Xmas Gift for Captioning Advocacy Globally – We the People
December 25, 2015 Comments Off on Xmas Gift for Captioning Advocacy Globally – We the People
Thanks to everyone working globally and in many corners of our wide wonderful world for the CAPTIONING ADVOCACY they do regularly!
Australian PM Agrees to Caption his YouTube Channel
Worth reading – https://medium.com/@mlockrey/australian-pm-agrees-to-caption-his-youtube-channel-60f1a0e78c7#.rghkfxrzt
PEACE – May the world find lasting peace with negotiated solutions soon.
AWE AND JOY for those who speak out against hatred and violence.
HOPE AND FAITH that citizens of the world will force new beginnings that achieve respect for all and tolerate differences.
ACCESS AND INCLUSION – Human Rights
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CCAC!
December 19, 2015 § 4 Comments
December 19 is the day – we started this adventure with seven, we are over 800 participants now (members of the actual CCAC official non-profit), and a few thousands more on social media who seem to follow, friend, and become our fans – very usefully for the CCAC mission – Inclusion of Quality Captioning Universally.
CCAC Surprises End of 2015
December 18, 2015 Comments Off on CCAC Surprises End of 2015
CCAC was invited this month to talk with three important and very different agencies about our mission, and to share ideas about “inclusion of quality captioning.” This is not a total surprise of course, since we advocate regularly and vigorously for the CCAC mission, yet it’s a good step forward for captioning advocacy to be consulted face-to-face.
Since we celebrate six years of CCAC activity this time of year also (December 19th is the CCAC anniversary date), it is good to know our voices are noticed. Even if inclusion of quality captioning does not move forward at the speeds millions of us would like, it is moving forward. Our advocacy, education, and raising awareness efforts make sense.
CCAC is a grass-roots citizen advocacy movement and we share common concerns for access and inclusion with many others. CCAC’s advocacy mission, “inclusion of quality captioning universally” defines us. CCAC is not however located in the Washington D.C. area (like many long established groups), we are all volunteers, and relatively-speaking, the CCAC is the “new kid” on the captioning advocacy block (of course we’ve been active on this issue and related things for many more years). We “meet” online mainly, every day in many ways, for “group” work important to the CCAC culture – sharing ideas, information, discussion and action online – step by step.
The Surprises:
- This month the President of the CCAC spoke directly with Google.com about YouTube Captioning. We are very pleased to be able to learn from them, and to “tell them our issues!” We want quality CC on all videos ASAP, and we hope our advocacy and some technical advice offered will be useful there. They said it will, and we hope the conversation continues. Fan or crowd captioning is their newest feature for YT videos, and CCAC members contributed good questions and feedback about what seem to be remaining bugs and inefficiency in this newest feature. At the same time, as always, we emphasized how important quality CC as a first thought is, not as an afterthought – and our dedication to “equal communication access” online for all media.
- Next week we will speak (live) to a person in the Department of Transportation (USA) about Air Travel Access. CCAC has been advocating since 2010 for this important concern. Read more on the CCAC webpage for this project-advocacy takes loads of time! http://ccacaptioning.org/captioning-transportation/
- Finally, at least for now, an active CCAC member in Geneva (Switzerland) will meet in person in the new year to discuss a recent WHO survey about assistive devices. Our interest is advocating for the best inclusion of media captioning, and live event captioning also, in any WHO matters and interests as they strive to promote access and inclusion of PWD world-wide. It’s a healthy thing to do.
Raise your voices anyplace you can for communication access. We hope you join and use the CCAC too – to build stronger collaborations. Join the CCAC, find us on social media, and tell others about this blog please.
CCACaptioning.org
CCACaptioning@gmail.com
Please volunteer soon!
AIR TRAVEL ACCESS UPDATES
December 14, 2015 § 3 Comments
CCAC HAS AGAIN CONTACTED DOT, ACCESS BOARD AND FAA
to support and encourage quality CAPTIONING inclusion for all in-flight entertainment (IFE), in-flight live captioned announcements, and live captioning for announcements of all kinds in airports
NEWS: CCAC has a reply today, 14 December, from an attorney at the DOT – a meaningful reply acknowledging our concerns and connecting us to the consultant who will head the Committee if DOT moves forward as in the announcement noted below. We aim to keep informed and build interest and advocacy for Air Travel Access! The Team appreciates the letter from DOT.
Reminder about this important December notice from DOT: https://cms.dot.gov/briefing-room/dot-explores-consensus-based-initiative-make-flying-easier-individuals-disabilities
and CCAC’s continuing AIR TRAVEL ACCESS advocacy since 2010 – summary here: http://ccacaptioning.org/captioning-transportation/
In the December announcement, only IFE is mentioned. A very good mention. We ask them to include the other two items so important for safety and not missing a change made by airports and airlines when one is already at the gate.
The CCAC Air Travel Access Team invites and welcomes more members! Individuals and other Groups – get in touch.
Talk to your State representatives about this. Talk to the airports you use. Talk to your national Congresspeople. Talk to the airlines you travel on. Talk to the airports you use.
If you would like us to help you in any way, email CCACaptioning@gmail.com – and help us please. Let us know you want to advocate with us.
Suggestions and strategy advice also invited and welcome, along with your energies.
Sample Message for airlines, airports, airplane manufacturers, legislators:
WE write to ask for quality Live Captioning for all aspects of Air Travel. Millions of us need real-time captioning (speech-to-text easily seen) in order to understand important airport and in-air messages for safety and changes often announced. We also support the DOT proposal to “ensure that the same in-flight entertainment (IFE) available to all passengers is accessible to passengers with disabilities.” We are not only mega-millions of people with hearing loss and deafness, we are also hearing people who cannot understand vital messages in noisy environments, citizens with different first languages, and others with different learning and sensory needs. Read more on http://ccacaptioning.org/captioning-transportation/.
Quality Captioning is Equal Communication Access under the ADA. It also makes perfect sense for safer and smoother air travel everyplace. Please let us know your interest in this equality advocacy.
Your Name here…
CCACAPTIONING.ORG
CCACAPTIONING@GMAIL.COM
1
NB: The recent ruling for TV in airports from the DOT – for CC to be ON – was a good step in this larger concern for equal access for all Air Travel. See this article for one among many, https://www.abercap.com/blog/2015/10/06/department-of-transportation-orders-closed-captioning-in-airports/. TV is still an important news and entertainment source in airports. Now it’s time to think ahead, and think more broadly for these other issues we outline above. Modern technologies exist for air travel leaders and managers, companies and government to make access happen soon.
Contribute Subtitles and Closed Captions to YouTube Vidoes
December 13, 2015 § 1 Comment
Good Follow Up to CCAC Advocacy about YouTube/Google Fan Captioning – see our first blogpost https://ccacblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/ccac-talks-to-youtubegoogle-about-quality-cc/, and now pleased to re-blog these two efforts from two CCAC members who are skilled with captioning knowledge and dedication!
From Bill below, and also go to this link for Michael’s post: https://medium.com/@mlockrey/there-s-one-setting-you-need-to-change-on-your-youtube-channel-right-now-325170cdfac4#.u9919wij4
Link for Bill also now: https://billcreswell.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/contribute-subtitles-and-closed-captions/
Contribute subtitles and closed captions to YouTube Channels
Captioners:
Some channels let you contribute subtitles and closed captions to their videos. They’re viewable on the video by clicking on the [CC] icon in the player. Approved content is owned by the video owner.
Read more on YT Support https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6054623?hl=en
Video Owners:
- Go to Video Manager
- Click Edit Video
- Subtitles And CC Tab
- Turn ‘Allow Community Contributions’ on
I’m told you get to review them. If anyone allows this on a video, let me know and we’ll try it out.
CAPTIONING TIPS FOR HOLIDAY DINNERS! JUST DO IT
December 9, 2015 Comments Off on CAPTIONING TIPS FOR HOLIDAY DINNERS! JUST DO IT
WE CANNOT FIND ANYTHING ONLINE ABOUT USING CAPTIONING AT FAMILY DINNERS DURING HOLIDAY SEASON. ANYONE WHO CAN?
Of course some of the entertainment tips below are known by many. Yet for family gatherings at home, how about these captioning inclusion ideas:
- Try that new mobile phone! Whether it’s an iphone or other phone, turn on the dictation system and try it with your own voice, and with a friend, before the holiday dinner. Is it helpful, somewhat, or terrible? Let us know later here please.
