Deaf NJ Sports Fan Says Awareness Is Rising At Arenas, Stadiums

NEWARK, NJ — There’s still work to be done, but New Jersey sports lovers who are deaf or hard of hearing are finally beginning to get some much-deserved awareness at local arenas and stadiums, an advocate says.

Recently, Gary Noll – a longtime sports booster and advocate – reached out to Patch to congratulate some of his favorite teams for taking steps to raise awareness for fans who are deaf and hard of hearing. They include the New Jersey Devils, the New York Islanders and the New York Mets (learn more below).

Noll, who was born deaf and grew up in a deaf household, received a 2019 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for Public Service and 2017 New Jersey Association of the Deaf unsung hero award for his advocacy on behalf of sports accessibility, awareness, diversity and inclusion.

Noll has been an ardent advocate for closed/live captions that capture the dialogue from announcers and broadcasters. It’s a simple move that could make thousands of people feel much more welcome when they go to see a game, the North Jersey resident says.

The need for captioning doesn’t stop with the game itself, Noll said. It’s also a big help when fans hit the concession stands, too.

Another way that stadiums can reach out to fans who can't hear is to boost their use of American Sign Language (ASL), Noll says. This includes ASL during the national anthem, group performances, public announcements and other hosting duties.

ASL signers can be posted in seating sections throughout the stadium, as well as on the main video board, he said.

Here are some recent developments that Noll has been cheering for.

• See Related: 3 Ways Sports Teams Can Reach Out To Deaf Fans In New Jersey
• See Related: Newark Library Will Take Sign Language Classes On Tour This Summer

NJ DEVILS: ASL NIGHT

The New Jersey Devils brought back their American Sign Language Night during a game versus the Carolina Hurricanes on March 12, which they’ve done in previous years.

Noll has previously congratulated the Devils – who play at the Prudential Center in Newark – for being one of the only Tri-State arenas that has four closed captioning (CC) areas on scoreboards in the corner. Read More: Deaf NJ Sports Fan Has High Praise For 2 Local Arenas

NY ISLANDERS: DEAF AWARENESS NIGHT

Meanwhile, the New York Islanders held a Deaf Awareness Night at the UBS Arena in Elmont on Feb. 24 – including a mobile captioning QR code scan advertisement on the arena’s giant video scoreboard and ribbon boards.

NY METS: DEAF AWARENESS DAY

Noll, a huge Mets fan, noted that the team plans to hold a Deaf Awareness Day on July 30, sponsored by the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund and the Hearing Loss Association of America (New York State Association).

Noll said he’s asked the Mets to think about introducing ASL communication technology at Citi Field’s giant hung video scoreboard, like the Islanders did on their recent Deaf Awareness Night.

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