Google and YouTube: CCAC is Watching and….

We want to say thanks for automatic captioning, and we want to say we need a lot more of it, with much improved quality as well. Your blog dramatically shows us how the accessibility gap widens each minute.

From this source – (readers of our blog – if you see it here first for your own networks, please DO credit the CCAC with your own messages to others) –

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/11/great-scott-over-35-hours-of-video.html

“The amount of video uploaded to YouTube is 35 hours per minute….2,100 hours uploaded every 60 minutes, or 50,400 hours uploaded to YouTube every day. ”

We suggest all reading let Google/YouTube know your own thoughts on this, how we need quality captioning to be included universally, the sooner the better. Hey, the CCAC membership might even be able to help somehow?

 

 

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Captioning (Subtitles) in the Theater in Madrid (Spain) – yes!

Nice to see this in Spain now! Photo is not clear, yet the article is! Congrats to all there.

Public release date: 28-Mar-2011
Contact: Ana Herrera
oic@uc3m.es
Carlos III University of Madrid

A new system for subtitles in the theater in Spain

This release is available in Spanish.

		IMAGE: This image of a play is to illustrate the new subtitled system in theater. Click here for more information.

The performance took place on March 15 at the María Guerrero Theatre in Madrid, where the play “Woyzeck,” by Georg Büchner could be enjoyed in the version by Juan Mayorga, under the direction of Gerardo Vera. This accessible staging has been promoted with the collaboration of the CESyA and the CDN, which for the first time ever in their theatres programmed a subtitled function for hearing impaired individuals, thanks to technological support from UC3M though a subtitling system, UC3MTitling..

This system carries out subtitling in the real time of events for an audience, without the need for highly qualified personnel. Its area of application is live events based on a pre-established script such as theatre, conferences, ceremonies, etc., which allow the synchronized broadcast of any accessibility element for a live event as it unfolds, and at a low cost. For that purpose, a technician is in charge of previously generating all of the accessibility elements (titles, sign language video and audio description) and afterwards synchronizing and carrying out their broadcast as the play is performed.

Advantages of the system

The main advantage of this system is that the technician can carry out the synchronization of the elements without actually having to be in the theatre where the performance is taking place, explained the UC3M Full Professor, Ángel García Crespo. “Thanks to communications tools for making Internet calls (VoIP), the performance can be followed anywhere,” the researcher noted, who also collaborated with CESyA.

In this way, once the technician begins broadcasting the accessibility elements, they can be broadcast in the theatre by different channels depending on their features: texts for titles, audio for audio description and video for sign language. In addition, because of the high degree of compatibility of the chosen formats, the play’s audience can simultaneously consult them from different devices: mobile phone, PC tablet, PDA, etc

UC3MTitling is a tool which incorporates the necessary procedures to control, on site or at distance, the synchronized projection of accessibility elements (subtitles, video for sign language and audio description) through the different channels associated with the theatre where the play takes place. “In a nutshell,” professor García Crespo concluded, “this subtitling system not only allows individuals with impaired hearing or sight to able to follow such events but the rest of the audience can also benefit from them, thereby achieving complete integration for disabled persons and conditions on par with the rest of the audience.”

This accessible function for persons with hearing impairments through subtitles has been the first in this framework of collaboration whose aim is to set up functions of this type on a regular basis during the 2011-2012 season of the of CDN programming. This agreement is within the framework of social awareness and action for accessible culture that the CESyA is carrying out, as it has done with other entities such as the Academia de Ciencias y Artes Cinematográficas (The Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Science) or different museum organizations.

(thanks to a facebook friend for sharing this with the ccac)

Captioning and Social Media – Same or Different?

Twitter and Facebook seem to be more “immediate” than emails, know what I mean? What do you think?

On Twitter and Facebook, it feels as if you are “reading and listening with your eyes” in some sort of immediate way – though of course you choose when to open it. There’s also immediate interaction sometimes (someone answers you right away). It “approaches” real time captioning/subtitles as a “thing” – it gives us quality text, easy to read (short, perhaps too short at times, yet seems to be the style of the decade).

Real time captioning (what millions of us need for literacy, learning language, online search, and much more, e.g. equal communication access for folks with hearing differences), is really – actually – truly – immediate speech-to-text translation. Someone else types for all of you in a conversation, meeting, conference, etc. It’s not you typing online. It’s for more “important” conversations of all sorts — at work, at school, at community events of all kinds.

Real time captioning (aka CART) is not social media – but it’s “social” in a profoundly meaningful and healthy way — for all to be included in life!

