YouTube, a popular Google-run website where you can watch and post videos, is now offering automatic captioning for videos. Universities were the earliest partners of auto-captioning (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, MIT, Duke, Yale, Columbia, University of New South Wales), as well as a few media publications (Demand Media, PBS, National Geographic, UCTV). As a result of this new automatic captioning service, YouTube has gained support from disability partners as well. One such organization is the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT). COAT's primary goal is to ensure that legislative and regulatory safeguards are in place so people with disabilities have access to high speed broadband, wireless, and other Internet-based technologies. Jennifer Simpson from COAT, made the following statement about the new auto-captioning feature:
“This is a huge step forward for accessibility. We applaud industry leadership such as this. We look to other companies to be as innovative in making their products and services accessible to people with disabilities.”
The accessibility of YouTube has been a concern among the disability community, especially among people who are deaf and hard of hearing. According to a Yahoo article on the topic, an employee of Google and a person with a disability advocated to achieve accessibility of the website for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
“One of the chief advocates for captioning capability at YouTube has been Vint Cerf, the Google vice president who has been described as the "Father of the Internet”. Cerf, who is hearing impaired and has been wearing hearing aids since the age of 13, made a personal appearance at the unveiling of the YouTube auto-caption features at Google's Washington offices in November”.-Yahoo, Washington (AFP)
Although there have been significant gains in making YouTube more accessible, there are still limitations. Currently, the auto-captioning service is only available in English. Also, there is a long queue to have videos that currently exist on the website captioned. Google has developed a step-by-step process on how to caption new videos posted to the website: http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=100077
With the auto-captioning service now available on YouTube, doors are opening to increase the accessibility of the Internet for people with disabilities.
Have you used the YouTube auto-captioning function? If so, how well did it work? Can you think of other websites that should follow YouTube’s example? How can Google work to further improve YouTube for people with disabilities?
Written by LaCandice McCray, CFILC
California's Forum on Assistive Technology
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Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Welcome to the AT Blog!
Welcome to the AT Network’s new AT Blog! The blog is designed not only to keep you updated on the latest assistive technology news from around California, it is also a forum for you to have your say and connect with others. We’ll detail the many ways you can plug in to the AT Blog, but first a little background and a few introductions.
Last year the Department of Rehabilitation combined California’s AT Network and the California Assistive Technology Exchange (CATE) under one contractor. Previously the two programs were run by two separate contractors. California State University Northridge (CSUN) managed the CATE program and the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) operated the AT Network’s statewide hub from 2006-2009. The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) is proud and humbled to be the organization selected to run both of these programs.
We are very excited to be building on the good work of two fine organizations, and we are actively working to maintain program components that AT Network members have come to rely on. In addition, as we continue to integrate the AT Network and CATE programs, we plan to keep you updated each step of the way through posts to the AT Blog.
And you get to be a part of the process by taking part in the AT Blog, where we will be discussing a variety of AT-related issues that will include AT success stories, new devices, AT policy, device recycling, and AT funding at the state, organizational and individual levels. Feel free to comment on a post or respond to others who have made a comment. You make the conversation dynamic by sharing your perspective. CFILC Staff will contribute posts, and we invite AT Network members and others to submit posts as well. Guest post guidelines will be posted soon.
New posts will be added to the AT Blog at least once a week, and sometimes even more frequently. What assistive technology topics would you like to see covered on the AT Blog? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
Written by Kim Cantrell, CFILC
Last year the Department of Rehabilitation combined California’s AT Network and the California Assistive Technology Exchange (CATE) under one contractor. Previously the two programs were run by two separate contractors. California State University Northridge (CSUN) managed the CATE program and the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) operated the AT Network’s statewide hub from 2006-2009. The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) is proud and humbled to be the organization selected to run both of these programs.
We are very excited to be building on the good work of two fine organizations, and we are actively working to maintain program components that AT Network members have come to rely on. In addition, as we continue to integrate the AT Network and CATE programs, we plan to keep you updated each step of the way through posts to the AT Blog.
And you get to be a part of the process by taking part in the AT Blog, where we will be discussing a variety of AT-related issues that will include AT success stories, new devices, AT policy, device recycling, and AT funding at the state, organizational and individual levels. Feel free to comment on a post or respond to others who have made a comment. You make the conversation dynamic by sharing your perspective. CFILC Staff will contribute posts, and we invite AT Network members and others to submit posts as well. Guest post guidelines will be posted soon.
New posts will be added to the AT Blog at least once a week, and sometimes even more frequently. What assistive technology topics would you like to see covered on the AT Blog? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
Written by Kim Cantrell, CFILC