Why equal access to content is critical during national & global emergencies

At a time of recording, there is a global pandemic with coronavirus affecting the entire world. But with so much important to follow, it’s so important to make sure that there is equal access to those content for those who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing.

Unfortunately, it is still necessary for this to be mentioned. At press conferences, there aren’t always sign language interpreters (and when there are, they are mocked by some people). Important videos are not fully captioned. Podcasts and radio shows are not transcribed.

At this moment in time, it’s more important than ever to make sure there is equal access to those content. It will not just protect those who are deaf, but also those around them too, as I explain in the video/podcast below.

You can watch the video…

…listen to the podcast…

…or read the transcripts below instead.

---

Transcripts

Just in case you didn’t know about me, I always talk about making sure that content are accessible.

So for example, if you have videos or you’re creating videos, making sure that they are captioned. And I mean proper captions, not those auto-caption nonsense.

Or maybe you have a podcast, just making sure that there are transcriptions available for it.

Or maybe during a live event, like a conference or even a press event, making sure that maybe someone out there will require a sign language interpreter.

Most of the time when I talk about these type of content, it tends to be for those general ones, maybe for something that you’re interested in, your hobby, your business, these things. It’s not always something that I talk about that I specifically aim at the life and death situation. That means that it’s even more important for us to be kept informed of the news and be able to follow the information.

But the thing is, we’re only able to do that if the content are accessible. And by we, I’m talking about those who are deaf. Because if those major emergencies, major stories, if they’re so important that everyone needs to be informed, well, it’s not possible for everyone to be informed if they’re not accessible for a group of people.

There are certain information that are critical for us. Certain things that we need to be kept informed of and it’s why it’s so important that those information are accessible. And I’m talking about those situation where maybe it’s a national emergency, a global emergency.

Maybe something about a travel information that you need to know about. Maybe it’s some kind of health warning that you need to know about. Of course the content needs to be accessible.

On the other hand, when it’s content, maybe it’s more of a hobby style. Maybe it’s something like a home workout video, cooking video, or maybe it’s something like educational, like online courses or university lecturers.

Maybe they are going to be not as important as those big emergencies, but they’re still important for some people, and it’s still important for those kind of content to be accessible.

But because we are in the middle of a global pandemic right now with Coronavirus, I wanted to be topical and I want to focus on those type of content where it’s so important that they’re accessible because it’s literally a matter of life and death.

And even though right now it’s about Coronavirus, it could be around anything. It could be around other major emergencies.

It could be a national disaster where in some situations, hurricane, tornadoes, and flooding, we need to have information.

Or maybe there’s some kind of terrorist attack. We need to have information.

But the problem is in a lot of the situation, those information are not always accessible for those who are deaf. And that’s a thing that bugs me because, let’s face it, everyone needs those information.

And if you’re someone who is hearing, then of course, you’d want to know those information yourself, wouldn’t you? You’d want to have access for it.

But, we still have to fight for accessibility. We still have to fight to make sure that videos are captioned or maybe radio shows have transcription or even press conferences for those who require sign language, people will want their sign language interpreter to be at those major emergencies where they announce something on a press conference. And that’s right now, it’s happening every day.

But still, for some reason, we have to kind of push it and fight for it and making sure that, hey, there are a bunch of us who is not able to access those important, important information.

So if you’re watching it and you are some kind of creator, I want to make sure that you’re doing your best, you’re doing your bit, to make sure that those information, which is literally a matter of life and death, making sure that they are accessible. So if you have videos, make sure they are properly captioned.

If you have podcasts or radio shows, make sure you provide transcription with it. Or if you’re someone who is going to make an announcement at a press conference, you are working in a team, whether it’s you speaking or you’re in that background team, there are people out there who require sign language interpreter.

Now, people might say, why do I care? I don’t really need sign language interpreter, but it’s something that I don’t need right now, I’m not fluent in sign language and it’s not my first language. I can use captions, I’ll be fine. But the thing is, there are a bunch of people out there who need it.

And just because they need it and I don’t, it doesn’t mean that I don’t care. Just because they are strangers doesn’t mean that I don’t care. It’s very important that everyone has access to information in whatever way that they require it.

And if you are a person who doesn’t need caption, doesn’t need transcriptions, doesn’t need sign language interpreters, but you get annoyed. You get annoyed by seeing something there on the screen, especially when it’s something that you enjoy watching. But in this situation, let’s just assume it’s a press conference and you get annoyed about a major announcement, that it’s in your way, if that’s something that annoys you, well, a few things that I want to say.

First of all, suck it up and deal with it.

Second of all, if you need it, then other people need it as well. So it doesn’t really make it right that you are allowed to have that access but other people should not have access to it at all. So, everyone should have equal access to those content.

I mean, especially if the case if it’s literally a matter of life and death like the situation that we’re caught in at this time, this Coronavirus situation. It’s even more important for us to have those access, those content available to us, and it’s not just for you only. It’s for everyone.

And also, let’s face it. If we have access to those information, it’s not just going to help us, it’s not for a selfish reason. It’s also going to help you as well because if you think about the situation right now where we have to wash our hands the right way, make sure that we don’t panic buy, make sure you follow these steps or guidelines, all these things, these are there not just to protect us, but it’s also to protect you and everyone around as well.

So imagine if we didn’t have access to that information, we’re not kept informed, well then, you are at risk as well. Not just us.

So, really, what I’m talking about, equal access to these content, especially those important one, it’s important for everyone. And you benefit from it, we benefit from it. Everyone wins.

So if you are a hearing person, just support it and understand why this is so, so important to us. If you work in T.V. studios or you organise press conferences, make sure you even think about having a qualified and proper sign language interpreter there to make sure that the information gets across to everyone.

If you are someone who creates content anyway, please just make sure that you do your best to make it accessible to everyone. You get a lot out of it because more people will have access to your content. And then we get a lot out of it because we enjoy it as much as everyone else, as well.

And if you are deaf or hard of hearing yourself, shout out about it. Don’t keep quiet and accept it. You deserve as much as everyone else to have access to those content.

So please don’t be quiet about it. Just even a simple share on social media, stuff like that, or nudging people, make them aware this is so important for everyone. Everyone wins. You deserve it as much as everyone else, and if we’re going to have to work together, then we need to be kept informed together at the same time.

I hope this makes sense to you, and if it does, let me know in the comments, and while you’re there make sure you click on the subscribe button.

And I would also appreciate it if you support this channel, if you want to support more content like this, consider joining my Patreon page.

And it’s just to make sure that I can keep these content going and make sure that I’m maintaining quality and keep everyone informed about deaf awareness and anything around that.

Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and make sure you share it with everyone, especially in the time where it’s critical for everyone to have equal access to those information.

In the meantime, I will speak to you again soon.

Take care!

---

Share with your friends: on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn