E-mail List Archives
Thread: Outdoor captioning contrast
Number of posts in this thread: 6 (In chronological order)
From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 9:18AM
Subject: Outdoor captioning contrast
No previous message | Next message →
With apologies to those who might not know of the U.S. game show, Jeopardy!, "Subsidy for $1000, please, Alex!"
Jay, I don't have an answer for you, but I do have an observation in the form of a question: At some point it must make sense for governmental agencies to stop giving guidelines on best practices to businesses free of charge and start saying, "Here's the problem you have to solve to achieve accessibility. Do it." Where is that point?
There is a move afoot to create certification processes for accessibility professionals. But if all the best practices are available for free, it won't make sense for new people to consider the profession. To get work, you'll have to get certified, which will involve some kind of education and experience and won't be free, and then to keep work, you'll have to compete with all of this information that is made available for free.
So, where's the balance?
Don't misunderstand. Ensuring that people with hearing disabilities can enjoy live football without missing out on the information given by the stadium announcer is a noble goal. But don't the Minnesota Vikings make enough money to pay for that advice, just as they would pay for advice to improve any other component of their new stadium?
(Hmmm, come to think of it, I know of someone who might have just the information they need. He sometimes teaches "Viking Accessibility." Karl Groves, are you listening?)
Cliff Tyllick
On Thursday, February 27, 2014 12:20 PM, "Wyant, Jay (MNIT)" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
I have a question that is sort of outside of the usual topic areas. We're advising the local NFL franchise, which is building a new stadium, on how to make it fully accessible.
Of course we want captioning. We currently plan to recommend that the captioning display be separate from the ginormous Jumbotron-style screens (and we will probably reference the ANSI A117.1 standards, as much as they are usable). Does anyone have any experience or research on the best form of high-contrast readability of such displays? We were thinking black text on white if feasible.
We are also making recommendations re character height, etc. so thoughts are welcomed on those aspects. But I am most curious to learn if there is any research on the contrast - particularly at that distance and with the sort of arena lighting common to such venues.
Thoughts?
Jay
JAY WYANT | CHIEF INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY OFFICER
MN.IT SERVICES, CENTRAL
651.201.1001 (w) | 612.825.8285 (m) | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Information Technology for Minnesota Government | mn.gov/oet
Learn: http://mn.gov/oet/governance/for-agencies/accessibility/
From: Karl Groves
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 4:10PM
Subject: Re: Outdoor captioning contrast
← Previous message | Next message →
I'm probably better at explaining spooky action at a distance. ;-)
Actually I've done a bit of work on this while working on the Nextel
Fanview (which soon after became Sprint FanView). A very long story short
they paid us to go across the country doing field studies on the device. It
turns out that best practice color contrast in bright environments is not
too dissimilar from color contrast changes for low-vision users. The top 3
choices should be
Yellow on black
White on black
Black on yellow
Incidentally this is why you see so many of these combinations on outdoor
signage.
On Sun, Mar 23, 2014 at 11:18 AM, Cliff Tyllick < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >wrote:
>
> With apologies to those who might not know of the U.S. game show,
> Jeopardy!, "Subsidy for $1000, please, Alex!"
>
> Jay, I don't have an answer for you, but I do have an observation in the
> form of a question: At some point it must make sense for governmental
> agencies to stop giving guidelines on best practices to businesses free of
> charge and start saying, "Here's the problem you have to solve to achieve
> accessibility. Do it." Where is that point?
>
> There is a move afoot to create certification processes for accessibility
> professionals. But if all the best practices are available for free, it
> won't make sense for new people to consider the profession. To get work,
> you'll have to get certified, which will involve some kind of education and
> experience and won't be free, and then to keep work, you'll have to compete
> with all of this information that is made available for free.
>
> So, where's the balance?
>
> Don't misunderstand. Ensuring that people with hearing disabilities can
> enjoy live football without missing out on the information given by the
> stadium announcer is a noble goal. But don't the Minnesota Vikings make
> enough money to pay for that advice, just as they would pay for advice to
> improve any other component of their new stadium?
>
>
> (Hmmm, come to think of it, I know of someone who might have just the
> information they need. He sometimes teaches "Viking Accessibility." Karl
> Groves, are you listening?)
>
> Cliff Tyllick
>
>
>
>
> On Thursday, February 27, 2014 12:20 PM, "Wyant, Jay (MNIT)" <
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> I have a question that is sort of outside of the usual topic areas. We're
> advising the local NFL franchise, which is building a new stadium, on how
> to make it fully accessible.
>
> Of course we want captioning. We currently plan to recommend that the
> captioning display be separate from the ginormous Jumbotron-style screens
> (and we will probably reference the ANSI A117.1 standards, as much as they
> are usable). Does anyone have any experience or research on the best form
> of high-contrast readability of such displays? We were thinking black text
> on white if feasible.
