Suit Seeks Captions On Ohio Stadium Scoreboard
A hearing-impaired football fan wants Ohio State University to offer captioning on the scoreboard and television monitors at Ohio Stadium.
COLUMBUS, Ohio —A hearing-impaired football fan wants The Ohio State University to offer captioning on the scoreboard and television monitors at Ohio Stadium.
Thirty-two-year-old Vincent Sabino from the Columbus suburb of Hilliard says he can’t hear the announcers. A federal lawsuit was filed on his behalf in Columbus last month by the National Association of the Deaf, which charges that the university is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by not providing captioning at all its venues.
Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch said the university is working with Sabino’s attorney and understands its legal obligations under the act.
The suit says captioning would help hearing-impaired fans by explaining such things as referees’ calls.
NBC 4‘s Tom Brockman was told that officials intend to comply with obligations.
“We have fairly frequent requests for interpreters at concerts held in the Schottenstein Value City Arena (and many other public lectures and events). We consistently provided interpreters when asked. We have not ever had any requests for captioning at sporting events,“ Lynch said. “Had this individual called us to request an accomodation for his disability, we would have taken steps to comply.“
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Reader Reactions
I am Deaf and I have experienced some difficulties in getting accessible services however OSU has been AWESOME in getting them met. I am a frequent event attender at the Schott and they have provided interpreters when requested without problems.
I have attended a few games at the stadium and I did not have a problem following plays or anything like that. I go to enjoy the atmosphere and the crowd not to know specifics. If I want specifics…I ll watch it on TV captioned.
I am certain that if this individual (I have had some encounters with him) had talked with the ADA coordinators at OSU they would be more than happy to work with him instead of slapping OSU with a suit which I think is unfair to OSU.
I put myself in this guys shoes (Using a wheelchair, I wish. :) ) He doesn’t KNOW you can’t hear the announcer…he likely has only has been ‘told’ that he missed the announcement on a play. I know from the nosebleed section I could barely make out the player’s numbers, not the names. And who wants to spend their time frantically looking up a player’s name? I go to enjoy a day in the middle of the action…sure, I can see it on TV but being there is the real fun.
‘What a joke..I can hear and at games you cannot hear the announcer over the crowd most of the time.‘
I totally agree! It would also benefit the hearing public to be able to know what the announcer is saying when there’s no way to hear him most of the time during a game. If it’s stupid for someone to go to the game and look at the screen instead of watching the game, then those who are complaining about there being text on the screen won’t be bothered by it because they won’t be looking at it anyway right? When I’m watching the game on TV at home, I don’t mute it…do you? When I go to the game, I’m not constantly looking at the ref every time a play is made…do you? Enough complaining about helping disabled people already. There’s nothing liberal about it. It’s just a law and a fact…Kudo’s to anyone who is willing to stand up for the rights of everyone else…not just themselves or what affects them personally.
my apologies - I erroneously attributed the lawsuit to a student - the individual is not a student but a paying ticket holder.
It doesn’t change any of the points I made, but I’m sure being wrong on a minor point would cause others to throw out anything entirely.
No one who has made a comment so far obviously loves or knows someone with a disability, works with an individual with a disability, or clearly knows the law or facts. I don’t purport to be an expert on either, but here’s some simple truths.
1st - the student is simply requesting that the University follow the Federal Law. As a State organization, OSU is required to follow the Americans with Disability Act. OSU does an AMAZING job to help find accomodations at no cost to able-individuals and the University for those who need it.
2nd - accomodations for individuals with disabilities help all individuals. Access for all does not mean taking away rights from someone else. How many of us have used a handicap ramp on a sidewalk without being in a wheelchair? But it didn’t affect your life, bottom line, or budget really to install and maintain that ramp, did it?
3rd - hand signals by the ref are a great way to remain engaged in the game. However, the ref does not designate WITH HIS HANDS the player who made the offense or the victim of an offense. Besides a ref does not use hand signals to designate the gain of a play, who made the play, or who assisted. Those designations are made by the announcer and would not be recognized by someone who is hearing impaired.
4th - Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that the ref somehow DOES gesticulate all those mentioned in my point above. Not everyone has seats where the ref is visible, even with binoculars. Especially students who are limited with their points on the tickets they can buy. If your solution is for someone to simply watch the ref if they can’t hear the announcer, what their view is obstructed? They’re in the upper bowl? That individual paid for the same experience as someone with hearing yet does not get the same experience.
But I’m sure I’m just a bleeding heart liberal who wants equal rights for everybody and doesn’t even like football, right? Closed-captioning (real time is cheap and automated) won’t take away from my experience during my season tickets - why would it for you?
If this farce gets approved what will be next??? Multi-language captioning on the screens at ALL athletic events??? Get real people and enjoy the atmosphere of the event !! Someone has way too much time on their hands.
Unbelievable!
The officials already give nonverbal signals. What more do you want? Get a rule book and then watch the sign language that is already being done on the field.
It’s a live event - the monitors and announcers are extra. When I am at home I usually turn down the volumne because I don’t want to listen to the announcers.
I can’t believe OSU is going to comply with this. Everyone is so afraid they are going to offend someone else.
OMG!! This guy has to get a life. I’m hearing and I don’t want to see closed caption on the screen when we are viewing the sport. It amazes me how simple minded and ridiculous this is. Now we all have to pay for this moron to read when he should be watching the field. What a loser!!!
What a joke..I can hear and at games you cannot hear the announcer over the crowd most of the time. This guy needs to get real..Just watch the officials calls. If you do not understand what the official is signaling you have no business at the game in the first place.
What? What? What?
What exactly do you need to hear at a live football game? If you are wanting captions on the monitors then you are stupid for paying for a ticket only to watch the game on TV while at the game. Does any of this make sense?
Liberals. Enough said.
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