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Media Access, Fall 1997

The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) is a research and development facility dedicated to making media accessible to disabled people in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities.

NCAM and its sister organizations, The Caption Center and Descriptive Video Service (DVS), make up the Media Access department of the WGBH Educational Foundation.


Accessible Disney Magic

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are enjoying increased access to the "happiest place on earth" thanks to efforts by the Walt Disney World Resort to expand its services for this population. One recent addition is the Rear Window (TM) captioning system, which was developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder as part of NCAM's Motion Picture Access Project.

Disney began exploring ways of providing closed captioning in 1993. The elaborate nature of Disney's audiovisual presentations makes open captioning difficult. Designers also felt that a prominent caption display would detract from the illusion which is essential to many of the performances. The Rear Window system offered Disney an effective and unobtrusive solution.

Disney World installed its first Rear Window system in the Hall of Presidents in June 1996--just in time for Self Help for Hard-of-Hearing People's annual convention, held in Orlando that year. The response was extremely favorable and installations at EPCOT, Disney-MGM Studios, and Disneyland quickly followed. Disney expects to offer the system at as many as 20 sites by the end of the year.

The complexity and variety of Disney's attractions have presented numerous challenges. Whereas the Rear Window system was originally intended for use in movie theaters, Disney's attractions include talking animatronics, 360-degree films, and theaters that move! Disney's "Imagineers" worked closely with NCAM to devise innovative solutions.

"We're very impressed with Disney's efforts," remarks NCAM director Larry Goldberg. "They have clearly brought the same degree of imagination and technical sophistication that characterize their attractions to their search for captioning solutions."

Other services include interpreters at shows and rides on a rotating basis and at specified attractions with advance notice; assistive listening systems and written transcripts for most attractions; and captions on video monitors that can be activated with hand-held devices. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons may also ride or view attractions a second time without queuing to catch anything they may have missed.

"Disney's parks have always been at the forefront of accommodating guests with disabilities," said Al Weiss, president of the Walt Disney World Resort. "We have improved our existing services and developed a program that we hope will serve as an example for others."


The Man Behind the Effort

Jerry Aldrich is director of Facilities and Attractions Regulatory Compliance for Walt Disney World Co. Like all Disney management, during the busy season he trades his administrative job to work in the park itself as a host or food vendor. After more than 26 years, his enthusiasm and love of Disney's parks remain high.

Aldrich recently took NCAM's Larry Goldberg and Judith Navoy on a tour of Disneyland. While strolling the park, Aldrich stopped frequently to point someone in the right direction or answer questions about an attraction. He also made detailed notes on ideas to improve the park and enhance the overall experience for guests.

In the queue for the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, Aldrich began conversing with a young boy who was breathlessly relating tales of Indiana's adventures to his parents. Following the ride, Aldrich lingered to catch the boy's reaction. With a big smile on his face, the boy enthused about the ride's hairpin turns, sudden drops and creepy surprises.

"That's what it's all about," explains Aldrich. "By improving and expanding our guest services, we hope to be able to give everyone that kind of experience."


Will Advanced Television Be Accessible Television?

You may not have noticed it yet, but the transition to a new generation of American television has begun. Advanced Television (ATV), also known as Digital Television, will dramatically change TV technology within the next few years. ATV is a complete re-design of North America's television service and will feature a sharper picture, an aspect ratio resembling that of a wide-screen movie, multiple CD-quality audio channels, and ancillary data services that will enable your TV to work like a computer.

While there is still much uncertainty surrounding ATV, the Federal Communications Commission recently announced an aggressive implementation schedule. Each broadcaster has been issued a second channel for digital broadcast. Network affiliates in the top 10 markets will begin broadcasting digital signals by November 1998. The top 30 markets will follow in May 1999, and all other stations will be broadcasting digital signals by 2003. At first, broadcasters will continue to air both digital and analog signals. However, the analog channels are expected to ultimately go dark--perhaps as early as 2006--which means that all viewers will eventually need to buy new TV sets.


But what does Advanced Television mean for captioning and video description?

The potential to enhance these services within ATV is tremendous. ATV's increased bandwidth will make new caption features possible, such as multiple text streams (enabling viewers to choose different reading levels or languages), a wider range of character sizes, fonts, and colors, and increased flexibility regarding caption placement. ATV's increased audio capacity has the potential to expand services, allowing for simultaneous description and language tracks. Descriptions may also be delivered as a full stereo or 5.1 channel surround sound mix.

However, if attention is not paid to these issues during this critical design and implementation phase, captions and descriptions could take a step into the past rather than the future. That's why NCAM and its sister departments are addressing the needs of viewers who rely on these services.

