Why We Need You to Advocate for Universal Closed Captioning | Aarron Loggins | TEDxTysons

In the United States alone, one out of every 20 Americans are either deaf or hard of hearing. Despite this era’s tech boom, severe inequalities in communications access exist for the deaf and hard of hearing. These barriers are widening the wealth and employment gap between them and the hearing world. At the same time, the majority of Americans are not conversant in ASL nor aware of tools like closed captioning that can level the playing field for the deaf and hard of hearing. Illinois native, Aarron Loggins, is using his superpower of storytelling through performance art to bridge the gap between the hearing and deaf worlds. In his eye-opening talk, he makes a powerful case for the vitality of universal closed captioning and delivers a moving call to action. Aarron is an actor, entertainer and activist for the deaf and hard of hearing community. In 2014, Aarron won Mister Deaf United States and went on to become the first African-American to win Mister Deaf International. In 2019, he performed the National Anthem during Super Bowl LIII with Grammy-Award Winner, Gladys Knight, along with rising star duo, Chloe X Halle. Recently, he released his first book aptly titled: My Struggle, My Success. He’s also working to form a foundation called, Believe In YOURSELF, to encourage people around the world, particularly those living with different abilities. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx