Kentucky fan sues for closed captioning on video board
Closed captioning could be coming to another college football stadium video board in the near future.
A deaf University of Kentucky football season ticket holder has filed a lawsuit against the university, which would force the school to use closed captioning on its video board during games.
The suit, brought by Charles Mitchell, isn't anything new. Ohio State and the Washington Redskins were both slapped with similar suits recently, which forced them to add closed captioning to their video boards.
Schools such as Michigan and Texas also have closed captioning and Arizona State was the first to add closed captioning to their video board back in 1998.
What Mitchell, and several deaf and hearing impaired fans just like him, is asking is no different than any other college football fan -- he wants to know what is going on with penalty calls and other announcements in the stadium.
Mitchell's suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Lexington, asks for captions for all game announcements on the scoreboards. This is in accordance with the American Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Mitchell wants the technology to be installed before the season opener against Central Michigan on Sept. 11.
According to a story in the Washington Post, Ohio State spent $3,000 per football game and $1,000-$1,500 for other athletic events for closed captioning. That's a drop in the bucket, especially if it means enriching the gameday experience for all fans, not just those who can hear.
Graham Watson is a regular contributor to Dr. Saturday. Follow her on Twitter: @Yahoo_Graham
