Captions deliver the soundtrack of a television program, including sound effects, background music, noises and emotions as text on the screen. There are two types of captions; open and closed:
- open captions are not hidden from the normal picture and cannot be turned off
- closed captions are hidden from the normal picture and require a teletext decoder to be viewed. They are coloured, positioned and timed to indicate who is speaking.
Caption decoders or television sets with integrated teletext decoders are able to receive and display data on the television screen. There are various ways to access captions on television including:
- add on teletext decoders
- teletext capable televisions
- teletext capable set top boxes.
Workplace solutions and adjustments
Access to captioned television enables individuals with hearing difficulties to have equal access to television programs, training videos, and other audio visual material in the workplace.
The Captioning Quality Code of Practice 2004, as outlined by the Deafness Forum of Australia highlights issues to be addressed during caption delivery including:
- captions must be able to be read whilst the viewer is simultaneously watching the on-screen visuals
- captions should be as faithful as possible to the original wording
- captions should be positioned and timed appropriately
- captions should include all obvious speech and sound effects.
Captioning grants may be made available by the government in some cases for community and education DVDs in order to ensure they are made accessible for people with hearing difficulties. For more information about alternative audiovisual aids see the links below:
References
ABC 2010, Closed Captions; Frequently Asked Questions, ABC, Sydney, viewed 25 October 2010, http://www.abc.net.au/reception/tv/ccfaq.htm#F1.
Deafness Forum of Australia (no date specified), Captioning Quality Code of Practice, Deafness Forum of Australia, Canberra, viewed 25 October 2010, http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/word/Captioning%20Quality%20Code%20of%20Practice.DOC.
Media Access Australia 2008, Captioning Grant, Media Access Australia, Sydney, viewed 25 October 2010, http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2.
Media Access Australia 2008, Television, Media Access Australia, Sydney, viewed 25 October 2010, http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=7#7.