In some ways, individuals with hearing impairments do not have as much trouble accessing content on the Web as individuals with visual disabilities.
Most Web content is either textual or visual, neither of which requires sound.
However, with the increase in the use of sound, video, plug-ins, and multimedia programs on the Web, more and more content is excluding individuals who are deaf. News sites often include video or audio clips of television broadcasts. The technology exists to provide either closed or open captioning for Web-based multimedia in the same way that it is provided for television shows or movies. Unfortunately, Web sites that make use of this technology are few and far between. The problem is especially salient in circumstances where video is the only format used to present critical information, such as in Web-based distance education courses that utlize videos of lectures or presentations.