Deaf Ohio State fan sues for captioning of games

From The Columbus Dispatch:

A deaf Ohio State University fan wants the school to put captions on its scoreboards and televisions in concession areas at football and basketball games.

Vincent Sabino, a 32-year-old Hilliard resident, has asked the federal court in Columbus to order the changes under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"The PA announcer says, 'Wells carries the ball for 4 yards and is tackled by Jones.' The PA announcer says something to that effect after every play," said Marc Charmatz, a lawyer with the National Association of the Deaf. "These are part of the game. And when a deaf person's sitting in the stands, they're not getting that part. They're just not."

The association, based in Silver Spring, Md., filed the case through a Hilliard law firm. The group won a similar suit against the National Football League's Washington Redskins in 2006.

OSU spokesman Jim Lynch said the university is working with Sabino's attorneys to reach a settlement. Many options, including scoreboard captions, are being examined. Neither he nor Sabino's attorneys would discuss specifics.

The first correspondence the university received from Sabino was in a letter requesting action, Lynch said. "The university was in the process of responding to that letter, and we were surprised to see that lawsuit filed prior to the lawyers' getting involved.

"The bottom line is, had the individual called us, we would have taken action."

The letter was mailed and faxed to OSU's Office of Legal Affairs on May 21 and asked the university to respond by June 10, said Laren Knoll, Sabino's Hilliard attorney. The lawsuit was filed on June 30.

An NCAA spokesman said schools are not required to report whether they have scoreboard captioning.