Elk Grove Village Television Enables Live Closed Captioning on all Video Programming

This month, Elk Grove Television (EGTV) introduced a dynamic system supporting the display of closed captioning on all live and on-demand video programming. This is an important milestone in making the Village more accessible to all members of the community.

Live closed captioning systems display lines of text on the screen that match the action in real-time, allowing the viewer to comprehend everything without sound. This system provides a written depiction of what is heard and said in a video or live stream.

When first installed, the accuracy of the closed-captioning system begins at about 80%. As a machine learning system, this advanced technology will continue to improve over time and increase to 95% accuracy within just a few months.

The Village's proactive efforts to provide equal opportunity access to content comes at a time when public, educational, and government agencies are currently exempt from video captioning requirements.

"The new system helps ensure all members of our community have access to Village programs," said Mayor Craig Johnson. "This proactive effort is part of the Village's commitment to be an inclusive community."

In addition to ensuring access to individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf, live-closed captioning provides many benefits including viewer flexibility, improved accessibility for viewers with English as a second language, and improved comprehension and retention. Closed captioning also allows for audiences to view content in environments where access to audio is limited.