The document discusses the challenges and solutions regarding multimedia accessibility, particularly focusing on the lack of captions and audio descriptions for online content. It outlines existing issues, research projects, and tools aimed at improving accessibility for users with disabilities in educational contexts. Key principles include the need for user-generated content and collaborative projects to enhance the availability and personalization of accessible multimedia resources.

1. Multi-media Accessibility Are we nearly there yet? Nick Freear, Web Developer Wendy Porch , Research Fellow Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University Techshare 2009

2. I have a stammer Ask me to repeat if you miss something. And please ask questions! stammering.org

3. Agenda What problems are we trying to solve? Existing research and issues How can we solve the existing problems? Outline of project proposal Key project principles Some initial evaluations Examples/demonstrations Round-up, next steps & discussion

4. Definitions Captions Also known as "sub-titles" in UK Text synchronised with video, timed text Prefer styling to indicate speaker - position, colour For deaf/hard of hearing Closed captions "Captioning you have to turn on", broadcast Transcript Text, often without synchronisation

5. Definitions (2) Audio description Descriptions of the video inserted into spaces in the audio track i.e. what’s happening on screen? For blind/ low vision people Can get it for some TV programs, videos, DVDs, live events Hard to find for online videos

6. Context " Basic web accessibility is a known commodity now... But nearly ten years after specifications first required it, online captioning still pretty much does not exist." Joe Clark, A List Apart , November 2008.

7. More context! ( Gratuitous logos ) iTunes U

8. Doesn’t YouTube do Captions? Yes, captions and annotations, since August 2008. However: Only the video owner can upload/ author No editor (Not portable/ embeddable) Captions can not be styled Not open content Only approximately 0.5% of YouTube videos are captioned (automated analysis on small corpus of 34 words - more work).

9. What's the state of play? At the Open University: Course media is routinely transcribed (OU/iTunes U 95%) It is not routinely captioned or audio described. W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: WCAG 1.0, 1999 - 1.4 : Level A - transcript is sufficient. WCAG 2.0, Dec 2008 - Level A requires captions, not audio description. Vimler: annotation. Moodle et al : No easy way to integrate captions Some R&D projects are looking at content personalisation in E-Learning

10. Accessible Multimedia in E-Learning (1) TILE Project: Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto ( http://inclusivelearning.ca ) Early implementation of content personalisation standards that map user preferences to content served . Not held in a learning management system Reusable Learning Object Repository for Educators Videos provided with captions and audio descriptions

11. Mars Rover Mission Video Audio Descriptions provide an overview of the onscreen action, particularly that which is not mentioned in the narrative of the video. (insert Mars rover example here)

12. Accessible Multimedia in E-Learning (2) EU4ALL Project. UKOU, UNED, Atos Origin, York University (amongst many others!) www.eu4all-project.eu Content personalisation based on evolved standards related to user preferences. i.e. I'd prefer the video with the audio descriptions please! Process for providing matching developed for dotLRN and Moodle learning environments Alternatives for videos in the standards include captions, audio description, sign language interpretations, transcripts

13. Moodle video with Audio Description ( http://eu4all.open.ac.uk/eu4all/mod/resource/view.php?id=75 )

14. Other Accessible Multimedia Fun! Stretch Project (ATRC, University of Toronto) http://stretch.atrc.utoronto.ca Project 'stretched' perceptions of artists & art students to be more inclusive of people with disabilities Participants produced numerous examples of cultural works that include multiple sensory modalities & a gallery of works on the theme of inclusion Provided tools to new media artists for adding descriptions, captions & alternative video

15. Tools for Adding Captions and/or Audio Descriptions CapScribe: capscribe.snow.utoronto.ca NCAM's Magpie ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie LiveDescribe: www.livedescribe.com MovCaptioner: www.synchrimedia.com YouTube CC: www.youtubecc.com CaptionTube: captiontube.appspot.com Accessify's YouTube Caption Creator: accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/... – http://is.gd/1yiVU DotSub: dotsub.com

16. How can we address the lack of captions & audio descriptions online? Multimedia Alternatives the MALT Wiki Project Collaborative production of alternative content Web services to ease use

17. Big Principles Accessibility/usability Data portability/ content as a service/ connections Quality & learning design * Open content Software as a service Free (open-source) software Social production/ co-creation/ crowd-sourcing Perpetual beta, hacking the Web, agile

18. Media player evaluation

19. dotSUB.com - transcribing

20. dotSUB.com "any video any language" + Transcription/ translation can be collaborative - Wiki-like + Captions are portable (W3C TT XML, Subrip SRT) + Ajax-based editor or import captions + Powerful search, including in RSS + Rich meta-data, including caption attribution + Creative Commons licenses are encouraged - Uploader must be owner/ permission of owner of video * - Connections with eg. YouTube not explicit - Captions don't indicate person - TT styling - retrofit? - Meta-data not exposed in RSS search or TT - YET - No comments, rating, user profile - not "social" YET

21. Social production Wikipedia, Geocaching, Open street map, Project Gutenberg, Librivox, talking newspapers, open source … What motivates? User scenarios ... Preece, Jennifer & Shneiderman, Ben (2009) "The Reader-to-Leader Framework: Motivating Technology-Mediated Social Participation " 4 stages – reader, commenter, contributor, leader

22. View 'in-situ' - client-side (OLnet)

23. View 'in-situ' - server-side

24. Multi-layer web service Content-creator YOU | <a rel=”embed” href=”http://youtube.com/watch?v=UnI”>Title</a> | Wordpress/ Drupal/ Moodle module/ filter | jquery.oembed.js | Oembed – YouTube , Slideshare, Flickr, Vimeo ... | Remote server | Player <object> + HTML + Javascript

25. A new player – uses oEmbed, HTML / Javascript

26. YT player modified – user Javascript

27. Next Steps Explore internal/ external funding Conversations Work on player + personalisation Caption/ AD editing/ discovery functions A workshop (&quot;Scripting Enabled&quot;) Build a community – please help! N.D.Freear@open.ac.uk – @nfreear W.Porch@open.ac.uk maltwiki.org

28. We didn't have time for...

29. Flash 'wmode' is harmful wmode = 'window' (default) - OK. <object data=&quot;player.swf&quot;> <param name=&quot; wmode &quot; value=&quot; window &quot; /> ... wmode = 'opaque' or 'transparent' – inaccessible. <param name=&quot; wmode &quot; value=&quot; opaque &quot; /> Answer - don't set wmode.

30. Next steps detail Roadmap: no money, no timescale! Testing - <iframe>, screen readers, high contrast... &quot;Complete&quot; the MALT/Flow player - volume, progress bars, theme, language (research Flow controlbar custom.) Do MALT/YouTube/JS player - matching UI. Personalization demo, Plug-ins: Wordpress, Moodle, Drupal... Audio Description - CapScribe, Java Web Start/JNLP? Captioning – online/ desktop/ import/ export Developer documentation. Translation/ Localization, player - French, Chinese... Wiki features, community building, talk talk...?

31. Wordle - project keywords