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Media Access, Winter 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.

Media Access is made possible in part by a generous contribution from BellSouth.


Captions and Descriptions Are Going Places!

As they waited for the show to begin in the Charles Hayden Planetarium, the students from the Horace Mann School were excited to be away from their classrooms for the morning. They didn't know yet that history was being made. As the show began, the students saw something even more exciting than the thousands of stars that began to populate the dome. Captions appeared on special monitors in front of their seats! For the first time, the students, all of whom were deaf or hard of hearing, were able to follow a planetarium show along with the rest of the audience.

Last June with NCAM's help, Boston's Museum of Science installed a system that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing planetarium patrons to watch captions, without displaying them to the entire audience. Special software reads caption files and synchronizes them to the program. The captions are displayed on portable electronic text displays which can be mounted at several locations throughout the theater. It is the world's first planetarium captioning system of its kind.

Within the past year, NCAM has assisted numerous theaters to make their sites a little more accessible. One popular enhancement has been the patented Rear Window (tm) captioning system, which was developed by WGBH and Boston inventor Rufus Butler Seder as part of the Motion Picture Access Project. The Rear Window system provides mirror-reversed captions on a large display panel in the rear of an auditorium. The patron uses a transparent plastic panel to reflect the captions and position them so that they appear superimposed over the movie image. Caption data are fed to the display by a computer that synchronizes caption files to the rolling film.

In 1994, the Langley Theater at the National Air and Space Museum became the first to install the Rear Window system. Since then, several other specialty theaters have followed its example, including the Entergy Imax (R) Theatre in New Orleans, and the Imax 3D Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.

"I believe it is a tremendous advantage to a theater to offer the Rear Window system," remarks Carson Malone of the Tennessee Aquarium. "Our guests who have used it have been thrilled that we went the extra mile to make such access possible."

These media access successes are not restricted to captions. Descriptive Video Service has been providing audio description for large-format films since 1992. In a few short years, the number of theaters which provide DVS has grown to six, and the number of described 70mm films has increased significantly. Describers face the formidable challenge of making an extremely visual medium meaningful to blind audiences.

Rabih Daou from Boston, Massachusetts had the opportunity to watch Special Effects with description at the Mugar Omni Theater and had high praise for DVS's work. Recalling a scene in which a lion attacks a hunter, Daou raved, "The description was absolutely perfect. You could practically feel yourself right there." He emphasizes the importance of descriptions in providing cultural access and equity: "After seeing Special Effects with description, I was able to discuss it confidently with my wife and other people at work."

Awareness of and attention to accessibility appears to be on the rise. "People are keeping access in mind as they construct new theaters or plan renovations," observes Judith Navoy, manager of the Motion Picture Access Project.

Imax Corporation, the largest producer of 70mm films, underscored its commitment to access by agreeing to caption and describe every new film it produces.

While deaf and blind consumers are enjoying increased access to specialty venues, the question for many is when will they have access to Hollywood movies? If we look to trends, the forecast is optimistic.

Closed captioned movies on home video have been available for many years and the number of available titles is steadily increasing. Home videos with description, previously only available by special order from DVS Home Video (R) or through libraries, are now available in select Blockbuster video stores. And some of the best films of yesteryear are now available to visually impaired audiences thanks to Turner Classic Movies which, with the support of the U.S. Department of Education, is bringing described classics to cable TV.

In the meantime, NCAM's Motion Picture Access Project, with funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, continues to work with studios and exhibitors to bring captions and descriptions to a movie theater near you. Interest from the movie industry is increasing and momentum among deaf and blind consumers continues to grow. Look for a report in the next issue of Media Access.


Web Access Efforts Continue

The World Wide Web is a place for Internet users to go for information on virtually any subject imaginable. Part of a collaborative effort that includes Web access advocates and technology experts world-wide, NCAM's Web Access Project is researching ways to make Web pages accessible to those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, or visually impaired. The Project is made possible with support from the Telecommunications Funding Partnership for People with Disabilities and The Boston Foundation. Activities so far include developing methods to provide captions and audio descriptions on QuickTime (tm) movie clips, and creating and disseminating the Web Access Symbol, which denotes that a site incorporates accessibility features. To date, the Web Access Symbol has been adopted by more than 85 Web sites!

