Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Unable to Access World Cup Games

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Unable to Access Rugby World Cup Games!

Rugby is the game of our nation and we love to follow it and support our boys in black!

Imagine if you will, what it would be like if you cannot hear the voice on the television telling you how the game is progressing and have to wait for someone sitting beside you to tell you what is happening in the game?

This is what will be happening to hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders because captioning access to any of the upcoming Rugby World Cup games is being denied to all who cannot hear broadcast television.

The National Foundation for the Deaf and Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand are appalled and both Agencies call on Hon Amy Adams, Minister for Broadcasting and SKY TV to address this matter with extreme urgency as marginalizing many thousands of New Zealanders who struggle to or cannot hear television broadcasts of the Rugby World Cup games including the semi-finals and finals is unacceptable.

The matter has also been referred by The National Foundation for the Deaf and Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission with a request that they investigate.

ENDS

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