Boston requires CC on public TVs; Burglary at LAAD
Here are two Deaf News briefs.
Boston requires CC on TVs in public buildings
7 News in Boston reported that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed a new ordinance that requires all publicly used buildings in Boston to turn on closed captions on their televisions. This means televisions in restaurants, bars, banks, and gyms will be expected to have CC on.
Mayor Wu on Tuesday tweeted an image of a signing ceremony. She said she signed “our Closed Captions Ordinance, requiring closed captioning on public TVs across Boston!”
The City of Boston explained in a press release that the ordinance was unanimously approved by the Boston City Council. The goal is to “remove barriers in public spaces related to communications access for people with disabilities.”
The council said they started working on this concept in 2020 and that it researched more than six cities and one state that have instituted a similar captions requirement to help develop a proposal. The other cities include Seattle and San Francisco.
A city official said as of right now there are no fines if a business fails to comply with the ordinance but if the city receives a report of noncompliance, they would reach out to the business to work with them one on one.
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Burglary at Lafayette Athletic Association of the Deaf
The Lafayette Athletic Association of the Deaf (LAAD) in Louisiana said they had a break-in at their facility on December 20 in the early morning. A window in the front of its building was smashed in by a brick.
LAAD President Jay Isch said a suspect went inside and burglarized cash from two vending machines and from a change dispenser, taking about $400. The LAAD had cameras that captured the suspect moving about inside and provided the footage to police.
LAAD said police informed them that there was also a break-in at a nearby building and that it was the same man based on looking at his shoes and flashlight. The suspect was wearing a mask, but police said they believed they can track down and catch the suspect. Isch said the suspect appears to be a random person from the local area.
LAAD said there was a huge mess and damage across its office and that they have about $5,000 worth of losses and don’t think insurance will cover everything. They’ve set up a GoFundMe seeking community support.
If you want to help, the link is in the description or the transcript.
That’s the two Deaf News briefs for today.
LAAD GoFundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/laadrecoveryfund
Boston CC:
https://whdh.com/news/mayor-michelle-wu-signs-new-closed-captioning-ordinance/