As a deaf person, I’ve attended many graduation ceremonies — my own, my sister’s, and several of my friends’. Some were accessible to me, and others were not. These experiences opened my eyes to the power of inclusive communication, especially through captioning.
I want to share three memorable graduation ceremonies and how each shaped my perspective on accessibility:
1. My RIT graduation (BFA in Graphic Design in 2000)
Since RIT has a large deaf and hard-of-hearing student population, accessibility was a given. The ceremony featured both live captions on screens and ASL interpreters. It was fully accessible to everyone in attendance—deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing alike.
2. My Pace University graduation (MS in Internet Technology in 2005)
In 2005, I was the only deaf graduate that I knew of. I requested ASL interpreting services, and two interpreters were assigned to sit with me, with two additional interpreters working on stage. At the time, I didn’t know I could also request live captions—and that would’ve helped tremendously. While I used live captions in some of my classes, I didn’t realize they could be provided at events like this. Had captions been available, I would have preferred using both—captions for following speakers on stage and interpreters for visual social cues and interactions.
3. My sister’s Boston College graduation (2007)
This was a turning point. When my sister invited me to her graduation, I asked her to request ASL interpreters. She checked with the accessibility office and learned they would provide live captions on large screens. I was thrilled! At a large venue, captions are often easier to follow than trying to locate and watch an interpreter on a distant stage (as the video shows).
As someone raised using spoken language, I find captions more effective for one-way communication like presentations and speeches. What’s more, my parents—whose first language is not English—also benefited from the captions.
That’s when I had a lightbulb moment: captioning access should be standard at all public events. It benefits more people than we think—deaf individuals, non-native English speakers, those with auditory processing issues, and anyone in a noisy or quiet environment.
Turning insight into action
After that experience, I began researching captioning access in 2007. I’ve been consulting and training media producers and event organizers ever since.
In 2014, I published a book on deafness awareness and captioning and communication access best practices (with a second edition released in 2022).
In 2018, I gave a TEDx talk on how captioning increases audience engagement and ROI for businesses.
It’s important to understand that captioning is not just about accuracy (the science). Readability is just as critical—it’s an art. That means using proper chunking, optimal font size and color, clear placement, and consistent formatting. Captioning is as much an art as a science.
Want to improve your captioning strategy?
If you’re a media producer or event organizer interested in improving your captioning quality and learning best practices, I’d love to help. I offer training, consulting, and quality checks to ensure your captions are clear, readable, and inclusive.
Let’s make accessibility standard—not an afterthought.
