Located at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, the VDRCD will identify and prototype new technologies to improve access via audio description to educational material delivered via the Internet and mobile devices.
The South Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas, and the Federal Member for Kingston, Amanda Rishworth, yesterday visited Noarlunga Library to test drive the new technology.
Using a DAISY player device today, Ms Rishworth said “Fifteen new playback devices is a great addition to our local library network and I’m sure local residents with a vision impairment or disability will take full advantage of the improved access to the library’s content.
The theme for the 2012 conference is “Universal access - are we there yet?” focusing on the impact of digital technology on a space which was formerly occupied by books and print media.
“We're closer than ever to the goal of universal access to information for people who can't read print. But are we there yet?” the call for papers asks. “What new barriers has technology introduced? Is accessibility in mainstream technologies inevitable, and is it good enough?”
Media Access Canada (MAC) said that the lack of a similar guide in the past has led to a lack of consistency in description quality. The first chapter of Accessible Content Best Practices Guide for Digital Environments focuses on the audio description (called video description in North America) process and provides examples of best practice. The chapter offers a useful benchmark for audio description quality.
