My purpose in issuing this Memorandum is to reinforce the importance of all NSW agencies complying with the long-standing instruction to provide captioning (sub- titling) on all Government advertising and public information videos.

During community consultations on the NSW Government Disability Policy Framework Green Paper in 1997, there was a clear consensus that all television and film output being supported by Government funding should carry open captioning.

Three benefits of such captioning are:-

• It allows those members of the community with hearing impairments to access Government information with a level of independence equal to that of other members of the community.
• It serves to make the community in general more aware of (and it is hoped more responsive to) the existence of peopld with hearing disabilities and to the fact that adjustments are needed in the way information is presented in order to make it accessible to the diversity of people who make up the community.
• It demonstrates State Government leadership in making reasonable adjustments so that mainstream services can be accessed by people with disabilities.