>
> We are also making recommendations re character height, etc. so thoughts
> are welcomed on those aspects. But I am most curious to learn if there is
> any research on the contrast - particularly at that distance and with the
> sort of arena lighting common to such venues.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Jay
>
> JAY WYANT | CHIEF INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY OFFICER
> MN.IT SERVICES, CENTRAL
> 651.201.1001 (w) | 612.825.8285 (m) | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
> Information Technology for Minnesota Government | mn.gov/oet
> Learn: http://mn.gov/oet/governance/for-agencies/accessibility/
>
>
>
> > > > > > >
--
Karl Groves
www.karlgroves.com
@karlgroves
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karlgroves
Phone: +1 410.541.6829
From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 5:33PM
Subject: Re: Outdoor captioning contrast
← Previous message | Next message →
Karl Groves wrote:
" The top 3 choices should be
Yellow on black
White on black
Black on yellow "
Agree. However, in certain lighting conditions (such as bright sunlight),
white anything can glare and become illegible. And a low afternoon sun angle
(azimuth) hitting a jumbotron becomes very difficult to see.
Jay, you might want to check with your state's department of transportation
for format guidelines and research on transportation signage (not
informational signs, such as "Next Exit, New York City, but traffic
signage).
Karl, so glad you got your research trip across the country paid by the
client/employer (grin), but that research has been available for several
decades, as well as typefaces (it's "Highway Helvetica" in bold and
semi-bold weights). US Department of Transportation might also have
guidelines, especially for US Interstates and highways.
-Bevi Chagnon
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
www.PubCom.com - Trainers, Consultants, Designers, Developers.
Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and U.S. Federal Section 508
Accessibility.
New Sec. 508 Workshop & EPUBs Tour in 2014 - www.Workshop.Pubcom.com
From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 6:08PM
Subject: Re: Outdoor captioning contrast
← Previous message | Next message →
Jay wrote:
" We're advising the local NFL franchise, which is building a new stadium,
on how to make it fully accessible.
Of course we want captioning. We currently plan to recommend that the
captioning display be separate from the ginormous Jumbotron-style screens
(and we will probably reference the ANSI A117.1 standards, as much as they
are usable). "
Fabulous! Sure wish the other sports leagues would follow suit. Given that
all of our sports arenas in the US (I think) are at least partially funded
by tax dollars, as well as the transportation infrastructure, policing, etc.
during games and events, I agree with Cliff's comment that the NFL should be
funding the bill for figuring out how to be accessible.
It's about time our sports leagues start paying attention to all forms of
accessibility, not just architectural barriers. Maybe we need to have the US
Access Board create a new section of coverage: sports facilities partially
subsidized by tax dollars.
Personally, I prefer captioning that's right below the visual picture rather
than on a separate screen from the jumbotron. Less eye-movement for me. Why
not a horizontal scroller screen just below the jumbotron? Like those
*&^%$#@ scrolling marquee ad things. Separate imaging device, but close to
the visual picture.
Idea for captioning: having friends and family members with disabilities,
they've often been left out of fully enjoying live games. One friend would
bring a radio and listen to the radio broadcast of it. Good, in that he
heard what that particular broadcaster had to say, but he often missed what
the rest of us experienced or at least got a different viewpoint.
Why not also provide closed captioning as well as an audio feed of the
game's announcer on a local, limited range broadcast and Wifi feed? Those
attending the game can access their choice of captioning or audio on their
personal mobile device, control their own visual contrast and audio settings
to suit their needs. The NFL would be required to provide the signals in
appropriate versatile formats.
FYI, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is reviewing applications
for Low Power FM radio licenses (LPFM) with a limited range of a mile or so.
Many communities and neighborhood groups are hoping to have licenses.
1 mile is enough to cover the stadium's attendees, but not erode the NFL's
monopolistic stranglehold it has on broadcasting games to the local
residents, so this could be a way to broadcast an audio signal for AT users
attending the games.
And then there's the issue of bathrooms for women...don't get me started.
(grin)
-Bevi Chagnon
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
www.PubCom.com - Trainers, Consultants, Designers, Developers.
Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and U.S. Federal Section 508
Accessibility.
New Sec. 508 Workshop & EPUBs Tour in 2014 - www.Workshop.Pubcom.com
From: Karl Groves
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 7:19PM
Subject: Re: Outdoor captioning contrast
← Previous message | Next message →
On Sun, Mar 23, 2014 at 7:33 PM, Chagnon | PubCom < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >wrote:
>
>
> Karl, so glad you got your research trip across the country paid by the
> client/employer (grin), but that research has been available for several
> decades,
>
Yes, but we weren't solely researching just that.
Our field work resulted in one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2006
http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1939342_1939430_1939727,00.html
--
Karl Groves
www.karlgroves.com
@karlgroves
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karlgroves
Phone: +1 410.541.6829
From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Sun, Mar 23 2014 7:58PM
Subject: Re: Outdoor captioning contrast
← Previous message | No next message
Wow. Impressive.
-Bevi
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
www.PubCom.com - Trainers, Consultants, Designers, Developers.
Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and U.S. Federal Section 508
Accessibility.
New Sec. 508 Workshop & EPUBs Tour in 2014 - www.Workshop.Pubcom.com