.
Public Transportation
- The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards)[3] provide requirements for public transport operators and providers to make their services accessible and remove discrimination against people with disability. However, these standards are silent on the use of captioning.
- The Transport Standards are supported by the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Guidelines 2004[4]and The Whole Journey Guide: A guide for thinking beyond compliance to create accessible public transport journeys[5]. These supporting documents assist operators and providers with planning, designing, implementing and delivering accessibility and non-discriminatory public transport services. Both documents are silent on the implementation of captioning.
Educational and Professional Settings
- While encouraged there are currently no mandates to have captioning available in educational or professional settings.
Digital Media and Online Platforms
- While federal and state government websites and services are required to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which mandate captioning for pre-recorded and live video content, there are no mandates outside of these.
Our Current Position
We believe that captioning should be prioritised across all forms of media and public spaces due to the significant number of individuals it supports, including those with and without hearing impairments.
According to recent studies, over 466 million people globally live with hearing loss, and this number is expected to rise to 900 million by 2050[6]. In Australia alone, an estimated 1 in 6 people experience some form of hearing loss[7]. However, only a small fraction of these individuals communicate using sign language, making captioning a more broadly applicable accessibility tool.
While sign language is an essential and valuable resource for the Deaf community, captioning reaches a broader spectrum of the population. Captions benefit not only people with hearing loss but also people in noisy environments, non-native speakers, and individuals seeking to improve comprehension and retention of spoken content. A 2016 study by Ofcom found that 80% of viewers using TV subtitles did not have hearing loss[8], demonstrating that captioning is widely used even among the general population.
Our organisation supports the following key positions:
- Mandating Captioning in Key Areas: We advocate for the mandatory provision or expansion of captioning on television, at live events, in theatres, on public transport, in educational and professional settings, and on digital media and online platforms.
- Government Support for Captioning Initiatives: We call on state and federal governments to provide funding and legislative support for the widespread implementation of captioning technologies across these key areas.
- Industry Collaboration: We support collaboration between industries, including media, entertainment, education, and public transport, to develop innovative captioning solutions that ensure real-time, accurate, and user-friendly access to information.
- Recognition of the Benefits for All: We believe that captioning is not just a tool for people with hearing loss but a universal accessibility feature that improves communication and understanding for all.
By prioritising captioning, we can increase inclusivity, allowing individuals with hearing loss to participate fully in society while benefiting the broader community.
We believe that captioning is an essential, cost-effective, and broadly beneficial tool that should be a standard feature across media and public spaces.
[1] https://nationaldeafcenter.org/resources/access-accommodations/captioned-media/
[2] https://www.acma.gov.au/captioning-rules-tv
[3] https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2005B01059/latest/text
[4] https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2005B01059/asmade/2002-08-15/supportingmaterial1/original/pdf
[5] https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/transport/disabilities/whole-journey/files/whole_of_journey_guide.pdf
[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
[7] https://hcia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hearing_for_Life.pdf
[8] https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/who-uses-closed-captions-not-just-the-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing/