NCAM and The Caption Center are members of the ATV Closed Captioning Working Group, which was created in 1993 to develop a captioning specification for ATV that will best serve caption viewers. The Group operates under the aegis of the Electronic Industries Association's Television Data Systems Subcommittee, with key activities funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The Group has created a draft captioning standard as well as a list of suggested "minimum features" which will serve as a guide for receiver manufacturers. Caption users have contributed to the process through focus groups and interviews.

WGBH's Descriptive Video Service (DVS) participates on the Advanced Television Systems Committee's Implementation Subcommittee, which is designing guidelines and recommended practices for broadcasters and consumer equipment manufacturers. DVS is also a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers' Working Group that is developing standards for delivery of digital services.

These efforts will ensure that, in the quest for Advanced Television, captions and descriptions are not left behind.

In Other Media Access News

The Caption Center Celebrates 25th Anniversary

This year The Caption Center celebrates its 25th anniversary, which means 25 years of pioneering access to television for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.

Thanks to The Caption Center's relentless efforts, captioned programming has grown from one show on PBS in 1972 to an abundance of captioned shows on both public and commercial television. Today, captions are available on virtually 100% of prime-time broadcast network programming, most national news shows, broadcasts of major sporting events, numerous home videos, and an increasing number of cable television programs, children's programs, syndicated shows, music videos, and local newscasts. Caption costs are shared among program producers, corporate and network sponsors, and the U.S. Department of Education.

The Caption Center remains the captioning industry's most innovative leader. Not only has The Caption Center introduced numerous "firsts" over the past 25 years--including the first captioned television program and the first captioned national news broadcast--but it continues to have a tremendous influence on the evolution of captioning. The Caption Center helped draft the TV Decoder Circuitry Act, which revolutionized the way that viewers receive captions and increased their availability. Through its participation on the Electronic Industries Association's Television Data Systems Subcommittee, The Caption Center has contributed to several key advancements in caption technology and is guiding the development of a captioning standard for Advanced Television (see story above). The Caption Center also participates on a Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers' (SMPTE) Working Group that is addressing issues related to captions and subtitles for multimedia.

It is this tradition of leadership that led to the creation of NCAM in 1993, allowing WGBH to increase its research and development efforts in the field of media access. Together, NCAM and The Caption Center are working to ensure that as television evolves and new media emerge, captioning will keep pace. The results of these efforts are everywhere. In addition to the increasing availability of captions on TV and home videos, captions are turning up on CD-ROMs, DVDs, and the World Wide Web.

The Caption Center has already left its mark on history, but continues to look to the future.

"The Caption Center and WGBH set ambitious goals for access long before the ADA heightened awareness about the needs of millions of people with disabilities," points out Lori Kay, The Caption Center's co-director. "We are proud of our work thus far, and look forward to building on our accomplishments in the years to come."


Web Access Project Broadens Its Reach

NCAM's research into making the World Wide Web more accessible is continuing throughout 1997. With support from the U. S. Department of Commerce's Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS, the Web Access Project is now working with Web sites maintained by public broadcasting affiliates. Four stations--KYNE/Omaha, KQED/San Francisco, WETA/Alexandria, VA, and WGBH/Boston--are working with NCAM and PBS to develop not only accessible Web sites but also a series of access guidelines and resources which will be helpful to public broadcasting affiliates when designing future Web sites.

NCAM recently hosted webmasters and designers from more than 80 Boston-area nonprofit organizations, schools, and companies at its first Web Access Seminar. Web Access Project staff gave two 2-hour presentations on access technologies and design principles, focusing on how to create and maintain accessible Web sites and Web-based multimedia. The presentations included demonstrations of screen readers and text-only Web browsers.

NCAM has also taken its Web Access show on the road, with presentations at CSUN's Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (Los Angeles, CA), the Sixth International World Wide Web Conference (San Jose, CA), Assistive Technology '97 (Boston, MA), and the PBS Annual Meeting (Dallas, TX), and continues to work with business partners such as Disney Online, Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, Microsoft, and MCI to implement solutions and spread the word about the importance of an accessible World Wide Web.

On a broader scale, NCAM is actively supporting the World Wide Web Consortium's new Web Access Initiative (WAI), which is developing and promoting standards for Web accessibility for everyone. Endorsed by the White House, the WAI will develop software protocols and technologies, create accessible design guidelines, educate the industry about accessibility, and conduct research and development. Government and industry leaders, Web developers, content providers, and nonprofit organizations including NCAM will help guide the efforts of the WAI. For more information, check out the WAI Web site at www.w3.org/WAI.


FCC Announces Captioning Mandate

In an open meeting on August 7, 1997, the FCC announced an historic order establishing rules to implement the closed captioning requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Act required the Commission to adopt rules and implementation schedules for captioning of video programming to ensure access by people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

The new rules represent an intricate and difficult compromise between the information and entertainment needs of consumers and the financial concerns of television program distributors and producers. Here are some of the highlights: