Seattle Businesses With TVs Now Must Use Closed Captioning

SEATTLE, WA — Businesses in Seattle that have TVs are now required to turn on closed captioning under a law pass by Seattle City Council on Monday. The Council hailed the passage as a win for people with disabilities, but making sure businesses know about the law might take some significant outreach.

Under the law, businesses like hotels, sports bars, and even stadiums, must display closed captioning specifically: 24-point font in white text on a black background in Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Tahoma, or Verdana fonts.

The law was sponsored by Councilwoman Lisa Herbold, but the city's Commission for People with DisAbilities asked for Council to take up the issue. Seattle joins cities like Ann Arbor, Mich., and San Francisco in requiring closed captioning.

The commission's co-chair, Eric Scheir, said that the law will benefit people with hearing and learning disabilities — but it also might benefit people who hang out at noisy bars.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/seattle-businesses-with-tvs-now-must-use-closed-captioning/ar-BBVZPyf