Closed Captioning Books

As one involved in this struggle over the last 25 years I agree this book is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to learn about the struggles related to accessibility. Congressman Edward J. Markey, Ranking Democrat, House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, stated, "Telecommunications technology can enable and ennoble the lives of millions, but only if our laws animate such technologies with human values to ensure universal access and inclusion. Karen Pelz Strauss, a tireless ally in expanding disability access to new technologies, presents a wonderful history about the inexorable march of innovation and the ongoing struggles to bring its wonders to all sectors of society." Former FCC Chairman William Kenard noted, "The lessons revealed in the pages of this book offer a compelling roadmap to those who are willing to take up this challenge in the decades to come." I am glad the author took the time to capture the struggle so others can learn.

This is a must read for anyone who is interested in access including regulators, advocates, educators, audiologists and parents. The book provides the fundamental underpinnings of a regulatory framework that drives regulation today. Ms. Peltz Strauss' insight into the battles and personalities that shaped FCC regulation make the book an incredible tool for those trying to adapt existing regulation to today's and future technological advances in access. These issues should not be forgotten or assumed to be resolved. This book provides a compelling picture of the challenges and the realization that FCC regulation is required for people with hearing loss to receive the functional equivalence of what everyone else takes for granted.

If you have ever considered the struggles of hearing-impaired people in securing access to basic telecommunications, you owe it to yourself to read this book. In fact, if you're just looking for a good story about the hard work of decent Americans who fought against all odds to improve the quality of life for millions of people, you will enjoy reading "A New Civil Right." Though it features a fast-paced narrative, it doubles as an instruction manual that begs to be studied by disability lawyers, activists and students alike. It contains principles for practical change and countless lessons in grassroots political activism that only a dynamic career in the field could confer.

As the hearing son of deaf parents, I am moved by the series of seemingly implausible victories that unfold in these pages on behalf of a population that was, for decades, shut out of American telecommunications. Were it not for the pioneering work of advocates --whose stories are capably told in this book-- my own parents would not be able to enjoy many of the benefits of modern technology that now enable them to communicate naturally with others from a distance. This is a work that every Deaf American, and every ally of Deaf America, should add to their bookshelf.

Not since Harry Lang wrote "A Phone of Our Own" has such a pioneering, authoratative account of telecommunications access for the deaf been presented to the public. With passion, humility, and an abiding respect for the Deaf community, this extraordinary work draws on the historical insight of Lang's story --without duplicating it-- to present one of the most compelling portraits of progress ever told in American history.

This book has a chapter titled, "David and Goliath." But, in fact on every page of this exciting book amazing successes and improbable achievements are detailed. Strauss shares the struggles of deaf and hard of hearing people to gain telecommunications access with such drama and clarity, making
"A New Civil Right" a fascinating book to read.

This book provides a comprehensive account of how laws were created to provide better telecommunications access for people with hearing loss. The author played an active role in the efforts to achieve this access, so the reporting is both authoritative and enjoyable--it is interspersed with personal and other stories that took place along the way. The many battles that the deaf and hard of hearing communities had to fight in order to win these rights are quite amazing, and the ultimate success is encouraging and very relevant to other efforts to gain civil rights. I would think anyone involved in communications, civil or disability rights, or grass roots advocacy would find this both enjoyable and valuable.

It's a great book but it's written from the perspective of the consumer not the person doing the closed captioning. So there isn't as much information in it that serves me as I thought there would be.

If you want to know anything about Closed Captions, this book probably has the answers. Information on the new digital standard (EIA-708) is a bit lacking, presumably because this is not really in common use yet. Other than this, however, almost anything you could want to know is in here.

"From the beginning, closed captioning has been a way for people who can't 'hear' the audio of a movie or TV show to 'see' the audio", writes Gary D. Robson. He then explains that the benefits of closed captioning now extend far beyond the deaf and hard of hearing communities. Patrons in a noisy sports bar are among such beneficaries, as are those in any learning environment (research has shown that augmenting auditory experience with captions increases retention and comprehension).

Mr. Robson knows whereof he speaks, as he is a recognized and published authority in the field of captioning. A simple Internet search will reveal the extent of his Web presence and the wealth of information he originates about captioning. Now he has provided us with this unique printed reference.

"The Closed Captioning Handbook" is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn about captioning and its uses in boradcast and digital television, on DVD, in movie theatres, or anyplace else. It further provides information on the complex captioning laws, overviews accessible web site design and live-event captioning, identifies sources of captioning equipment (if you want to do it yourself), and (if you don't) provides contact information for businesses who will do it for you.

You will not be disappointed in this book!

I'm the author of "Inside Captioning," and I've been frequently asked if it's going to be back in print any time soon. No, it isn't. I have a new book, however, called "The Closed Captioning Handbook," which covers the subject in far more detail and is much more up-to-date. If you're looking for information about the technical details of captioning, then "The Closed Captioning Handbook" is the book for you.

If, on the other hand, you are a stenocaptioner or court reporter looking for specific information about realtime captioning, then I'd recommend another of my books, instead. "Alternative Realtime Careers" covers both captioning and CART, and is used as a textbook in many realtime captioning schools.

Both books are available here on Amazon. Just click on my name at the top of the page to get a list of my books.

"Inside Captioning" gives a broad overview of US Closed Captioning standards, usage and legislation. If you are a technical reader looking for detailed technical knowledge of Closed Captioning formats and standards, "Video Demystified" is a much better book (and it only has one chapter on CC).

Then again, "Inside Captioning" isn't much longer than a chapter.

What this book does cover well is content and content-provider issues: how phrases should be written to communicate with a hearing-impaired audience; how to become a licensed/certified captioner; how to get television content captioned; how to petition to get a particular show, etc., captioned.

Not a bad book. Not a great one.

I didn't realize there was that much to cover about closed captioning. 250 pages, and Robson still managed to keep it light and entertaining.

The book got a little too technical at times (I didn't really need to know the Line 21 character set in hexadecimal), but it's always easy to skip those parts.

The best part of the book had to be the case studies that applied captioning to the real world.

The most useful part was the glossary. If you're not already a broadcasting technical guru, the glossary alone is worth the price of the book, and it's got some funny stuff hidden in there.

The "bloopers" were good, too.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what closed captioning is and how it works.