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These self-paced, online learning modules cover the topics of transition, note-taking, and learning about audio description.
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Filtering by tag: description
A lesson plan from ReadWriteThink about using description to improve students' written communication skills. This plan focuses on utilization of Disney's popular The Lion King, but teachers can broaden their approach to this lesson by utilizing any one of the hundreds of accessible titles available from the DCMP collection.
Topics for this 90-minute webinar include: 1) An update of the activities of the VDRDC; 2) The "Dos and Don'ts" of description; 3) Live demonstrations of two FREE software programs which can be used to add description to media; and 4) An overview of resources for obtaining described materials for use in the classroom.
2012 announcement from the FCC concerning description rules for certain broadcast stations and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs).
This thesis investigates the impact of conventional and alternative styles of audio description on the blind and low viewers' comprehension, entertainment experience, trustworthiness of the audio description narrative, and style preference. Author John Riccio asked 18 blind and low vision participants to watch three episodes of the television show Odd Job Jack in a single audio description style. Each participant was asked to complete a pre and post study questionnaire, and a post episode questionnaire at the completion of each episode. Results indicated that the alternative style of audio description provided better understanding, entertainment value, and is more trustworthy.
In her paper about audio description (AD), Sabine Braun outlines a discourse-based approach to AD focusing on the role of mental modeling, local and global coherence, and different types of inferences. Applying these concepts to AD, she discusses initial insights and outlines questions for empirical research, with an aim to showing that a discourse-based approach to AD can provide an informed framework for research, training and practice.
A study by Maija Hirvonen, University of Helsinki, Finland, in 2012. Analyses how shot distance is reflected in audio description by syntactic and semantic means. Four different-language audio descriptions of two films were utlilized, contrasting the visual source text with the verbal translation. The study aims to show how audio description can make use of diverse representational strategies and linguistic devices in rendering shot distance. These strategies and devices could be used purposely to compensate for visual cues so as to give an idea of space similar to that conveyed by the visual representation.
Information from the FCC regarding video description which is “audio-narrated descriptions of a television program’s key visual elements. These descriptions are inserted into natural pauses in the program’s dialogue. Video description makes TV programming more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired.” On August 25, 2011, the FCC adopted rules to implement the video description provisions of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). These rules are effective as of July 1, 2012.
IBM Research Tokyo partnered with the National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH to research ways to deliver online descriptions via text-to-speech (TTS) methods, rather than using human recordings. IBM and NCAM explored two approaches which exploit HTML5 media elements—video, audio, and track—as well as Javascript.
Comparison of description guidelines by six different countries: Spain, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Greece, and America. Though, in principal the guidelines and/or standards are very similar in nature, there are minor differences in a few of the recommendations. These differences could potentially be because of different formats of film/television programming being produced in different countries, different ways of watching films/television programs, cultural differences leading to relative levels of understanding of set-ups specific to different films/television programs, and also different ways in which audio description is made available i.e. through products specifically targeted at blind or partially sighted people or as an alternative sound track via mainstream services. Royal National Institute of Blind People, 2010.
A PowerPoint report of the European Erasmus Multilateral Lifelong Learning project's goals to: 1) Create authoritative guidelines and/or proposals for the AD profession/industry in all Europe; 2) Develop curricula for universities in Europe: both for entertainment and for instruction; 3) Train audio describers and audio describer trainers; 4) Sensitize and influence decision-makers; 5) Create useful connections with the television industry and with the service providers. By Chris Taylor, 2013.
This article looks at the context of accessibility in Spain, and after a general picture of the Spanish reality on media accessibility, it goes into describing and analyzing the standard for audio description approved in 2005 by the Spanish Ministerio de Trabajo (Ministry of Labour). By Pilar Orero, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
Paper in 2004 by Bernd Benecke, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Germany. Deals mainly with two aspects of audio description: the development (history) of this mode of language transfer and the main steps in the preparation of audio description. Overviews status of television description in Germany at the time it was written.
This an archive video of the Video Description Research and Development Center webinar #2 - "Do It Yourself" Educational Description: Guidelines and Tools. The webinar occurred October 24, 2012. Topics in this webinar include: 1) An update of the activities of the VDRDC; 2) The "Dos and Don'ts" of description; 3) Live demonstrations of two free software programs which can be used to add description to media; and 4) An overview of resources for obtaining described materials for use in the classroom.
This an archive video of the Video Description Research and Development Center webinar #1 - Bringing Video Description Into The 21st Century. The webinar occurred January 24, 2012. Topics in this webinar include: (1) A teachers' guide to using video description; (2) A comprehensive overview of resources for obtaining described materials; and (3) A sneak peak at the description technologies of the future being developed at the VDRDC. Presenters included Dr. Joshua Miele, Director of the VDRDC; Jim Stovall, President of Narrative TV Network; Jason Stark, Director of the Described and Captioned Media Program; Joel Snyder, Director of the Audio Description Project at the American Council of the Blind; and Emily Bell, Multimedia Manager at CaptionMax.
This collaborative report, prepared by Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia, ACCAN, and Media Access Australia, aims to highlight the consumer experience of the audio description (AD) technical trial on ABC TV in order to persuade the Australian government to support a permanent AD service. Attempts to reflect the high demand for AD by consumers and outline the benefits of AD.
