Mr Graeme Innes AM

Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Dear Mr. Innes,

Re: Temporary exemption application under DDA section 55: Broadcast television captioning

Thank you for this opportunity of adding my thoughts on this subject. I write as the parent of a hearing impaired teenager who has used captions since she was 7.

The peak consumer bodies appear to support this proposal in principal. I would like to request a review of the 5 year period for children's programming.

My reading of the research indicates to me that:-

• Captions   improve the reading skills of children with a hearing  loss as well as children

   with learning difficulties and children  with English as a second language.
• Captions improve comprehension of the program.
• Captions improve vocabulary.
• Captions motivate children to learn.
• Captions motivate children to read.
• Captions improve the quality of learning.
• Captioned television engages children completely in the act of reading, voluntarily

   and eagerly.

The National Council for Teachers of English states that "literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities – reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations." In fact, the Whole Language Approach to teaching English, which has been the foundation for teaching reading in most of our schools in Australia, believes that children will discover the rules of the written language if they are immersed in a written language environment.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2001 almost  all children (97 percent) aged 5 to 14 years watched TV or  videos in their free time. Over half (52 percent) of children  who had watched TV or videos did so for 20 hours or more  in the two-week period of the survey. Captions on television expose our children to the graphic representation in a fun and unthreatening environment. They also allow our children to be immersed in the written language. Both of these must surely enhance their literacy skills.

With the acquisition of language and literacy so important in the lives of deaf and hearing impaired children, it seems to me that our children deserve captions inside the five year period. In five years, children learning to read now will almost be in high school without having the benefit of closed captions on their television programs.

While the number of hours that children watch television each week alarms many parents, the fact remains that it is an important part of their development and social lives today. They watch television to relax, they talk about programs to their friends, they act out roles in the playground and it makes them feel part of their peer group. This interaction is often denied to the deaf or hearing impaired child. They hear words incorrectly and misinterpret situations which can be amusing to their hearing friends, but distressing for the child. Captions on their programs can solve many of these difficulties.

I support the Australian Association of the Deaf's position that 100% of free to air television should be captioned. I would, however, like to see the captioning of children's programs brought forward. Our young emerging readers with a hearing loss deserve to be given every opportunity to develop excellent literacy skills now. They are our future and the more assistance we can give them the more cost effective in monetary and social terms it will be.

In conclusion, if the peak bodies are supportive of the exemption then I am happy to support this with regards to adult television. I would, however, like to see the exemption period for children's programs be reduced or waived. I would like the ABC to lead the way here with their excellent programs for children – surely they deserve additional funding in this regard. I would certainly like to see children's  programs that are already captioned broadcast with the captions on all free to air channels.

Yours faithfully,

Ann Porter

Ann Porter