- If no newer mobile phone, try the old one.
- In advance, is someone in the family a good typist? Bring along the laptop and ask him or her to type during conversations (not all the time, not at the table, but for ten minutes or so with your favorite cousin you rarely see?).
- If there’s some money available, a live professional captioning provider may be available for any event, with you in person (yes, it can be arranged sometimes for some places) or with you remotely via a good Internet connection. It costs something, yet even one whole hour is not a huge amount, and might be the PERFECT gift from someone, or from you to yourself. Start thinking about it now, and if not for this holiday season, sometime soon!
- If the TV is on, or any videos or films on a computer for after dinner fun, be sure to turn on the TV captioning (check with your hostess to try the captions before the big dinner).
- If a film at a movie theater, or drama in live theater, is planned during holiday season, find one that is captioned so that your family group can enjoy altogether. What? No captioned performances? Make noise.
Do you have other captioning inclusion ideas? Tell us! The tips above are pretty mundane and serious – yet what do you think? Will you try one?
One more thing from CCAC – if you visit any candidate during the holidays with us now, be sure to ask her or him for Live Event Captioning soon, and to use Quality CC on all his or her videos. If they actually schedule a live event with live captioning, please tell us ASAP! Read http://ccacaptioning.org/captions-capture-the-votes/ and feel free to send them the whole page. Thanks if you do this, for the CCAC project called “Captions Capture the Votes.”
With a big thanks to Gael Hannan for her inspiration, and her fabulous way of educating all of us with humor and her wisdom, e.g. this new article: http://hearinghealthmatters.org/betterhearingconsumer/2015/cheat-sheet-for-better-holiday-hearing/
CCACAPTIONING.ORG Official Non-Profit Citizen Captioning Advocacy Organization, Join Soon. Captioning’s Capital. World’s Language. Get in touch. We love to talk CCACAPTIONING@GMAIL.COM
Conferences Online: Live Event Captions: Don’t Leave Us Out!
December 7, 2015 Comments Off on Conferences Online: Live Event Captions: Don’t Leave Us Out!
Today, as I type here, there is a choice of two streaming live conferences in Europe. They started in the morning (European time zones of course). We encourage other time zones globally to tune in when they can today (and tomorrow).
ACCESS AND INCLUSION!
STREAMED LIVE ONLINE WITH LIVE EVENT CAPTIONING!
#CAPTIONTHEWORLD
JOIN HTTP://CCACAPTIONING.ORG
One is via this link: http://dostopnatv.si/en/live-streaming/ (the opening presentation was superb, by Ms. Saks from ITU, part of UN)
The second one is two days, via this link: https://scic.ec.europa.eu/streaming/european-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-07-12
CCAC advocates for all conferences to do this – not only “disability” conferences. We are world citizens, hearing or disabled or not. We want to learn, participate, and give back to topics of interest that are not only “disability” or “hearing loss” related. Advocate with us. When is your next conference?
Using a Palantypist (or speech to text reporter)
December 5, 2015 Comments Off on Using a Palantypist (or speech to text reporter)
Yes – Ask for it – and don’t be shy about it. We like Captioning projected on a screen for all to see also – yet sometimes, it’s wonderful to have it for yourself. We call it “live event captioning” – some call it “CART” or speech to text. CCACaptioning.org
STIGMA of Hearing Differences
December 2, 2015 Comments Off on STIGMA of Hearing Differences
Let’s turn Stigma inside out – get rid of it. Not easy to do at all. For years, many talk about it. Do you think there’s been progress? Or are we preaching to the converted all the time?
We finally found time to make a url for this long article about Stigma we wrote a few years ago. It’s not published formally anyplace else.
If you have time or chunks of time to read and think about it, feedback (be gentle please) is welcome. CCACaptioning@gmail.com
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_vnTaZ_7cjsUmxneHRTY3NmRDQ/view?usp=sharing
CCACAPTIONING.ORG – THE PLACE TO BE FOR CAPTIONING ADVOCACY
NEW MEMBER OFFER UNTIL END OF DECEMBER! JOIN NOW AND WE’LL PUT CC ON A SHORT VIDEO YOU CHOOSE – BE INCLUDED, DON’T BE LEFT OUT – #CAPTIONTHEWORLD
CCAC Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.