There are several reasons why the web becomes more complicated for non-English speaking users, and it’s a combination of a number of factors:
Considering that captions are really just words used in a particular way to provide access and meaning, it challenges us as educators to ponder how we can use the opportunity these words provide. The written word has been used to teach concepts for thousands of years, so let’s look at words in the context of access. The use of captioned video ‘turns a light on’ to expose the hidden treasure – information – which lies within the video. Further learning for all students can be facilitated by releasing that knowledge in a variety of forms.
Since the trial began in April, over 12,000 drama programs and over 5,000 factual programs have been played on iview with the audio description activated. The most popular drama program so far has been Poldark, and the most popular factual program The Killing Season.
![Finger pointing to the text "English Captions: Yes [Descriptive subtitles for the hearing impaired]" on the back of a DVD box](/sites/default/files/images/2015_news_images/July_2015/Finger_pointing_to_CC_on_DVD_box_v2.png "Finger pointing to the text \"English Captions: Yes [Descriptive subtitles for the hearing impaired]\" on the back of a DVD box")
