- From: David Poehlman <poehlman@clark.net>
- Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 11:29:17 -0500
- To: blind-l list <BLIND-L@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU>, vicug list <VICUG-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>, "access-l@icomm.ca" <access-l@icomm.ca>, GUISPEAK List <guispeak@LISTSERV.NAS.NET>, "* WEB http://www.rit.edu/~easi" <EASI@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>, wai-ig list <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>, uaccess-l universal access list <uaccess-l@trace.wisc.edu>, list <telecom-l@trace.wisc.edu>
- CC: blindjob list <BLINDJOB@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>, "Jeffrey d. Pledger" <jeffrey.d.pledger@bellatlantic.com>
The Following press release concerning a World Wide Town Meeting webcast tomorrow evening is being cros posted at the request and on behalf of the President Of AbleTV.net blind-l, access-l, uaccess-l, guispeak, blindjob, telecom-l and waiig are receiving this message. Feel free to distribute with this in mind. Thanks. TVWORLDWIDE.COM PRESS RELEASE Thousands Expected Online as AbleTV.net Webcasts 2000 Worldwide Town Meeting for the Disabled TVWorldwide.com to Produce Interactive Video Webcast Featuring Demo of AbleTV.net's State-of-the-Art Audio Description and Closed Caption Video Streaming Technology for the Web Special Guest Speed Davis from the President's Committee on the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities to Respond via Chat and e-mail Thursday, February 24, 7:30 PM EST at www.abletv.net. For Immediate Release Wednesday, February 23, 2000 Contact: Dave Gardy Jeff Pledger TV Worldwide.com able@abletv.net www.tvworldwide.com www.abletv.net (703) 406-2031, (703) 786-3067 (301) 890-5944 Reston, Va. AbleTV.net, the first global TV network for the disabled, and a network affiliate of TVWorldwide .com announced today it will offer a live video webcast of the 2000 Worldwide Town Hall Meeting for the Disabled and that it will begin webcasting this meeting on a monthly basis starting in March. The 2000 meeting will feature discussion on AbleTV.net's applications of state-of-the-art video streaming Magpie (Media Access Generator) audio description and closed captioning technology currently archived for demo purposes at www.abletv.net. These applications were developed in cooperation with WGBH-TV in Boston, a pioneer in the effort to integrate assistive technology to enhance web accessibility for the disabled. "We were overwhelmed with viewers when we first webcast this town meeting last year," commented Jeff Pledger, president of AbleTV.net who himself became blind due to illness 16 years ago. "Individuals with disabilities are a very close-knit community and the web is a strong enabling factor for us. I am very proud of our video streaming applications of the Magpie technology and pleased to be working with TVWorldwide.com to make this interactive webcast event a reality for the thousands we expect globally. " Mr. Speed Davis, Public Affairs Specialist with the President's Committee on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, and a paraplegic himself, will be the event's special guest. Mr. Davis is also a member of AbleTV.net's Executive Advisory Board, a distinguished group of experts in this arena which includes representatives from Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), Digex, Inc.(Nasdaq:DIGX), WGBH, We Media, Inc. and other members from the technology, financial, manufacturing and non-profit sectors. "AbleTV.net's streaming video applications with audio description and closed captioning are unique in the streaming media sector," remarked Dave Gardy, Chairman and CEO of TVWorldwide.com and host for the event. "There is tremendous interest in what they have to offer, as B2B and B2C streaming sites enable their on-line communities with such accessibility, including the capacity for multi-lingual streaming, in applications ranging from interstitial advertising to distance learning." ###
Received on Wednesday, 23 February 2000 11:29:33 UTC