Disability Dialogue with Bill

Audio Description: Assists the Visually Impaired to Visualize Information, Increasing Safety and Convenience

Have you ever attempted to watch a movie/video on a screen that was so small you could not see it and in addition to that the audio track did not provide enough description which prevented the ability to follow the plot?  Have you attended a play, movie or other event in which your seats had an obstacle impeding your view which prohibited seeing the action performed which left you wondering what happened when only action was occurring and there was no verbal dialog? Have you ever attended a webinar where the video portion had technical difficulties and you could only listen to the audio and missed the essential non- verbal content preventing you from completely understanding the concept? Ever listened to a video on your mobile device and due to safety reasons could not look at the screen and therefor missed understanding the complete concept because not everything was described sufficiently? 

If you experienced any of the above accessibility obstacles how do you think this would make you feel? Would you feel excluded and truly left in the dark? This is how some blind or visually impaired people feel if they cannot fully participate in such activities.

Fortunately with today’s technology the blind, visually impaired and others without disabilities who may have the temporary obstacles described at the start of this blog post can participate and understand the content if the developer/producer/publisher incorporates Audio Description.

What is Audio Description?

Audio Description is an additional audio track that describes and gives context for essential visual information. Audio Description makes videos, multimedia, plays and museum exhibitions, as well as a large variety of other events and activities more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. It also helps others who are not disabled but may have temporary obstacles by capturing essential visual information into audible descriptions that are played during natural pauses in the primary audio track.

A few of several examples of where Audio Description can be added are shown below to assist the targeted audience understand the media being presented are:

• A scene in a movie, video or play where there is only action and no verbal dialog describing the action when the action is critical to understanding the movie or video - Describe the action

• An amusement park ride where the visual experience is critical to fully participate in the ride experience - Describe the visual setting

• When the speaker’s facial expressions, body language, clothing and colors add context to the meaning of what is being presented - Describe the facial expressions, body language, clothing and colors

• If the environment adds additional information to aide in setting the mood for the audience - Describe the environment  

• A webinar where the instructor is taking an action which they do not describe what is crucial to understand the concept - Describe the action

• If presenting a training video of a software application and reaction within the application caused by a mouse click or keystroke is critical in performing the task being verbally described - Describe the reaction

• When multiple people are talking and the audience can benefit from associating the voice of the person speaking with what they are talking about - Sparingly introduce the speakers

• A conference call where anyone in the call is sharing information and they do not describe that which is crucial to understand the concept - Describe the information being shared

My last four bullet points are good candidates to leverage the Low Tech solution borrowed from WebAIM: Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions.

Producing audio descriptions can be expensive and time-consuming. When producing a video for the web, the need for audio descriptions can often be avoided. If the video were displaying a list of five important items, the narrator might say, "As you can see, there are five important points." In this case, audio descriptions would be necessary to provide the visual content to those with visual disabilities who cannot 'see' what the important points are. However, if the narrator says, "There are five important points. They are..." and then reads or describes each of the points, then the visual content is being conveyed through audio and there is no additional need for audio descriptions.

To learn more about the value and begin to learn how to incorporate audio description into your products to increase audience satisfaction read...
"Creating Opportunities with Accessibility: Movie Theaters”
and ...
“Audio Description for Media and Live Performance Chicago Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design Meetup”.

Has anyone experienced Audio Description and can provide comments to help others learn? If you have never heard of Audio Description did you learn anything from this blog post? Can you think of other activities that can utilize Audio Description to increase accessibility and therefore inclusion? Does anyone have suggestions to leverage Audio Description for people without visual disabilities to help justify it being incorporated into products for universal design? Does anyone have any other comments on the subject of audio description?

I look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

 

Creating Opportunities with Accessibility: Movie Theaters

Have you had life changing events in which you thought you might not be able to participate in activities you once enjoyed? Maybe you know of others who have had life altering events which as a result these people feel they now have barriers that prevent them from enjoying all of life’s opportunities. 

After I awoke from a coma which lasted three months I realized all I could see was complete darkness. Shortly thereafter my ophthalmologist came into the hospital and verified I had lost all vision and was now completely blind. This life altering event occurred suddenly without warning one uneventful evening. From that point in 1999 my life changed forever.

One of many thoughts that raced through my mind just after being told I would most likely never be able to see anything ever again was how I would participate in activities I used to do which might require eyesight. Since being blind was new to me I was not yet aware of how I would be able to participate in many of life’s joyful opportunities.

After attending meetings at local blindness related organizations and completing extensive training in blindness related skills and assistive technologies, I became aware that with the advancements in technology I would have options to participate in many of the activities I had previously enjoyed. This new education along with my past experience in software development, system administration and computer networking I learned that with the technology available today, full inclusion of all people can be a reality. All that is required to facilitate inclusion, regardless of disability or age related challenges, is the incorporation of accessibility into products.

One of many examples of incorporating accessibility into products is how the AMC Theaters in my area leverage accessibility. With the technology used at my local theater I was able to enjoy the movie experience with the aid of descriptive audio. With this technology I could fully see what was on the screen in my minds-eye as the second audio track described the images on the screen.  This audio description track played through wireless headphones that were provided by the theater. The audio description that was playing in my headset flowed seamlessly with the primary audio track everyone else was listening to. The audio description never seemed to overlap with the voices that were in the movie. This allowed me to listen to both sound tracks with ease. The added description immensely enhanced my movie experience.  I could now tell what was being displayed in the movie such as action, scenery or other non-verbal content which is essential to understanding the complete meaning. 

My friend who I attended the movie with is deaf/hard of hearing and he leveraged the closed captioning devices that were provided by the theater. He was very impressed with the technology used to increase his movie experience. He was able to read the verbal words spoken as they scrolled across the small display. The words that scrolled across the display were perfectly timed with the movie. The small display for closed captioning rested on a small flexible stand that is placed in the cup holder in the arm rest of the seat. This device was easily adjustable to allow for easy viewing of the display while not obstructing the movie screen.

Additional technologies/recreational activities that can take advantage of closed captioning and audio description are:

• On-Line Videos

• Training Classes/Courses

• Desktop Sharing Software

• Conferences - Both Online and Face-to-Face

• Television Programming

• DVD Movies

• Plays, Concerts and Operas

• Museums, Theme Parks and Hiking Trails

The movie experience I described is just one example of how products can leverage accessibility to produce superior products. The incorporation of accessibility will also broaden the number of people who can use the products therefore creating the potential for additional revenue for the developer/provider. Also if the product is used in a business environment there is potential cost savings due to the fact the affected employee will not need another person to help them overcome the accessibility/usability barriers. Plus, best of all, more people who thought they had no hope of ever participating in activities they once enjoyed because of barriers can now participate in life’s experiences and contribute to their full potential.

Learn more about accessibility at World Wide Web Consortium - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Section 508 and the other hyperlinks I have included in this blog post.

Do you have any examples of how accessibility has opened up opportunities or made a difference in your life? Can you provide any tips to developers about the benefits of incorporating usability and accessibility into products? Any other thoughts you would like to share on this topic?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Mark O'Brien: Living With Polio in an Iron Lung

Hello all,

I found Mark O'Brien’s story interesting, encouraging, educational and an example of what attitude and tenacity can accomplish.

Mark O'Brien contracted polio in 1955 and spent the rest of his life paralyzed requiring an iron lung. From age 6 Mark O'Brien, writer, poet and subject of the Academy Award-winning "Breathing Lessons" had the use of just one muscle in his right foot, one muscle in his neck and one in his jaw.  

In the iron lung he attended UC Berkeley and produced his poetry and articles with the assistance of Sip/Puff Switch technology on his personal computer.  Mark was an advocate for people with disabilities. 

Mark also was a journalist and co-founded a small publishing house, Lemonade Factory, dedicated to poetry written by people with disabilities. Mark did not let having scarcely an intact muscle in his body deter him from living independently and overcoming his challenges in order to accomplish his goals.  

Mark O'Brien died of complications from bronchitis July 4, 1999 at age 49 however from what I have read he did not let his challenges prevent him from experiencing and living life to the fullest.   

You can learn more about Mark O'Brien (poet) on Wikipedia. 

What did you learn from reading Mark O'Brien’s story? Do you have examples of others who despite their challenges have overcome or adapted to accomplish their goals? Do you have any other comments you want to share?