I wonder if Twitter will include real time “chat” soon? Is anyone using the “chat” feature on Facebook a lot?

 

5 Reasons for Captions and the CCAC

CCAC Goals and Actions – Advocacy for inclusion of captioning needs you!

1. Ensure that captioning is mentioned and included regularly in all the places we need it; universally; as a common everyday practice.

—it’s not all about television and movies; we need captioning for education, employment, government, health care, transportation, sports, courts, public events, clubs, houses of worship, and more—

2. Have captioning mentioned and included in all the places that sign language is mentioned and used now.

—some places are aware of accessibility and the laws of the land that encourage equal access for all — too many places are not —

3. Support consumers to learn about and ask for captioning, and get it, without all the hassle encountered now in too many places.

–asking for captioning is a long lonely process many times – there are many ways to educate and advocate for yourself and others with support from those who understand this need

4. Push captioning into a “respected” resource/language/technology.

–the word “captioning” is not even mentioned at times in most important information about access for “deaf, deafened, and people with hearing loss”–too much confusion about what CART is — refusal to include captioning in lists of assistive technologies in some places — is this acceptable? No.

5. Encourage professional providers and also those offering systems to expand services.

–Captioning companies and large corporations offering products for captioning spend a lot on sales and marketing. By supporting the CCAC, and networking with the CCAC, captioning might become universal before waiting another 30? 50? years.

Care about this? Join from here –>www.ccacaptioning.org – use one of the membership forms on the left side of the homepage.

Ask for Captioning Today, and whenever you need it!

It’s always nice to be interviewed, especially when the person who is doing the interview really does understand 🙂

http://www.saywhatclub.com/newsletter/jan2011/interview.html

This article may be distributed anyplace, as long as full attribution to the SayWhatClub is included, along with the author, etc. I don’t care if my name is included or not. It’s all about the need for inclusion of quality captioning universally. The CCAC asks all to network and bring us more members soon, for more people to get involved, spread the word, one way or another. If you edit this interview, please share a copy with us – ccacaptioning@gmail.com

 

Saluting Czech Advocates and the Captioner

See https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment?ui=2&ik=152f5445a9&view=att&th=12eea26627917f3c&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-MN65ruj8I-tKszkF8dVF6&sadet=1301040876796&sads=YWH7FAkK7hVmGV48mm6IwBU3Jgw

and make noise globally! captioning is needed by millions….

(special thanks to Vera, member of the CCAC for this information)

Captioned Telephones in the Modern World for Healthy Active People

An interesting perspective from Australia about captioned telephone calling: http://decorum2.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/the-captioned-telephony-debacle/

One step forward, 2 steps backward? or your view?

ls/ccac

Captioning for Community! CCAC Letter for Immediate Distribution

We now have a CCAC Letter for Community Leaders to educate and advocate for inclusion of quality captioning and CART (real time captioning) in community meetings. It’s posted on this page online:

https://sites.google.com/site/ccacgroup/articles-resources/why-cart-in-clubs-and-church

If you have any trouble copying it, email for a clean copy to ccacaptioning@gmail.com.

Community means healthy living – social inclusion rather than isolation- and much more for anyone’s special interests – clubs, houses of worship, local library lectures, gardening networks, veterans groups, you name it!

We are “social beings” and need to be included, to offer what we can, to share with others, to participate fully.

Comments welcome as always.

Spring into Captioning!

We welcome Spring this week! So much of life is beautiful and visual – so lucky we can use our eyes to absorb the glorious blue sky, all the flowers in orange, red, blue, yellow and brilliant other colors; so fortunate to absorb the aroma of fresh cut grass, wind in the higher hills; grateful for our legs which move us around, up the cobbled streets, down the steep stairs.

If only there were captioning included for the special lecture at the library tonight; for the theater performance during “Spring Arts Festival” in the next town; for the Museum tour, for the video online that we’d love to enjoy; for the class in language learning that we require for our travels; for so much in life that we can share with others….

Make noise for the CCAC Mission. Join soon! http://www.ccacaptioning.org is the place to submit the membership form online and read a lot more. We look forward to talking with you in the membership forum online too.

Captioning Song Videos Online

Today we send a huge thanks to SLS and his skills for captioning music videos online. We had a special (and first) request for them yesterday, and here is the beautiful result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj7oBRh3VT4

To find out more about SLS and captioning inclusion for literacy, languages, and much more, go to this web address –  http://sls4reading.com/default.aspx

Comments on our blog here welcome also!