Update on item added to last meeting.

At the meeting - just before we went to last call we took up one item that
had a split vote on it earlier.   It was the captioning and description at
level 1 vs level 2. 

 

It was a long discussion - that ended with an interesting proposal that all
could reach consensus on.  

 

It left captioning at level 1 as it is now. 

 

For audio description it provided (at level 1) the option of either 1)
providing audio descriptions or 2) providing a full text screenplay.  With
audio descriptions required at level 2.   

 

At first it looked like this might be a compromise but on further
examination it turns out this may actually be better than audio description
(only) at level 1.  Thi comes about because of a fundamental difference
between captions and audio descriptions.

 

The different between captions and audio descriptions is that with captions
you can capture the important part of the audio track (dialog and sounds)
where as it usually isn't possible with audio descriptions to capture the
visual track.   Thus captions plus the video track can give you access to
the multimedia where audio description often cannot give you more than a
small portion (or sometimes none) of the video track.

 

For example.  If there is a training video where the person is talking while
demonstrating -- then there will be no (or almost no) opportunity for audio
description.   One could meet the old L1 criterion and not really make the
video accessible.  The new L1 would allow the person to read the
'screenplay' which would provide all visual and audio information including
all dialog.   After reading the screenplay the person could then listen to
the video along with everyone else and know what was going on. 

 

Thus the new language is an interesting step forward toward full access to
the information presented by the multimedia.   It does not give you access
to the experience -  but our guidelines are more about information than
'same experience'.   

 

There was consensus on the new language (see below) on the call.  But since
some people weren't there at the end of the call we checked with the others
after  the call - and there was consensus there too.

 

The revisions agreed to were.  

 

 LEVEL 1:

1.2.2 Audio descriptions of video, or a full corrected text screenplay
including any interaction, are provided for prerecorded multimedia. 

LEVEL 2:

1.2.3 Audio descriptions of video are provided for prerecorded multimedia. 

 

DEFINITION

full corrected text screenplay including any interaction

a document describing all visual context, action of the actors, dialog,
sounds etc that are typically included in screenplays presented in a
multimedia presentation that includes a means for achieving any outcomes
that are achieved using interaction during the multimedia" 

NOTE: A screenplay used to create the multimedia content would meet this
definition only if it was corrected to accurately represent the final
multimedia as it occurred and after editing etc. 

 

 


Gregg

------------------------

Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Depts of Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison