THE MEDIA ACCESS REPORT
ISSUE 11, WINTER 2009
CONTENTS

THE MEDIA ACCESS REPORT
CONTENTS
ABOUT MEDIA ACCESS AUSTRALIA
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MEDIA ACCESS?
DISCLAIMER
SUBMISSIONS
Glossary
Acronyms
MEDIA ACCESS NEWS
Ofcom announces access for disabled consumers as priority
New code of practice for open narrowcast television
Communications consumer organisation appoints first CEO
Audio description debuts in China
US ruling pushes caption obligations
Vision Australia receives $6.6 million grant for DAISY and software upgrades
Yankee Stadium accessible through captions
New FCC working group to focus on technical access issues
FCC releases report on access complaints
American Deaf group sets up digital TV help centre
Ofcom releases first quarter access report
Program add-ons starting to become accessible
NZ cancels digital broadcasting regulatory review
FREE-TO-AIR TELEVISION
Human Rights Commission grants regional broadcasters temporary captioning exemption
Digital television campaign launched in Australia
Community experts will help with digital TV rollout
Captioning levels on the free-to-air channels
Free-to-air television complaints
EDUCATION
Federal Government provides 3-year grant for education media access
New parent group in Northern Sydney discusses captioned access
NSW school laptops feature great access potential
Captioned media used in major American literacy drive
ONLINE MEDIA
New manual helps seniors with computer issues
Opera 10 to support face gesture web browsing
Facebook more accessible thanks to work with AFB
Windows 7 Media Center to support recording of captions and AD
Minister Conroy outlines the importance of the NBN
Windows 7 RC fails to address Magnifier issue
ACMA report highlights Internet access gaps
New Microsoft mouse includes magnifier feature
US netbook created specifically for hearing impaired
VIDEO ON DEMAND
American TV channels improve captioned downloads
YouTube launches CaptionTube
DVDs
Access on new release rental DVDs
CINEMA
A first for Australia: accessible cinema for both vision and hearing impaired
A history of accessible cinema in Australia
Blind organisation takes action on cinema access
Captioning in Australian cinemas
No audio description in major Australian cinemas

ABOUT MEDIA ACCESS AUSTRALIA
Media Access Australia is a not-for-profit, public benevolent institution and Australia’s primary media access organisation. Our role is to provide information about media access and to develop and apply technological solutions to media access issues.
MAA is based in Sydney and works in collaboration with consumer organisations, Government and industry across the country.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MEDIA ACCESS?
Media access services include, but are not limited to, captioning for the Deaf and hearing impaired, and audio description for the blind and vision impaired. MAA is committed to increasing the awareness and use of these services in television, DVDs and videos, education, cinema, theatre performances, exhibitions and other media. MAA also deals with access issues for new media, including downloads, portable media and the Internet.
The Media Access Report covers key developments in media access in both Australia and around the world, as well as providing statistical and other information on current levels of access.
DISCLAIMER
Statistical information published in The Media Access Report is derived from public sources such as television listings and websites. It has been made available for general use only and is provided without warranty as to its accuracy or currency.  
SUBMISSIONS
We are interested in receiving submissions for publication in The Media Access Report, including accounts of media or events that have been made accessible, research papers, and news items dealing with captioning, audio description and other access services. If you have any material you would like to submit, contact Chris Mikul on (02) 9212 6242, or email chris.mikul@mediaaccess.org.au
The Media Access Report is published by Media Access Australia, Suite 408, 22-36 Mountain Street, Ultimo NSW 2007. Phone/TTY: (02) 9212 6242, Fax: (02) 9212 6289. www.mediaaccess.org.au
If you would like to be put on the mailing list to receive future issues of The Media Access Report, email info@mediaaccess.org.au

Glossary

Audio description: The descriptive narration of all the visual elements of a TV    
program, movie, DVD, performance or other media, giving access for the blind or vision impaired. AD may be pre-recorded and delivered as an option for television programs or DVDs, or it may be performed live (e.g. for a theatrical performance). 
Captions: A transcription of the audio elements of a TV program, movie, DVD, 
performance or other media, giving access for the Deaf and hearing impaired. Unlike subtitles, captions include song lyrics, descriptions of sound effects and music, and are often positioned and coloured so as to make it easier for the viewer to identify who is speaking. Captions may be divided into:
Open captions: Captions which are ‘burnt onto’ a video or digital image and will be seen by anyone who looks at it, and
Closed captions: Captions which a viewer chooses to see (e.g. by accessing teletext captions on TV, or activating the captions on a DVD).   
Signing: Access to a TV program, movie, DVD, performance or other media via a signer using one of the various Deaf sign languages, e.g. Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Some TV programs in the US and UK have a signer occupying a space on the screen.
Stenocaptioner: A highly trained captioner who captions live programs using a stenographic keyboard.
Subtitles: This generally refers to English translations of foreign language TV programs or movies, presented as text at the bottom of the screen. It can also be a straight transcription of the dialogue of an English language program (this is a common feature on DVDs). Note however that captions are often called subtitles in the UK and other parts of Europe. 
Teletext: The broadcast data delivery system used in Australia to transmit captions on analog television. 
Acronyms

ACCAN	Australian Communications Consumer Action Network
ACE		Australian Communication Exchange
ACMA		Australian Communications and Media Authority
AD		Audio description
AFB		American Foundation for the Blind
ASCCA	Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association 
ASTRA	Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association
CAC		Consumer Advisory Committee (US)
CBC		Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau (US)
CSD		Communication Service for the Deaf (US)
CTN		Consumers’ Telecommunications Network 
DBCDE	Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
DRO		Disability Rights Office (US)
DSO		Digital Switchover (UK)
FaHCSIA	Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
FCC		Federal Communications Commission (US)
HI		Hearing Impaired
MAA		Media Access Australia
NAD		National Association of the Deaf (US)
NEA		National Education Association (US)
Ofcom		Office of Communications (UK)
PCDE		Parent Council for Deaf Education
POD		Parents of Deaf
RIDBC		Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
RNIB		Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK)
TRS		Text Relay Service
VRS		Video Relay Service

MEDIA ACCESS NEWS

Ofcom announces access for disabled consumers as priority

The UK regulator Ofcom has highlighted disabled access as one of five priority issues preventing widespread access to communications services in its Access and Inclusion consultation. 

The Ofcom review will commence by looking at the text relay service, which gives hearing impaired people access to the telephone. Currently, users of the service can only have stilted conversations, as they must wait for the relay assistant to type the hearing person’s contribution. The service, as it stands, does not work for conference calls.

The regulator acknowledges the importance of the relay service for disabled users and that improvements are needed on technology that is 30 years old and suffers from a number of drawbacks compared to alternative services.

Ofcom will also undertake a study of the new technology which assists communication for disabled people.

The consultation paper highlights several issues specific to elderly and disabled people:

•	Usability issues in broadband Internet.
•	Lower take-up for mobile phones.
•	Lower take-up of digital television. (This is also being addressed by the Digital Switchover (DSO) Help Scheme).

The other priority areas in the Access and Inclusion review are broadband availability and take-up, ‘999 mobile roaming’, Universal Service Obligation and media literacy. The consultation period closes on 3 June 2009.

For more information on the Ofcom review, go to http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/access/

New code of practice for open narrowcast television

An updated code of practice for open narrowcast television, incorporating a new definition of ‘closed captioning’, has been released by the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) and registered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). This replaces the previous code of practice which was introduced in 2003.

The new code brings open narrowcast television in line with updated codes of practice for subscription television. ASTRA has incorporated a new definition of ‘closed captioning’ which clarifies differences between analog and digital reception equipment.

Narrowcasters continue to be obligated to provide program schedule information to the press and program guides for available closed captioned programming. When a narrowcaster introduces or extends closed captioned programming, it will consult with organisations representing viewers who are Deaf or hearing impaired and organisations specialising in providing closed captioning.

The open narrowcast code covers free-to-air television services which are targeted to special interest groups, intended for limited locations, or limited for other reasons. Like all ASTRA codes, it is reviewed every three years. The code will be due for its next review in 2011.

A copy of the open narrowcast television code of practice may be viewed at: http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib100060/ontcodesofpracticefeb09.pdf

Communications consumer organisation appoints first CEO

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has appointed Allan Asher as its first CEO.  

Allan Asher has a strong consumer background which he has exercised at the highest levels in Australia and internationally. His past roles include Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, director of CHOICE and the UK equivalent WHICH, and heading up the highly successful Energywatch, the UK gas and electricity consumer council.  

“Australian consumers are demanding a fresh approach to consumer consultation and engagement in communications issues,” said ACCAN Chairman Alex Varley (who is also CEO of MAA). “We are confident that Allan will deliver the right mix of local knowledge, appropriate international experience and an exceptional background in consumer representation.” 

Teresa Corbin (CEO of Consumer Telecommunications Network) has also been appointed as Deputy CEO.

ACCAN is the new body that will advocate, undertake research and analysis, and deal with communications issues affecting consumers. This covers all forms of communications from telecommunications to convergence with broadcasting and other content.

Audio description debuts in China

The first movie to be audio described in China, Examination 77, was screened for free in Shanghai in April. Produced by Jiang Hongyuan, a blind former employee of the Shanghai Film Group, it is the first of nine audio described movies that will be screened in China this year. 

The Shanghai Association of the Blind, representing Shanghai’s 138,000 vision impaired residents, was involved in the production.  Previously, blind moviegoers had to rely on live volunteer narrations.  

US ruling pushes caption obligations

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has clarified its captioning rules for digital programming in a recent ruling, to ensure that broadcasters achieve Congress’s goal of true universal access and all Americans can enjoy television broadcasts. The clarification responds to a 2004 petition filed by several advocacy groups and comes as the United States completes its switchover to full digital broadcast.

In clarifying the rules, the FCC confirmed that 100% of non-exempt English programming created after 1 January 2006 must be closed captioned, regardless of whether digital or analog programming is concerned. Exempt programming includes programming that is non-news and locally produced, non-vocal music, and programming broadcast between two and six in the morning. In Australia, digital multi-channels are largely exempt from captioning.

The new development is that the FCC has also made it clear that channels are obligated to make the most of captioning that already exists by passing on captions in already captioned programs. This includes all programming, including news, drama series, reality shows, talk shows and children’s shows, much of which is also broadcast in Australia. This obligation still applies if that channel has already met its relevant captioning benchmark, or is exempt from captioning its own content.

The ruling reflects the fact that there are much stricter captioning requirements for digital channels in the United States than in Australia. Currently, Australian digital multi-channels are only obligated to caption their programming that has already been shown with captions on another channel of the same network.

As the Australian switchover to digital TV nears, the Federal Government is reviewing the level of closed captioned content that digital multi-channels should carry. Under section 60C of the Broadcasting Services Act, the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, must conduct a review to determine whether captioning rules for analog channels will apply to commercial SD and HD digital channels. The review of captioning on digital multi-channels must be completed by 1 January 2010.

For detailed information on the FCC ruling, visit the FCC website: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-255A1.pdf

Vision Australia receives $6.6 million grant for DAISY and software upgrades

Vision Australia, the nation’s largest provider of services to people who are blind or vision impaired, has received a $6.6 million grant from Microsoft to implement an online digital talking book library and internal software upgrades. 

The grant focuses primarily on producing and distributing DAISY talking books, a digital audio format specifically designed to make information more accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. The distribution of the talking books will revolve around Vision Australia’s online portal. Microsoft is also implementing a ‘save as DAISY’ option in Microsoft Word which would complement the project.
 
Further information on the grant can be found on the IT Wire Website: http://www.itwire.com/content/view/24575/1231/

Yankee Stadium accessible through captions

Yankee Stadium, the Bronx home of the New York Yankees, is now accessible for deaf baseball fans through captions. 

As well as having good access for wheelchair users and people with vision impairments, the stadium, which has just passed a very thorough accessibility audit, also has a captioning system. This projects the announcer’s words and the crowd reactions onto screens placed around the stadium. The captioning is undertaken live and captures everything, even the crowd booing.

The captioning screen is connected to emergency power and is also used for emergency announcements in the case of evacuation.  

For more information on the accessibility at Yankee Stadium go to the official site of the New York Yankees:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090414&content_id=4266540&vkey=pr_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

New FCC working group to focus on technical access issues

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on 1 May the establishment of a working group to study technical issues of media accessibility in digital television.

The group will focus on closed captioning and video description, more commonly known as audio description in Australia, for people who are hearing and vision impaired. The working group will address existing issues of media accessibility, identify further problems, and propose solutions to the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC). The FCC anticipates that the working group will conclude by 17 November 2010, which is the end of the current term of the CAC.

The FCC has flagged a number of captioning issues for discussion including poor captioning quality on HD channels, difficult user interfaces and analog-to-digital converter boxes that do not transmit captions. The FCC has not flagged issues for video description as there is currently no mandate to video describe any broadcast television programming in the United States.

The vast majority of the group’s members are industry representatives from all the major television networks and television equipment manufacturers. The group also features representatives from consumer groups and the FCC.

The working group will be co-chaired by the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) chief Catherine Seidel and Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) chief Julius Knapp, and supported by staff from both organisations, who will provide technical support and guidance on the digital television transition.

The establishment of the working group follows the October 2007 recommendations of the CAC, which were reiterated at subsequent Committee meetings in June 2008 and January 2009. The first meeting of the working group took place on 18 May 2009 at the FCC’s Washington D.C. headquarters.

In Australia, there is a review dealing with similar issues of media accessibility in digital television. By 1 January 2010, the Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy is required under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to initiate a review of whether captioning levels on analog free-to-air television channels should apply to digital channels. The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy advises that this review is currently under way.

For more information on the working group, read the FCC release: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-995A1.pdf. 

FCC releases report on access complaints

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) has released its report for informal consumer complaints regarding telecommunications for people with disabilities in the fourth quarter of 2008. 

The report covers informal complaints submitted by people with disabilities and handled by the FCC’s Disability Rights Office (DRO) in the fourth quarter of 2008 in five categories: 

•	Access to telecommunications services and equipment (30 complaints) 
•	Telecommunications relay services (38 complaints) 
•	Closed captioning (80 complaints) 
•	Accessibility of video programming providing emergency information (4 complaints)
•	Hearing aid compatibility (2 complaints)

The report has been released by the DRO together with the report on informal consumer inquiries and complaints in the third and fourth quarters of 2008. The DRO addresses disability-related telecommunications matters, provides expert advice and assistance and initiates rulemakings and development of disability policy. There is no equivalent office in the Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

The DRO receives many informal complaints on an ongoing basis. These complaints do not involve violations of the Communications Act, a Commission rule, or a Commission order, and do not indicate any wrongdoing on the part of the company at issue.

United States consumers with disabilities can continue to lodge informal complaints on the online form at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/form2000c.html.

For more information on the informal complaints for people with disabilities, see the report: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-290584A1.pdf

American Deaf group sets up digital TV help centre

With most American analog stations expecting to have switched to digital broadcasting by 12 June, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), has set up a temporary help centre to assist with digital TV transition issues. The technical assistance covers issues such as garbled captioning, duplicate captioning and cable concerns.  

A CSD video clip (which is captioned) can be found here: http://dtv.c-s-d.org/

Ofcom releases first quarter access report	
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has released its first quarterly report on the provision of access services on television for 2009. As in previous reports, most broadcasters were found to be exceeding their quotas for captioning and audio description.
Figures for the main free-to-air channels, including the BBC’s two children’s channels, CBBC and CBeebies, were as follows.

	Captioning quota	Captioning achieved	AD quota	AD achieved	Signing quota	Signing achieved	
BBC One	100%	99.8%	10%	16.1%	5%	5%	
BBC Two	100%	99.9%	10%	12.3%	5%	6%	
BBC Three	100%	100%	10%	26.8%	5%	5.8%	
BBC Four	100%	100%	10%	17.7%	5%	7.8%	
CBBC	100%	99.9%	10%	12.4%	5%	7.1%	
CBeebies	100%	100%	10%	19.3%	5%	5.1%	
BBC News 24	100%	100%	Exempt		5%	5.7%	
ITV1	89%	96.4%	10%	13.6%	5%	4%	
Channel 4	89%	90.8%	10%	10.6%	5%	5.3%	
Five	80%	83.4%	10%	15%	5%	5.3%	

The report also shows the impact of the decision of Sky movie channels to go to a voluntary 20% audio description quota. The Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK has been campaigning to increase the maximum quota from 10% to 20%.  The report shows Sky channels at that level and in some cases exceeding it.

	Captioning quota	Captioning achieved	AD quota	AD achieved	Signing quota	Signing achieved	
Sky One	60%	69.3%	10%	16.1%	Alt*		
Sky Three	35%	70.2%	6.3%	21.1%	Alt		
Sky Movies Action/Thriller	60%	66.6%	10%	24.9%	Alt		
Sky Movies Comedy	60%	67.2%	10%	27.3%	Alt		
Hallmark	20%	83.5%	10%	28.4%	Alt		
G.O.L.D.	60%	69.9%	10%	28.3%	Alt		
Nick Junior	20%	24%	10%	29%	Alt		
Comedy Central	20%	22.5%	10%	24.8%	Alt		

* ‘Alt’ indicates that the channel has made alternative arrangements for its signing quota. Instead of broadcasting 30 minutes of signed programs a month, it has agreed to contribute funding to the British Sign Language Trust, which makes sign presented programs for broadcast on the Community Channel. 

The full report can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/guidance/tv_access_serv/tvaccessrep/q109/

Program add-ons starting to become accessible

In a convergent media world, content providers are looking to enhance the viewing experience via add-ons, downloadable additions and other extra interactive content. This is now starting to be made accessible, in line with the accessibility of the original program content.

An example of this is the popular UK spy show Spooks (ABC TV). This is now showing in Australia with an interactive game on the ABC website. The game allows the viewer to play the role of a spy and all of the important audio elements can be accessed by ticking the ‘No sound display audio transcripts’ box. The program is broadcast with captions.  

The accessible, interactive Spooks game can be found at:  http://www.abctv.net.au/tv/spooks/interactive.htm

NZ cancels digital broadcasting regulatory review

New Zealand has recently cancelled its regulatory review of digital broadcasting, following the results of a departmental analysis of competition issues in the broadcasting sector. The analysis was commenced by the new National Party government in January 2009 and found that there was strong competition in the broadcasting sector, which is seen to safeguard consumer interests and remove the need for reform.

The New Zealand Communications Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has confirmed that policy reform of options for viewers with sensory disabilities will proceed, as an exceptional area. Reform to regulation for post-switchover spectrum allocation and regional television broadcasting will also proceed.

The findings of the 2009 competition issues analysis contradict the Communication Department’s 2008 broadcasting regulation report, which found that "The research report identifies a number of risks to (and opportunities for) the establishment in New Zealand of a converged market with diverse audio-visual content and multiple providers. The report’s findings suggest maintenance of the status quo is unlikely to manage these risks adequately."

The cancellation of the regulatory review follows the suspension of the Broadband Investment Fund and withdrawal of funding for the Digital Development Council and Forum (DDC) in February this year. Despite these developments, the Minister has promised moves toward high speed broadband and more direct engagement with industry and consumer groups.

"We remain committed to engaging with the groups represented by the DDC but believe that direct interface is a much more effective means of receiving input and advice from these organisations," said the Minister.

While the Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) completed a review in 2008 of digital switchover legislation, it has not conducted or indicated any regulatory review of digital broadcasting.

__________________________________________________________________

FREE-TO-AIR TELEVISION

Human Rights Commission grants regional broadcasters temporary captioning exemption

The Australian Human Rights Commission has granted a temporary exemption to the 
Prime Media group of companies, the WIN Corporation group of companies and the Macquarie Southern Cross Media group of companies, in relation to captioning. This has been granted subject to the same conditions that applied to the exemption granted last year to the ABC, SBS, Network Ten, Channel Nine and the Seven Network. 

To fulfill the agreement, the broadcasters will increase the levels of captioning on their primary channels to: 

•	75% of programming over the broadcast day (6am to midnight) for the period ending 31 December 2009; 

•	80% of programming over the broadcast day (6am to midnight) for the period ending 31 December 2010; and 

•	85% of programming over the broadcast day (6am to midnight) for the period ending 31 December 2011. 

The exemption is subject to further conditions, including the following: 

•	Broadcasters will consult with deafness organisations, including Deaf Australia and Deafness Forum of Australia, on proposals to address issues regarding caption accuracy, and report to the Commission by 30 June 2009. 

•	Broadcasters will consult with deafness organisations, including Deaf Australia and Deafness Forum of Australia, on total captioning hours being achieved, including the period midnight to 6am, by 30 June 2010. This does not involve a requirement to achieve any particular level of captioning between midnight and 6am during the exemption period.

•	Broadcasters will consult with deafness organisations, including Deaf Australia and Deafness Forum of Australia, on captioning levels being achieved on secondary channels (i.e. digital multi-channels). This does not impose a requirement to achieve any particular level of captioning on secondary channels during the exemption period.

•	Broadcasters will commence consultation with deafness organisations, including Deaf Australia and the Deafness Forum of Australia, and the Commission, to review possibilities for further increases in captioning at the expiry of the exemption period by 31 December 2010, and report the results of that review to the Commission by 30 June 2011.

The exemption will cease to operate if a broadcaster fails to comply with a condition of the exemption, from the date of any such failure. 

For the full text of the Commission’s ruling, see: http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/exemptions/tvcap/dec09.htm

Digital television campaign launched in Australia

The Federal Government began a major promotional push for digital television on Sunday 5 April with the launch of a television campaign backed up by radio and online information.  

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy launched the campaign at the Get Ready for Digital TV conference in Sydney on 30 March. As well as a series of captioned television commercials, a new website and point-of-sale material are also included.

Sunraysia, centred around Mildura in Victoria, will be the first area to switch off analog television early next year, and the equipment labelling program has been released to television retailers in that area.  

More information about digital switchover can be found at the dedicated government website: www.digitalready.gov.au

Community experts will help with digital TV rollout

The Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy, has announced a panel of community organisations will assist in the rollout of digital television.

This advisory body comprises major consumer organisations, including those in the areas identified as having ‘special needs’, such as people with disabilities, seniors and people living in rural and remote areas. This follows the approach that is being taken in the UK and much later in the US.

The full list of organisations can be found at http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/032

Captioning levels on the free-to-air channels

A survey of printed program guides for the four weeks from 2 May to 29 May showed the following levels of captioning. 
Hours of programs per week, 6am – Midnight, 2/5/09 – 29/5/09
2/5/09  - 29/5/09	Captioned	Uncaptioned	% captioned	Adult programs uncaptioned	Children's programs uncaptioned	Sporting events uncaptioned	
ABC	113.5	12.5	90%	5.5	4	3	
Seven	100.75	25.25	80%	17/5	3.5	4.25	
Nine	113.25	12.75	90%	6.5	3	3.25	
Ten	96.75	29.25	77%	17	6.5	5.75	
SBS*				1.75		4.5	

The results of MAA’s previous survey in February were as follows. 
Hours of programs per week, 6am – Midnight, 31/1/09 – 27/2/09
31/1/09  - 27/2/09	Captioned	Uncaptioned	% captioned	Adult programs uncaptioned	Children's programs uncaptioned	Sporting events uncaptioned	
ABC	108.75	17.25	86%	8	5	4.25	
Seven	94.5	31.5	75%	31.5			
Nine	110.75	15.25	88%	11.25	1.5	2.5	
Ten	95.75	30.25	76%	17	7.25	6	
SBS*				12.25		2	

*SBS figures do not include foreign language programs, which are exempt from captioning requirements

Free-to-air television complaints

MAA received the following complaints about captions on free-to-air TV in the period March to May 2009. These were made via the complaint form on our website, or by email.

•	10 complaints about a prime program not captioned.

•	6 complaints about part of a prime time program not being captioned.

•	3 complaints about a program outside prime time not being captioned.

•	8 complaints about poor news captioning.

•	1 complaint about captions out of sync on a program.

•	1 complaint about captions consistently early on a channel.

•	1 complaint about lack of captions on a multi-channel. 

MAA’s complaint form may be found at:
http://www.maafeedback.org.au/complaints/

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EDUCATION

Federal Government provides 3-year grant for education media access
The Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has been supporting access to education via its captioning of education and community DVDs. This annual grant has now been extended to a 3-year agreement from July 2009.  
“Having a 3-year grant allows us so much more ability to plan ahead, negotiate extra captioning and distribution arrangements and provide a much-deeper range of titles in a subject area,” said MAA Education Manager Anne McGrath.  

“This longer grant also coincides with a searchable database of captioned education resources that MAA is developing now which should be launched in August.” 

The captioning grant is administered by MAA and allows for around 150 hours of captioned material to be produced each year.  

New parent group in Northern Sydney discusses captioned access
 
The first meeting of Parents of Deaf (POD) Northern Sydney, hosted by the Parent Council for Deaf Education (PCDE), was held on Monday, 23 March 2009, and was a great success with many parents attending.

The evening also gave parents the opportunity to raise their awareness of the myriad issues related to captioned access to electronic media. Anne McGrath, Education Manager from MAA, gave a presentation entitled 'Captions – making information, entertainment and education accessible'.

During the presentation, captions and their validity as an accessible format and a vital access tool for school students in relation to educational support materials was discussed. Practical information about to how to access captions on TV and record programs with captions was also offered. There was much discussion about the role of captioned content and emerging readers. 

For more information about Parents of Deaf (POD) support groups, see the Parent Council for Deaf Education (PDCE) website: www.pcde.org

NSW school laptops feature great access potential

Over 200,000 New South Wales public school students will soon receive a small ‘netbook’ laptop computer. As well as having the general netbook advantages of being lightweight with a long battery life, the netbook hardware is compatible with popular assistive technology products for children with disabilities, and includes an upgrade to the upcoming release of Windows 7. 

The Lenovo Ideapad S10e netbook will initially be provided with Windows XP and a wealth of software including Microsoft Office and a range of Adobe products.   

Although the machine will not feature any additional accessibility features by default, the hardware is capable of supporting popular free tools such as the NVDA and WebAnywhere screen readers, plus popular commercial tools such as the JAWS screen reader and the ZoomText full-screen magnifier. 

The inclusion of a free Windows 7 upgrade option is also a welcome addition in supporting the access needs of students, due to its improved built-in full screen magnifier and a predictive text feature in its on-screen keyboard. This means that people with a vision or mobility impairment may not have to purchase additional specialist software. 

The netbook rollout is part of the Federal government’s ‘education revolution’ and is the first step in providing portable computing to students in Years 9 -12 across Australia. 

Further information on the 'netbook' rollout can be found on the IT News website: http://www.itnews.com.au/News/100064,nsw-school-students-spared-vista-netbooks.aspx

Captioned media used in major American literacy drive

Each year the American National Education Association (NEA) runs a nationwide reading program. For the last four years this has been supplemented by the ‘Read Captions Across America’ campaign run by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).

The campaign, which commenced in March, is a year-long event. It targets captioned media, including DVD, CD-Rom and Internet streaming, as an important tool for teaching reading for both deaf and hearing children. The South Carolina-based Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is organising and promoting the event and providing captioned materials via its loan service.  

NEA President Reg Weaver supports the co-reading program using captions. “Just as the text jumps off the page in a good book for conventional readers, captioned reading makes words come to life on the screen.”

“We all need something to spark our interest in books and captioned reading is an excellent tool to help young readers.”

More information on the DCMP and its Read Captions Across America program can be found at http://www.dcmp.org/About/PRelations/Events.aspx

ONLINE MEDIA

New manual helps seniors with computer issues

Media Access Australia and the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA) have launched a new manual to assist seniors with disabilities in using computers and the Internet, at an ASCCA members' meeting held in Sydney on 22 April.

The gradual onset of disabilities is a common part of ageing, and many seniors experience gradual loss of hearing, vision or mobility. There are specialist solutions available, however these often tend to be expensive or complicated and provide limited value to someone with a mild disability. The new manual, titled, ’Accessibility features in Windows and Web browsers‘ was designed to address the challenges many ASCCA members encounter by providing simple, low-cost solutions.

“The solutions provided in the manual will, in many cases, help free up clubs to focus more on assisting their members with computing, rather than fundraising for expensive technology, and provide many members with greater enjoyment and independence,” explained Dr Scott Hollier, MAA’s Project Manager, New Media and author of the manual.
 
This step-by-step manual is unique in that it tailors instructions to different disability needs and clearly identifies which Windows and web browser tools are best suited to which disability. Links to additional resources such as free screen reading software are provided, and it details some of the new and significant accessibility features in the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system.

“Assistive technologies have advanced so quickly that I could not have written this manual two years ago,” said Dr Hollier.

ASCCA is a not-for-profit organisation with approximately 130 clubs around Australia dedicated to serving the Seniors of Australia by providing information, training, forums, seminars and workshops relevant to Information Communications Technology and other issues of importance to older or disabled people. The new manual will be incorporated into ASCCA’s training program. For more information about the manual, visit the ASCCA website: http://www.ascca.org.au/.

Funding for the creation of the manual was provided by the Ian Potter Foundation.

Opera 10 to support face gesture web browsing
 
Opera Software has announced that the forthcoming version of their web browser, Opera 10, will include a website navigation feature based on face gestures.

The gestures are designed to assist people who are mobility or vision impaired by allowing them to make face gestures at a webcam, which is then interpreted as a keyboard shortcut command. The endeavour has been developed over a seven-year period and is ultimately aimed at speeding up the web browsing process for people with disabilities. 

More information on the Opera face gesture feature, including an audio described video, can be found at the Opera Labs website: http://labs.opera.com/

Facebook more accessible thanks to work with AFB

Facebook, one of the world’s largest social networking websites, has completed a two-year project with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to improve the accessibility of the web interface, significantly improving its accessibility with screen reader and screen magnification software. 

AFB CEO Carl Augusto stated in a blog post that Facebook has been “responsive to our feedback and committed to finding solutions to these problems”. Examples of the accessibility improvements include better screen reader compatibility with the recently revamped interface, better online documentation relating to accessibility help and the establishment of an accessibility-specific help centre.   

Although some access issues remain with the sign-up process and some of the online applications, the implementation of access-specific resources provides new options for people who are blind or vision impaired and run into difficulties. 

Further information on the improvements to Facebook accessibility can be found on the Web Pro News website: http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/04/07/facebook-works-with-the-blind-on-accessibility

Windows 7 Media Center to support recording of captions and AD

Numerous blog and forum posts in video-related discussion groups have reported that the new version of Media Center contained in Windows 7 supports the recording and playback of captions, along with the recording of multiple audio tracks for playback of audio description. 

The feature has been incorporated into a new WTV file format, which integrates the recording of access features when a TV programme is recorded onto the hard drive. Although the new file format was introduced late last year as a Windows Vista Media Center add-on, few users embraced it due to its incompatibility with video editing software and potential digital rights management issues. The beta of Windows 7 suggests that the WTV format will be the only format available for recording television on a computer. 

Unlike Windows Vista, the Media Center component will be available in a majority of Windows 7 editions, including Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. In Australia it is likely that the recording of captions will work, but multiple audio tracks are currently not being broadcast and as such cannot be recorded. 

Further discussion on the WTV file format can be found on the Green Button video forum http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/316927.aspx

Minister Conroy outlines the importance of the NBN

In a major speech to the National Press Club on 28 April, Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy outlined the importance of the new National Broadband Network (NBN) that will be constructed by the Federal Government.  

Minister Conroy likened the NBN to the introduction of electricity in the 1890s, which proved to be a major catalyst in the development of economies around the world. He sees the NBN having a similar impact on health care, education, climate change and infrastructure in Australia.  

The NBN is not just about delivery of media, although organisations like the ABC see broadband as a key part of delivering text, audio and video to its audiences. In education, the NBN will support virtual classrooms with video and audio streaming and high definition video conferencing, and provide students and teachers with the tools that they need to develop, use and share learning resources. 

The accessibility elements of the NBN rollout are one component of an overarching review of access in Australia, including the Federal Government’s Media Access Review.  

Media Access Australia is actively engaged in a range of projects that tie into the NBN infrastructure and its potential. These include the just launched Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association project to make the Internet and computers accessible to seniors with mild onset of disabilities, education projects looking at accessible classrooms, an online database of accessible materials and the wide range of resources that are available on MAA’s website.

For a full transcript of Minister Conroy’s speech visit the Federal Minister for Communications' website: http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/speeches/2009/013

Windows 7 RC fails to address Magnifier issue

The recent release of the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) has demonstrated that users are still unable to use the new full-screen Magnifier and a high colour contrast scheme at the same time. 

The RC version of Windows 7 is the last publicly available preview of Windows 7, and is generally viewed as being feature complete. This means that unless significant user feedback indicates to Microsoft that this is an issue, the issue will not be addressed in the final product. 

Media Access Australia and apcmag.com highlighted this issue in January when the first public beta featured the significantly improved full-screen Magnifier, but dropped back to the original ‘bar’ Magnifier when a high contrast colour scheme was selected. This is due to the new Magnifier being dependent on Aero, the advanced graphics engine in Windows 7. The significance of this is that most people with a vision impairment (currently around 500,000 people in Australia) would change the colour scheme to a high contrast one as well as using the Magnifier.   

Feedback can be made to Microsoft on this or any other issue by freely downloading the RC of Windows 7 from the Microsoft website – 
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx  – and following the feedback prompts in the operating system.  

The RC of Windows 7 will be available until the end of June. 

ACMA report highlights Internet access gaps

A report released on 7 May by the Australian Communications and Media Authority looking at levels of Internet participation highlights major issues that need to be addressed if all levels of society are able to participate in the digital economy.

The main characteristics of people who are less likely to be connected to the Internet or use the Internet are:

•	Older people
•	Not working – either retired or unemployed
•	Living alone
•	In regional or remote areas

The report particularly identified older people as being a major non-user group with only 48% of people aged 65 and over using the Internet compared to 78% of other groups. Older people were also more likely to use the Internet to access government services than other groups.  

The most popular uses of the Internet are email, banking transactions and paying bills online. This is pretty consistent across age groups.  

Given the lower usage of the Internet by seniors and the tasks that they do online, there are significant implications for disability access. Disability is much more predominant among older people, including onset of physical disabilities happening as people age. 

“The study didn’t look specifically at the impact of disability issues, particularly as a barrier to use of the Internet, however our work with seniors organisations suggest that this is a significant issue,” said MAA CEO Alex Varley.

“More targeted research looking at these issues would help in the planning for the rollout of the National Broadband Network,” he said.  

The report can be found at:
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311655

MAA has developed some basic ‘How-To Guides’ to assist with onset of disabilities and accessing the Internet and computers. These can be found at:  
http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=287&Itemid=106

New Microsoft mouse includes magnifier feature

Microsoft has recently released a new computer mouse called the Comfort Optical Mouse 3000. In addition to the standard mouse features, it provides a useful magnifier feature. 

Once the software is installed, a magnifying window can be made to appear around the mouse pointer by pressing the ‘Magnify’ button located on it. The small magnification window follows the mouse pointer around the screen, magnifying the area of interest. The size of the magnification window and the magnification strength can be adjusted in the mouse software options. 

Although the magnifier is unlikely to be an effective replacement for full-screen magnifiers such as the one contained in Windows 7 or assistive technology products like ZoomText, the ability to easily magnify an area of interest on the screen may prove useful for people with a minor vision impairment. The mouse retails from most computer stores for about $40. 

Further information on the mouse can be found on the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=041

US netbook created specifically for hearing impaired

Purple Communications, a provider of video relay and interpreting services, has released an ultra-portable ‘netbook’ computer. The P3 netbook has been designed specifically to support the needs of people who are deaf or hearing impaired, featuring Video Relay Service (VRS) and Text Relay Service (TRS) technologies delivered through a range of wireless technologies and the built-in webcam. 

The P3 netbook’s design ensures that the needs of people who are deaf or hearing impaired can be incorporated into a mainstream computing device. As such, the netbook carries a standard Windows XP installation and other software consistent with off-the-shelf netbooks, but also includes the VRS and TRS software applications. As a result, the device achieves a greater flexibility than a videophone in an office environment. 

The Purple P3 netbook is currently only available in the US and retails for US$399.  Further information can be found on the Telecommunication News website http://telecommunicationnews.net/2009/05/20/purple-communications-announces-p3-optimized-purple-netbook-an-all-in-one-communications-device-specifically-for-deaf-community/

VIDEO ON DEMAND

American TV channels improve captioned downloads

The level of captioned Video On Demand (VOD) on American television channels is improving, although the results are still very mixed. 

NBC and Hulu are given accolades for their volume of programming and good quality display of captions on the VOD. Others such as ABC have an annoying feature whereby the captions disappear in full-screen mode. Fox has incorporated closed captioning in its video player, but most programs are not available with captions in VOD-form.  

Another issue is the delay in posting captions. Some programs may appear as VOD within hours of broadcast, but the captions can take hours, days or weeks until they appear. The main exception to this is Hulu, where captioned versions appear pretty quickly.  

For more information about captioned Video On Demand on individual American television channels go to the TV Jots website: http://tvjots.com/networks-make-progress-with-captioned-online-video/

Unfortunately for Australian audiences, most of these downloads are blocked for non-US users. 

YouTube launches CaptionTube

YouTube has launched a new web-based application called CaptionTube, designed to make the process of captioning videos significantly easier.    

Although YouTube provided the ability to caption videos last August, the process was cumbersome due to the need for the captions to be saved in a separate file and then intricately time-coded to the video. The new software is set up more like a traditional video editing application, making the inclusion of captions much easier. The software also allows for the captions to be exported from the application, meaning that users are not restricted to having the captions on YouTube. 

Further information and a video tutorial on CaptionTube can be found on the CNET news website, http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10221213-2.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

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DVDs

Access on new release rental DVDs
Access to new release DVD titles on rental outlet shelves during the month of May 2009 stood at 18% for audio description and 56% for captioning.
This time last year, the percentage of audio described titles stood at 8%, so considerable growth has happened in the last 12 months. This can be put down to two factors: education amongst major distributors in importing audio described titles from international sources, and the contribution of Roadshow Entertainment to describing titles that are produced locally.  
All major distributors are regularly importing audio described titles from international sources.  The exception to this is Paramount Home Entertainment whose audio description rate internationally is very low.  
The titles released since March with audio description are:
Australia
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
The Blue Elephant
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Flashback of a Fool
Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Hot Dogs and Doughnuts
The Long Shots
Marley & Me
The Promotion
Quantum of Solace
Quarantine
The Ramen Girl
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
Slumdog Millionaire
Soul Men
Yes Man
There are still gaps in the transfer of access content. For example, audio navigation (where the viewer is guided through the menu system by voice), and audio description of the feature were available on the 2008 edition of Brideshead Revisited, released by Icon, but these features were not made available by Icon for Region 4 release.    
Captioning rates have shown little variation over the last few years, but with each statistical report collated by MAA, on average a further 10% of titles could be made accessible to the Deaf and hearing impaired in Region 4 if captions or English subtitles were imported from international sources.  This is the easiest way for distributors to begin to increase the rate.  
90 titles were researched this month.
___________________________________________________________________

CINEMA

A first for Australia: accessible cinema for both vision and hearing impaired

On 4 May, the Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot, announced the ‘accessible cinema’ initiative, which will see 12 independent cinemas across the country offering captions and audio description services on a regular basis.

Nearly 4 million Australians have hearing or vision impairments, and this number is growing as the population ages. Until now, many of these Australians have been unable to fully participate in the important social ritual of going to the movies. “We recognise that this is a first step – but this is about allowing people to spend more quality time with their families and friends at the cinema,” said Mrs Elliot.

The ‘accessible cinema’ initiative, is a joint effort of Media Access Australia (MAA) and the Independent Cinemas Association. It is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing, and has doubled current cinema access levels for Australians who are hearing impaired. It will mark the first time Australians with a vision impairment will be able to fully experience cinema on a regular basis.

"The independent cinema sector has embraced access with enthusiasm,” said Alex Varley, CEO of MAA. “They are in touch with their local communities and are very adaptable to new audiences and new ways of promoting their services.  

“This is a major step forward in making entertainment accessible for all Australians. The Federal Government is leading by example in transforming its social inclusion policy into real-life action."
 
The Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, offered his congratulations, but noted that Australia still has a long way to go in comparison with countries like the UK or US, where over 30% and 15% of cinemas are covered respectively. The new cinema locations are:

AMC Tweed Heads 6, NSW
Palace Verona, Paddington NSW
Cmax Cinemas, Darwin NT
Cinema Nova, Carlton Melbourne VIC
Deakin Cinema Complex, Mildura VIC
Sale Cinemas, VIC
Dendy Canberra Centre, ACT
Cmax Cinemas, Devonport TAS
Grand Cinemas, Bunbury, WA
Big Screen Cinemas, Hervey Bay QLD
Palace Nova East End Cinemas, Adelaide SA
Whyalla Cinema, SA

The marketing campaign that accompanied the equipment grant includes a mix of centralised information and highly targeted local promotions. MAA supported cinemas in building on their community links, and provided information and marketing materials targeted at these very specific audiences.
"The real strength of this program is that it recognises the need for proper targeted marketing,” said Alex Varley. “Audiences who watch captions and use audio description are niche markets that will not readily respond to mass-market advertising and other general promotions."
Consumer profiles and marketing suggestions
As the target audience for accessible cinema was a new one for these cinemas, they were given a profile of the audience, including information on its size nationally, likely ‘buying behaviour’ and suggestions on the best way to reach and engage with these audiences. As audio description is unknown to many even within the target audience, it was emphasised that increasing awareness will be important and ongoing for this particular service.
Website
A new accessible website – www.yourlocalcinema.com.au – has been launched to provide a central source of information on all aspects of accessible cinema, including the program’s background, international accessible film news, accessible cinema events, and weekly, up-to-date screening schedules at each location. The site is fully accessible and has been tested by vision impaired users before going live. The site was promoted on all marketing materials, audio promotions and press releases.
Community service announcements
Audio CSAs have been created and distributed to radio stations nationally. The Office of Ageing’s Ambassador for Ageing, actress Noeline Brown, features on some of these. The announcements are mostly targeted at the audience for audio description, however some promote captioning or a combination of both. Other announcements are specifically targeted at seniors. They also differ in length for ease of use by broadcast programmers.  
In-cinema displays
MAA has assisted the 12 cinemas with in-cinema promotion by designing and printing various materials to cover the diversity of the cinema layouts themselves, and appeal to the target audience or their friends or family. Symbols were created to denote audio described or captioned sessions, which will be recognisable and consistent across all cinemas. Stickers for box office windows that display the access symbols and reusable stickers for movie posters have been distributed to all cinemas. Other in-cinema display material includes a window sticker for the cinema street frontage and an A3 poster for general display. Brochures have also been developed.
Localised promotions
Each cinema was also provided with information brochures for both captioned and audio described films. The key messages on these brochures have been used consistently across all promotions. The brochures were accompanied by a list of local seniors groups, disability workers, special education schools, and deaf and blind groups to which the cinema could send them to begin their marketing campaign. The brochures are also available from the cinemas themselves.  

MAA released national and localised press releases and developed a media kit for media interested in covering the program. 
Consumer organisation promotions
Consumer organisations such as Vision Australia and Deafness Forum are key communications channels with the audiences for accessible cinema. These organisations were provided with ongoing information and press releases, and these have been printed in their newsletters, published on their websites and disseminated through other communications channels such as client service managers.
MAA allocated funds from the grant for each cinema to launch its program locally.  This was not mandatory but most cinemas took up the opportunity and either hosted an inaugural screening, took out an advertisement in the local press or radio, developed a television commercial for local broadcast, or a combination of these.
CMax Palmerston in the Northern Territory was the first to launch its program with the screening of Star Trek. Around 60 people attended the launch, including Lord Mayor Robert McLeod, MP Damien Hale representing the Federal Minister for Ageing, people with hearing and vision impairments and community service personnel who can inform their clients about the program. The launch included a short introduction to the technology and speeches by the dignitaries, while local school children from the Sing Song Sign group (a signing choir) entertained the audience before the film commenced.  
Similarly, Big Screen Cinemas Hervey Bay, Cinema Nova in Carlton, Sale Cinemas, Whyalla Twin Cinemas and Grand Cinemas Bunbury also hosted launches for the local community.  

A history of accessible cinema in Australia
Accessible cinema began in Australia in 2001, as the result of one man’s complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission about his local cinema, and the Commission’s realisation of the widespread nature of the issue. Dr John Byrne, a Director with the WA Department of Environment and Conservation, spent many Saturday afternoons as a child at his local cinema with his friends and family. But at the age of 12, John lost his hearing and had to give up one of his favourite pastimes, a loss that was upsetting and socially isolating. Over the years, foreign language subtitled films provided some enjoyment, and as his own children grew, they assisted Dr Byrne with English language films.  
Dr Byrne explained, “My daughter Rosalind used to go to the cinema with me and write what was going on. We tried to find seats where this activity would not disturb other cinema goers, since we used a small torch and the light may have distracted others.” 
With time however, Dr Byrne decided that this wasn’t good enough. He took the step of lodging a complaint under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 with the Australian Human Rights Commission, alleging discrimination by a cinema and cinema chain in lack of provision of subtitles or captions with English language films. The Commission then took the step of expanding the complaint to an inquiry, with participants from Deafness Forum, Deaf Australia, the major cinema chains of Hoyts, Village and Greater Union, the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia and Media Access Australia.  
In early 2001, an agreement covering eight locations was reached – one in each capital city of Australia – and the launch of captioned films in Australia was held in Sydney on 1 April 2001.  
From eight initial locations, the program grew to 11, with the addition of Parramatta in western Sydney, Newcastle (NSW) and Maroochydore (QLD), with each location showing three captioned sessions per week. With the latest addition of 12 cinemas under the ‘accessible cinema’ initiative, the number of cinemas screening captioned movies in Australia has more than doubled, while these 12 cinemas will also be screening audio described movies. 23 cinemas represent approximately 4.7% of Australian cinema venues, and almost one cinema for every I million people.
By comparison, in mid-2007 the US had over 830 accessible cinemas, representing about 15% of locations, and an accessible cinema for every 357,000 people. The UK has over 300 cinemas, representing nearly 39% of locations and an accessible cinema for every 203,000 people. New Zealand has 3 accessible cinemas (captions only), representing 3% of locations and one cinema for every 1.4 million people.  
Blind organisation takes action on cinema access

Australia’s blind peak consumer organisation, Blind Citizens Australia (BCA), has taken direct action against the major cinema chains in Australia, calling for access through audio description.  

It was announced on 21 May that nine individual BCA members have made complaints against cinemas that show captioned movies, but do not provide any audio description service. These complaints are to the Australian Human Rights Commission and allege discrimination in the provision of a service by not making it accessible to people with vision impairments.

Approximately 70% of movies shown with captions in Australia also have an audio description track available as part of the access service. The major cinema chains (Village, Hoyts, Greater Union Birch Carroll & Coyle) have not enabled or modified their DTS access equipment to allow them to provide an audio description service. The recently-announced 12 accessible independent cinemas provide both captioned and audio described sessions.

BCA hopes that the issue can be resolved through negotiation, particularly as the equipment needed to access the audio description is readily available.

Captioning in Australian cinemas

Open captioned movie screenings from March to May 2009 included:

•	He’s Just Not That Into You
•	The International
•	Watchmen
•	Confessions of a Shopaholic
•	Duplicity
•	Pail Blart: Mall Cop
•	Pink Panther 2
•	Monsters vs. Aliens
•	The Fast and the Furious
•	X-Men Origins: Wolverine
•	Star Trek
•	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
•	Mary and Max 

These open captioned movies showed at:

Sydney – Greater Union George St
Sydney – Greater Union Parramatta
Melbourne – Village Cinemas, The Jam Factory
Adelaide – Greater Union Megaplex Marion
Canberra – Hoyts Belconnen
Brisbane – Greater Union/Hoyts, Queen St Mall
Perth – Hoyts Carousel, Cannington
Darwin – BCC Casuarina
Hobart – Village Hobart
Newcastle – Greater Union Glendale
Maroochydore – BCC Sunshine Plaza
Cinema Nova, Carlton Melbourne VIC

Between March and May 2009, the average difference in days between the captioned release of each title and the general release was 17 days. From October 2005 to the end of May 2009, the average was 16 days. (This does not include Mary and Max, which only screened with captions in Melbourne.)

No audio description in major Australian cinemas

The DTS Access System is currently used in eleven cinemas across Australia owned by Hoyts, Village and Greater Union Birch Carroll & Coyle for showing captioned movies. The system has the capability of showing audio described films if an added module costing a few thousand dollars is purchased. A further purchase, if not already owned, of an induction loop, infra-red or FM ‘broadcaster’ and headsets for patrons to receive the description would allow these cinemas to have audio described screenings. Many access disks that are used to show the captions also have audio description tracks.

Of the 174 movies shown with captions since 5 October 2006, 116 movies (67%) also had an audio description track, which means they could have been accessed by blind and vision impaired patrons, had the cinemas been equipped with the audio description component of the system.