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Thread: Read Captions in a display braille?

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Number of posts in this thread: 7 (In chronological order)

From: Jorge Fernandes
Date: Thu, Jul 26 2007 1:30PM
Subject: Read Captions in a display braille?
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Hi,

Using SMIL, I synchronized closed-caption in a video.
Windows version: http://www.acesso.umic.pt/id/
id042/042_leg_win_pt.html .
Mac version: http://www.acesso.umic.pt/id/id042/042_leg_mac_pt.html .

Do you know any process to access directly to closed captioning with
a refreshable braille display? I tried with VoiceOver in Mac (that in
one of the lasts versions of Quicktime can access to QT interface -
only speech) and with JAWS in Windows, but without success. I don't
want the transcript. I'm really interested in read the synchronized
caption in Braille.

Any help?

Thanks, Jorge Fernandes

From: Sean Keegan
Date: Mon, Jul 30 2007 12:20PM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
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> Do you know any process to access directly to closed captioning
> with a refreshable braille display?

The short answer is "no", but I have to ask what need are you trying to
meet?

The transcript *should* have the same information as the captions. I am not
familiar with any braille displays (or screen-readers for that matter) that
will automatically track the caption track and update the braille display.
In some respects, I don't even think this is a desirable feature unless
control over how the captions would be presented could be controlled by the
end-user.

Take care,
sean


From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Mon, Jul 30 2007 4:10PM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
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I haven't done a study of this, but I know that if you plant the JAWS
cursor over the caption area in WindowsMedia you can have the captions
spoken, and therefore presented in Braille. I don't know about other
media players.

However, as Sean points out, this may not be a very usable experience,
and a deaf-blind user may be better served by a trascript that can be
read at the user's own pace.

AWK

> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Sean Keegan
> Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 2:14 PM
> To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Read Captions in a display braille?
>
> > Do you know any process to access directly to closed
> captioning with a
> > refreshable braille display?
>
> The short answer is "no", but I have to ask what need are you
> trying to meet?
>
> The transcript *should* have the same information as the
> captions. I am not familiar with any braille displays (or
> screen-readers for that matter) that will automatically track
> the caption track and update the braille display.
> In some respects, I don't even think this is a desirable
> feature unless control over how the captions would be
> presented could be controlled by the end-user.
>
> Take care,
> sean
>
>
>

From: Moore, Michael
Date: Tue, Jul 31 2007 7:20AM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
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Andrew and Sean,

I strongly agree with the transcript solution that you suggest. The
transcript can provide the following advantages to deaf/blind users and
others.

1. Navigable structure
Headings, lists, etc. can make it easier to find information
within the transcript - benefits all users.

2. Better access to all of the information within the video.
A good transcript should include discriptions of significant
content presented through video as well as the dialog and sound effects.
Captions only present the audio information.

3. Lower bandwidth requirement
An html transcript will require less bandwith to download, a
strong benefit for those with slow connections or IT policies
restricting access to mutimedia due to bandwith constraints.

4. Better search engine indexing.
Proper mark-up of a transcript will result in a searchable
document or collection of documents enabling all users to find
information more efficiently.

5. Greater portability
Multimedia player plug-ins are not required allowing use on
older systems, cell phones, pda's and in environments where the use of
multimedia is prohibited by policy.

In short, whenever possible a transcript should be included with
multimedia to ensure access for everyone. If you are going to go
through the effort to create captions and audio description you alread
have all of the content needed to create a really good transcript.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Andrew
Kirkpatrick
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 5:02 PM
To: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ; WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Read Captions in a display braille?

I haven't done a study of this, but I know that if you plant the JAWS
cursor over the caption area in WindowsMedia you can have the captions
spoken, and therefore presented in Braille. I don't know about other
media players.

However, as Sean points out, this may not be a very usable experience,
and a deaf-blind user may be better served by a trascript that can be
read at the user's own pace.

AWK

> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Sean Keegan
> Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 2:14 PM
> To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Read Captions in a display braille?
>
> > Do you know any process to access directly to closed
> captioning with a
> > refreshable braille display?
>
> The short answer is "no", but I have to ask what need are you trying
> to meet?
>
> The transcript *should* have the same information as the captions. I
> am not familiar with any braille displays (or screen-readers for that
> matter) that will automatically track the caption track and update the

> braille display.
> In some respects, I don't even think this is a desirable feature
> unless control over how the captions would be presented could be
> controlled by the end-user.
>
> Take care,
> sean
>
>
>

From: Jared Smith
Date: Tue, Jul 31 2007 9:00AM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
← Previous message | Next message →

On 7/31/07, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> I strongly agree with the transcript solution that you suggest. The
> transcript can provide the following advantages to deaf/blind users and
> others.

> In short, whenever possible a transcript should be included with
> multimedia to ensure access for everyone. If you are going to go
> through the effort to create captions and audio description you alread
> have all of the content needed to create a really good transcript.

Very well stated. Of interest is the fact that transcripts are not
currently required in WCAG 2.0 unless you are seeking Level AAA
conformance. Captions are required at Level A, but it seems the
working group sees transcripts as much less important and a less
useful 'accommodation' for people with disabilities despite the fact
that they are the *only* mechanism that some people (particularly the
deaf-blind) can use to access multimedia content. See my comment and
the working group response on this issue at
http://trace.wisc.edu/bugzilla_wcag/show_bug.cgi?id=2251

Jared Smith
WebAIM

From: Jorge Fernandes
Date: Tue, Jul 31 2007 5:00PM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi,

Thank you very much for your inputs!!

I particularly appreciate the position of WCAG 2.0 WG. With respect
of your opinions course I'm more confident with WG position because:

## They said: "The preference is given to captions and audio
descriptions because, except those who are deaf-blind, users that we
have heard from want and prefer those accommodations."

