What Should be Captioned Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Last week we turned our spotlight to Netflix, who recently acknowledged the lack of adequacy in it’s closed captioning for a variety of shows. Viewers complained that popular shoes such as Queer Eye had captions that were just plain wrong- words were censored that were said verbally, punchlines were delivered preemptively, and sometimes lines were missed entirely! But Netflix isn’t the only guilty party when it comes to satisfying the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
If you look at the list above, it would seem that just about every public place should be displaying captions. The wording within the Americans with Disabilities Act essentially demands that television that is on should have the captioning on also, yet many businesses fall through the cracks. Restaurants often will only display one or two TVs with captioning, if at all, instead of all the TVs. Amusement parks, such as Cedar Point, will do the same: Only one out of every four televisions throughout the park will have closed captioning services.
If following the ADA is as simple as adjusting the menu settings on a television, then why aren’t all businesses able to accommodate it? The answer: lack of knowledge. Most businesses are able to sweep ADA under the rug simply due to one of the following three scenarios: 1) They do not have any deaf/hard-of-hearing clientele that need the accommodation. 2) The device for some reason can not display captioning due to technical issues. 3) The business is simply unaware of the requirement. Luckily most deaf and HOH individuals know what to say and how to help employees out when they get caught in the headlights in regards to caption (i.e. showing them where the CC options are on their televisions), but some businesses are just plain more accommodating than others.
How can we improve this for everyone? It’s simple: Bring your concerns to management. Ask an employee to turn on the captioning. If captioning is unavailable ask to see a manager and explain that captioning is required by law, and they would also satisfy more clientele by doing so. The more people speak up, the more knowledge of the ADA is spread.
Lou Ferrigno – The Incredible Hulk (1977)
The Deaf Throughout History Spotlight: Lou Ferrigno
Who doesn’t love a bulky green giant in purple shorts? If you’ve ever seen the original Incredible Hulk movie, you’ll love the “deafie” in our spotlight this week!
Lou Ferrigno was born to an Italian family in Brooklyn, New York in 1951, and lost around 80% of his hearing due to a series of ear infections before the age of 3 (when he was diagnosed). After being bullied in school for his hearing loss, he looked up to role models such as Steve Reeves (Hercules) and began bodybuilding at the age of 13. After graduating high school Ferrigno obtained his first title in the world of bodybuilding, IFBB Mr. America, and went on to win IFBB Mr. Universe four years later. While living in Columbus, Ohio he trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger and attempted to win a few Mr. Olympia competitions (places 2nd and 3rd in 1974 and 1975, respectively). He was featured attempting to beat fellow bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron, and became famous.
Two years later, Ferrigno stared in The Incredible Hulk (TV), playing the big green hero we love so much alongside actor Bill Bixby (who played the ‘normal’ version of the Hulk). The pair went on to make three movies about the Incredible Hulk and won the hearts of nation. Ferrigno also appeared in many TV Shows, including King of Queens, and even did a cameo as a security guard in the reboot of The Incredible Hulk in 2008. He also voiced the Hulk in The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Ferrigno still kept up the bodybuilding persona throughout his acting career, even training legendary performer Michael Jackson shortly before his death. 
ASLdeafined: Request A Word in the Dictionary
Let’s face it- our 16,000+ video ASL dictionary is quite extensive, and it is constantly being updated! If you happen to be the (unlucky) few that can not find a word in our dictionary, you can request it be added to the site with a simple click of a button! We’ll even send you an email to let you know when it has been added to the site! How cool is that?
For new teachers, ASLdeafined is also now offering Webinars! Contact us at info@ASLdeafined.com for more information.
Handshape of the Week: C!
The C-handshape is described as a curved hand that forms the shape of a ‘C’, very easily demonstrated in the sign for CAFE:
Sign that also use the C-handshape include:
Class
Alert
Hungry
Crazy
Christ
Drink
Police
Picture
Suffocate
Chocolate