For the first three decades of television, there were no captions of any kind, leaving Deaf viewers unable to fully participate in a medium that shaped culture and conversation. The fight for closed captioning was a battle for access and inclusion. Deaf activists and advocates spent decades pushing broadcasters, lawmakers, and technology companies to make television—and later, the internet—accessible through captions. From early experiments in the 1970s to the passage of laws like the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, their efforts transformed media, ensuring that millions could engage with news, entertainment, and education. And what began as a fight for the Deaf community became a revolution in accessibility, benefiting everyone—from language learners and multitaskers to anyone who has ever needed to read instead of listen.

"Thomas Wiggins: Composing the Future" tells the story of the African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century. Thomas Wiggins was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, he was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Billed as “Blind Tom, The Blind Negro Boy Pianist” he became the highest grossing, most ticketed act of his time. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, Thomas Wiggins was fought over in the courts like a piece of property, leading to him being placed under a conservatorship until his death. In the course of his career, Wiggins earned his owners the largest fortune ever attained by a pianist at the time, the equivalent of over $32 million today.

"Celestine Tate Harrington: Building a Legacy" tells the story of a street musician, born with a condition that left her limbs unusable. In 1975, Tate Harrington won a custody battle against the Philadelphia Department of Child Welfare, which sought to take away her infant daughter, claiming that she could not provide adequate care. See how Tate Harrington’s fight to be a mother and earn an independent living was a revolutionary act.