In Portugal I'm not wrong if I state that 99% of movies on TV are
originaly English, French, or other languages and have portuguese
captions. In DVDs the portuguese captions are also the rule - here
Tom Hanks don't speak portuguese like we have in the neighbor Spain
where the movies are all in spanish. Until today portuguese blind
people can't follow the captions in braille.

I really think that will be very useful if User Agents can deliver
the captions to blind users in braille.

Ok. I speak about TV experience and not web. But if I put the same
content on web I will have the same problems. Imagine a NewsTV with
some pieces in English or Russian. Also in news, in Portugal, is
usual put portuguese captions in these pieces.

## They said "Also, whenever you go to a full text transcript you
lose much information and experience, and you lose the ability to
experience the content together. Also you lose the ability to
experience together".

Maybe this answer to your question about: why captions in braille?
Seems me a better experience to a blind person follow an English
movie reading the captions in portuguese braille.

And the position of WG is similar of do not accept a double
construction website: one "normal" graphic version and one
"accessible" in text. Like you know this is not accessibility. The
position of WG is more "Design for All" than an transcription file
alone; more 1 Content and Various gracefullies transformations.

And I believe in User Agents, and seems me easier made ONE
transcription file from the MULTIPLY pieces content synchronised
together than the opposite.

Regards,

Jorge Fernandes


On 31 Jul 2007, at 15:53, Jared Smith wrote:

> On 7/31/07, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
>> I strongly agree with the transcript solution that you suggest. The
>> transcript can provide the following advantages to deaf/blind
>> users and
>> others.
>
>> In short, whenever possible a transcript should be included with
>> multimedia to ensure access for everyone. If you are going to go
>> through the effort to create captions and audio description you
>> alread
>> have all of the content needed to create a really good transcript.
>
> Very well stated. Of interest is the fact that transcripts are not
> currently required in WCAG 2.0 unless you are seeking Level AAA
> conformance. Captions are required at Level A, but it seems the
> working group sees transcripts as much less important and a less
> useful 'accommodation' for people with disabilities despite the fact
> that they are the *only* mechanism that some people (particularly the
> deaf-blind) can use to access multimedia content. See my comment and
> the working group response on this issue at
> http://trace.wisc.edu/bugzilla_wcag/show_bug.cgi?id=2251
>
> Jared Smith
> WebAIM
>

From: Jim Allan
Date: Thu, Aug 02 2007 7:40AM
Subject: Re: Read Captions in a display braille?
← Previous message | No next message

There is one open source player AMIS (pronounced amee) that will the proper
braille drivers also available will display a SMIL movie with audio,
captions in scalable font sizes and output to a braille display...all in
real time.
AMIS is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/amis/

Jim Allan, Webmaster & Statewide Technical Support Specialist
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964

> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]On Behalf Of Jorge
> Fernandes
> Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 5:55 PM
> To: WebAIM Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Read Captions in a display braille?
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Thank you very much for your inputs!!
>
> I particularly appreciate the position of WCAG 2.0 WG. With respect
> of your opinions course I'm more confident with WG position because:
>
> ## They said: "The preference is given to captions and audio
> descriptions because, except those who are deaf-blind, users that we
> have heard from want and prefer those accommodations."
>
> In Portugal I'm not wrong if I state that 99% of movies on TV are
> originaly English, French, or other languages and have portuguese
> captions. In DVDs the portuguese captions are also the rule - here
> Tom Hanks don't speak portuguese like we have in the neighbor Spain
> where the movies are all in spanish. Until today portuguese blind
> people can't follow the captions in braille.
>
> I really think that will be very useful if User Agents can deliver
> the captions to blind users in braille.
>
> Ok. I speak about TV experience and not web. But if I put the same
> content on web I will have the same problems. Imagine a NewsTV with
> some pieces in English or Russian. Also in news, in Portugal, is
> usual put portuguese captions in these pieces.
>
> ## They said "Also, whenever you go to a full text transcript you
> lose much information and experience, and you lose the ability to
> experience the content together. Also you lose the ability to
> experience together".
>
> Maybe this answer to your question about: why captions in braille?
> Seems me a better experience to a blind person follow an English
> movie reading the captions in portuguese braille.
>
> And the position of WG is similar of do not accept a double
> construction website: one "normal" graphic version and one
> "accessible" in text. Like you know this is not accessibility. The
> position of WG is more "Design for All" than an transcription file
> alone; more 1 Content and Various gracefullies transformations.
>
> And I believe in User Agents, and seems me easier made ONE
> transcription file from the MULTIPLY pieces content synchronised
> together than the opposite.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jorge Fernandes
>
>
> On 31 Jul 2007, at 15:53, Jared Smith wrote:
>
> > On 7/31/07, Moore, Michael < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> >
> >> I strongly agree with the transcript solution that you suggest. The
> >> transcript can provide the following advantages to deaf/blind
> >> users and
> >> others.
> >
> >> In short, whenever possible a transcript should be included with
> >> multimedia to ensure access for everyone. If you are going to go
> >> through the effort to create captions and audio description you
> >> alread
> >> have all of the content needed to create a really good transcript.
> >
> > Very well stated. Of interest is the fact that transcripts are not
> > currently required in WCAG 2.0 unless you are seeking Level AAA
> > conformance. Captions are required at Level A, but it seems the
> > working group sees transcripts as much less important and a less
> > useful 'accommodation' for people with disabilities despite the fact
> > that they are the *only* mechanism that some people (particularly the
> > deaf-blind) can use to access multimedia content. See my comment and
> > the working group response on this issue at
> > http://trace.wisc.edu/bugzilla_wcag/show_bug.cgi?id=2251
> >
> > Jared Smith
> > WebAIM
> >