Bill Tipton 

Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Celebrating Life

I personally believe we all should take time to celebrate our passions and joys in our life.

Time goes by very quickly. If we breeze through the actions of living life like a robot with no emotions, enthusiasm or interactions we would truly miss out on life’s pleasures. We need to take the time to celebrate the joys of living. Be aware of your surroundings, others feelings and share mutual passions. Embrace how different each of us are and enjoy the uniqueness in personalities, viewpoints, skills and perceived abilities.

If we do not take advantage of life’s experiences, whether negative or positive, we will truly miss out on the true meaning of why we are living on this earth.

This month has been very special for me for many reasons. I want to share three celebrations I had the opportunity to experience during a week of vacation from my valued employer. This will get us started thinking about what we all can celebrate in our lives, and how we can help others unselfishly.

To start off my week of gratitude and celebrations my first thought is that I am thankful that I have the ability to celebrate. This month is my wedding anniversary. You can read a post I wrote last year to celebrate this very special occasion with my loving and caring wife Kathy; I call Anniversaries - What They Mean to You.

I tragically missed my twelfth anniversary. Read the post to see why I missed this anniversary and why I do not want to miss any more opportunities to celebrate my anniversary and why I believe I am very lucky to have the ability to celebrate the joys in life.

I was honored and grateful to attend a book release reception with my wife Kathy for a very exciting and valuable book titled: Putting Our Differences to Work. The author of this innovative book is Debbe Kennedy, my friend, colleague, Founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies.

I met many positive leaders at the reception who are truly celebrating life to the fullest. They are incorporating all people in their positive and meaningful work; valuing the individual’s unique differences. I have had the privilege to have worked with some of these outstanding creative leaders in the past. Some I continue to do meaningful work with and others I just met at the reception and will work with in the future. This was a very remarkable event to celebrate life and be engaged with others who are making a positive difference in the world.
Read: Putting Our Differences to Work, to learn more about the leaders and how you can learn to be a better leader and make a difference in your organization, community and in your personal life.

To end my week my wife Kathy and I had a very nice dinner with a friend I had not seen in years. My friend and I used to go on tandem bike rides in the foothills near where I live. I started going on tandem bike rides just after I learned to walk again after a very critical medical condition which took away all of my eyesight and the ability to walk for 1 year. I now walk with two canes. I have one support cane and one long white cane.

When I would ride on the bike I would fold up my canes and attach them to my larger fanny pack so I could get to them quickly and easily if I needed to walk. I always wore a helmet on my rides. As we rode I could smell the fresh air and scents of trees and flowers. I could feel the breeze blowing around my face, arms and legs. Our rides were relaxing even when going uphill as we peddled the miles away. I would listen to the birds as we rode trying to figure out what type of bird was singing. We did a lot of talking as we rode. I think I must have talked off my riding partners ears; it seemed to me. I especially liked coming down this one steep hill where we would go very fast through some gentle curves that went from side to side. At times we would have to pass cars on the side of the road or as we made turns down side streets. I could hear when the cars were relatively close to me; but I was never a bit scared or worried. I had complete faith in my friend and riding partner. We always had a great time celebrating life on our rides.
Our night out to dinner and our talk afterwards went by so quickly. It was a very nice way to end a week full of exciting life experiences and celebrations!

If I wanted to I could have stayed at home and not been engaged with others during my week on vacation. If I did this; just think of what I would have missed if I did not choose to share myself with others and allow others to reciprocate. If I took the perceived easy way of life and rushed through this month like a robot I would have missed many opportunities to enjoy what life has to offer and the ability to meet many outstanding people.

I hope that you can live every day to the fullest and can enjoy the celebrations in your life. I hope you do not pass up any opportunities because you are too rushed by the actions of just living life. Instead try focusing on the engagements and opportunities that may come up. If you do rush through life, it is like me and my friend on the tandem bike racing down the hills. You are going too fast to see the opportunities to celebrate life, meet new people and enjoy all life has to offer.

Does anyone have any celebrations you want to share with us? Do you have any suggestions to help others get engaged to find celebrations of life? What makes you feel life is worth celebrating?

We all look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments and suggestions’ to help us celebrate life’s joys.

Bill Tipton
Contributing Author
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/