While NCAM is working to make the Web as a whole more accessible, in 1997 the Web Access Project will target sites maintained by public broadcasting affiliates. Nearly all PBS stations have Web sites, and many are putting their lifelong learning services on-line. The potential is tremendous for these sites to be convenient and affordable sources of lifelong learning. The challenge is to ensure that they convey useful information to people with disabilities, who may stand to benefit from them the most.

"We at PBS feel strongly that Web accessibility should be a national priority in keeping with our mission to serve all Americans through support of public media," explains Cindy Johanson, Managing Editor of the PBS Internet Publishing Group.

Throughout the year, NCAM will work with PBS webmasters and technology experts to evaluate sites, analyze content, and develop techniques to help PBS stations implement access features easily and efficiently. This phase of the Web Access Project will be funded by the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce.


In Other Media Access News

- NCAM's Web Access Project (see story above) was selected from a field of more than 900 entries as a finalist for a 1996 NII Award in the category of Public Access. Award winners were announced and honored at a gala ceremony and dinner in New York City on December 3.

- Descriptive Video Service was honored at the 15th annual Media Access Awards hosted by the California Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. DVS was the first-ever recipient in the newly created category, "Access Through Technology." The award was presented on October 29 at at the Universal City Hilton and Towers.

- The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute of San Francisco has undertaken an informal study as to whether people who are deaf-blind would benefit from a combined script of both closed captions and audio description to give them access to TV programs. The script would be made available as either a braille or electronic document. NCAM is providing caption and description files for the study. No results are available yet.

- The Caption Center's Director of Systems Development, Brad Botkin, is chairing the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers' (SMPTE) Working Group under Multimedia for Captioning and Subtitles. The Group is charged with developing a non-proprietary data interchange standard for delivery of subtitle/caption data, thus assuring a consistent delivery format targeting advanced technologies.


Captioning Project Creates New Tools for Teachers

NCAM staff and a research team from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf recently completed a three-year project which explored new ways that students can learn when they use video as a stimulus and a do-it-yourself captioning system as a writing tool. Six different schools--three for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and three for students with learning disabilities--incorporated captioning activities into their curriculum. Project staff documented learning outcomes for the students and examined factors that contributed to the success of captioning technology in the classroom. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Most students had captioning workstations in their classrooms, consisting of a VCR and monitor for playing video, a computer and simple word processing software for writing captions, a character generator to combine text with video, and a second VCR for recording the video with captions. Teachers designed their own captioning activities.

"The teachers taught us so much about how video can stimulate students to write and think, help them remember what they've learned, and motivate them to be truly engaged in learning," remarks project director Mardi Loeterman.

Sheila Donahue, a teacher at the Reingold Elementary School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was thrilled with the way that captioning enhanced her social studies class. "The overall result of this project was exactly what I was hoping for. The children have mastered and retained most--if not all--of the content vocabulary and factual information. The activity complemented my social studies unit on Mesa Verde and the children really seemed to enjoy doing it." She adds, "This ties in 100% to my curriculum. I am doing nothing different... except that I have this lovely piece of equipment as a supplemental activity."

A final report on the Personal Captioning Project will be available in Spring 1997. In the meantime, here are a few of our findings:

- The ability to make their own captioned videotapes--to show in class or take home--was highly motivating for students.

- Students spent significantly more time writing and editing when they were captioning than when they wrote for other purposes.

- Captioning their own videos gave deaf students a novel and exciting way to communicate with others.

- Students remembered content better when their lessons included caption-related activities.

- Captioning triggered word retrieval and helped students learn new vocabulary. It also provided an interesting place to use new words in context.

- When students captioned from their native language into English, they internalized rules of English grammar and learned new English vocabulary.

- The captioning process compelled students to participate actively in assigments. It also encouraged them to evaluate their work.

