Beyond the Initial Cost--Closed Captioning Sends Out a Message

Down in Florida, there's a fight stirring up over whether or not to provide closed captioning for deaf and hard of hearing residents at The Villages, a huge retirement community with 70,000 residents.

Louis Schwartz, a deaf resident, is asking the owners of The Villages to provide closed captioning on the TV programs they produce for the residents.  No, says the company, it's too expensive.

Is it really?  Read the full commentary here:  Villages Residents' Pleas Fall on Deaf Ears.

Considering that a large number of residents are probably losing their hearing, The Villages is ignoring that segment of their population who could benefit from it.  But beyond the numbers, if even just ONE resident is excluded from enjoying the full benefits provided by a retirement community, what kind of message is The Villages sending here?

You don't matter enough to us to include you. 

Let's hope the staff at The Villages are listening.