Among the accessible cinema venues are the cinemas that have adopted the latest in captioning technology – the CaptiView system. This easy-to-use hand-held screen means more sessions are available to those who may benefit from captions.
The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) has applauded SMPTE’s decision, calling it “important and well-timed”. One of the requirements of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in October 2010, is that programs which were captioned when screened on TV must also be captioned when made available online.
CSI has been providing captioning services to the ABC since 2005, and this year is expected to produce 3,000 hours of offline (pre-prepared) captioning and 7,500 hours of live captioning. CSI’s live captioning is provided by its partner, Caption It Pty Ltd.
ACARA acknowledge in their recent newsletter that there are necessary challenges in the provision of a curriculum suitable for students with various special needs, but that as a result “it will make Australia one of the few nations in the world with a model of curriculum provision for these students”.
Media Access Australia is enthusiastic about the potential benefits to students who have sensory impairment that will result from the development of a new and inclusive curriculum.
