CC for All - The Learning Botanist

Closed Captions are a necessity for equal access to visual content.

By Jordan Francisco | Posted on 14 July 2020, 10:48 PM

Living in a ‘Hearing World’

Excellent communication is the key to success in life. Having a language and getting a message across is how each person can live, grow, and prosper. There are both verbal and nonverbal languages that people all over the world use to share ideas.

Deaf individuals live in a predominantly “hearing world.” A world where sound governs our society through verbal cues. Some experiences that deaf individuals might have difficulty with include: receiving updates from a pilot or a flight attendant, waiting for their order at a coffee shop, or enjoying the movies at the theaters (provided CC devices are incompetent).

But there are workarounds to verbal communication and relaying important information. For the rest of this article, we will refer to verbal communication in the context of recorded media (news clips, TikToks, Instagram posts, YouTube videos, etc.).

Importance of Closed Captions

One workaround for verbal communication is providing quality closed captions. Closed captions, or CC for short, can be beneficial to a lot of people. The deaf, hard-of-hearing, or even those with English as a second language need CC; otherwise understanding verbal communication becomes a tedious chore.

***It is worthy to note that closed captions isn’t limited to English; all spoken languages have CC capabilities***

Even some hearing people prefer to read as opposed to listening to a video. Including CC in social media posts is one way we can connect everyone and give equal access to information.

I, a hearing individual, have the resources and privilege to absorb all social media with no trouble. I can learn about social justice movements – Black Lives Matter, the struggles that First Peoples continue to face, political issues, and so much more – through recorded interviews or discussion posts. But a lot of these stories in media lack CC.

#CCforAll

So, I wanted to be an advocate for the movement #CCforAll. TikTok was where this idea of campaigning for more CC content began. I received a comment asking, “How did I add captions to my video?” I went on to explain the app I use, Clipomatic.

This encounter made me realize my privilege and understanding of the importance of CC. I then thought to myself, “How can I help educate others on the importance of CC?”

After doing some research, I stumbled upon the hashtag #CCforAll on Twitter. Many have tweeted their support of adding CC to visual media whenever possible. The last of its use was in September 2019.

#CCforAA on Twitter

@oh_squirrel
#duet with @foodies #cc #closedcaptions
♬ original sound – Foodies

Organization

While promoting the #CCforAll campaign, I want to propose a series of hashtags to help keep our CC videos organized.

Using #ClosedCaptions as an umbrella for all videos is one already in place. But to help centralize specific videos, let’s try using #CC_[insert topic]. For example, CC’ed posts related to BLM could include #CC_BLM.

So, I challenge you. If you have the time, why not help those in the Deaf community and others that rely on closed captions to duet with others. Give these creators a platform to spread their creativity, teachings, or laughter to everyone.

You can use the social media post templates below to help spread the word.

You can send me a message on my new TikTok (@learning_botanist) for CC requests. And if you would like to support me in this campaign, you can donate here.