This fact sheet provides basic information on closed captioning as a source of information and entertainment for people with hearing impairments. It describes the role of the National Captioning Institute (NCI), defines closed captioning, and notes NCI activities in three areas: development of the TeleCaption decoder, obtaining the cooperation of television networks, and finding financial sponsorship. Expansion of NCI's role into off-line captioning and real-time captioning is mentioned, and the wide range of closed caption selections now available is noted. Specific sources for the necessary decoder and additional information are given. The future of captioning and other uses of captioning (such as with limited English speaking students and functionally illiterate adults) are briefly considered. Finally, it is pointed out that equal access to electronic information is now a right under the Americans with Disabilities Act. (DB)