Hands 4 News Aims To Make Sign Language Mandatory For United States Television News

New York, New York, April 12, 2016 -- New York City, New York – A new cause is aiming to improve the ability of United States television news stations to communicate with deaf viewers. Hands 4 News is a petition dedicated to making United States television more inclusive to the deaf community by requiring American Sign Language during all national and local news broadcasts, as well as mandatory closed captioning.

There is an estimated 500,000 American Sign Language users throughout the United States alone. For these television viewers, however, the news may be anything but informative. Without access to American Sign Language on TV news, the deaf community must instead rely on closed captioning to understand dialogue on screen. Unfortunately, closed captioning can often result in misspellings, incorrect verbiage, and missed phrases, clouding the messages being presented. Incorporating sign language would result in a more encompassing experience for deaf viewers of the news.

Hands 4 News stands by the principle that everybody deserves to be informed.

Jasmine and Caitlin Levine are the founders of Hands 4 News – having started an online petition and accompanying webpage to help shed light on the difficulties of deaf TV viewers.

“I have been studying sign language and learning about deaf culture for the past 3 years” says Jasmine, who has worked alongside members of the deaf community, in addition to being educated by author and professor, Russell Kane. “One day it occurred to me that there is a lack of sign language on TV.” As Jasmine says, this absence of American Sign Language poses many challenges for deaf viewers to understand the messages being conveyed on-screen. “A deaf person cannot understand the news, especially when the reporter’s voice is simply heard while footage is being shown. This results in the inability to properly read lips.”

This realization led Jasmine and Caitlin Levine to form Hands 4 News in order to spread awareness for the deaf community. Supporters can sign the official Hands 4 News pledge on change.org; this petition calls on the major United States news networks, including CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and more, to integrate American Sign Language into their daily broadcasts in an attempt to better inform the entire public. Hands 4 News also advocates for efficient closed captioning across every television station.

Both Jasmine and Caitlin Levine hope to provide a more accessible brand of television news in America.

For additional information:

Petition Link:      https://goo.gl/ORILNx 

Website:            www.hands4news.com

Email:               [email protected]