- Teachers were able to integrate activities involving captioning technology into all parts of the curriculum, from kindergarten through middle school. High school students benefited from using the technology as well.

The Personal Captioning Project has produced several materials to empower teachers to add captioning activities to their curriculum. Call NCAM at 617/300-3400 for details.

QuickCaption (tm) for Word (tm) is student-friendly captioning software that runs with Microsoft (R) Word for Windows (R). With one keystroke, students can put their text instantly onto video as captions. QuickCaption for Word is available from Universal Learning Technology at 508/538-0036 (voice) or 508/538-3110 (TTY).

Captioning Kids! is a 30-minute videotape which demonstrates captioning activities in three classrooms. Students and teachers help narrate these stories.

Writing with Video: An Idea Book for Captioning in the Classroom is a guide for those who are considering using captioning in the classroom, or for those who already have captioning software. The 16-page handbook includes practical information, tips, photographs and "screen shots" of videotapes captioned by students.


More Food for Thought...

Success Stories: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students Learning with Technology and Media is a 20-page booklet that highlights innovative ways that educators are using technology and media with deaf students. Success Stories was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and is available through the Gallaudet University Bookstore 202/651-5380 (voice/TTY).


From the Director

For NCAM, the news out of Washington over the past few months hasn't just been about electoral politics. A number of Federal agencies (such as the FCC and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board) are grappling with the impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on people with disabilities. The process of turning Congress's intent into ongoing practices has begun.

As we go to press, the FCC is about to announce its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Video Programming Accessibility. The NPRM will suggest how captioning mandates should be put into place, over what period of time, and what exemptions should be allowed. The public and affected parties will then have eight months to comment before the Final Report & Order is announced next August. Contact NCAM if you want the latest information on this big development.

Also out of Washington is the news that the National Science Foundation has awarded NCAM a three-year grant to study how CD-ROM-based multimedia can be made accessible to blind and visually impaired students. See the story below for details on this exciting project.

And finally, this fall brought the kind of news that we can only be humbly grateful for: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has extended its support for NCAM for a third year. This substantial grant in the midst of serious budget pressures throughout public broadcasting has greater meaning this year than ever before.

"Thank you!" to the staff and leadership of CPB from all of us at NCAM and from our friends and colleagues and the tens of millions of people who are served by more accessible media in all its forms.


Equal Opportunity Through Accessible CD-ROMs

CD-ROMs are currently the most widely used form of multimedia in schools and it is predicted that their use, particularly in the field of science, will continue to grow. In fact, more than 18,000 science teachers across the nation use CD-ROMs as part of their curriculum. Yet for visually impaired students, the graphical user interface, a standard feature of many CD-ROMs, is virtually inaccessible.

Considerable progress has been made toward developing access technologies, such as screen readers and speech synthesizers, that turn information into a form that is accessible to all users. However, no single piece of technology works with every product and some products have barriers that cannot be overcome by any access technology. Consequently, there may always be a gap between the information available to the sighted user and that which is available to the blind user.

NCAM is trying to close that gap through a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. The CD-ROM Access Project is developing guidelines which will show publishers how to build access into their products and help educators make purchase decisions. The project will also demonstrate practical solutions by creating a model accessible CD-ROM.

"Whether the problem is accessing the tools of science, mathematics, and engineering, or interpreting information presented through icons, video, and animation, the objective is to provide developers with techniques to address these barriers during the design phase," explains advisor Brian Charlson of the Carroll Center.

"The ultimate goal," adds project coordinator Tom Wlodkowski, "is to ensure that blind and visually impaired students have access to the information they need in order to compete academically and vocationally with their peers."

Thank you!

Major support for NCAM's projects and activities is provided by

Additional support is provided by


For more information on NCAM's projects or activities, please call 617/300-3400 (voice/TTY) or write to us at: CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media, WGBH Educational Foundation, 125 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134. Send e-mail to us at NCAM@wgbh.org.

NCAM's Business Partnership
Producing Access Solutions Together


Recently, Siemens Corporation called NCAM to ask for assistance in making its products accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. The company also wants to ensure that both its product information and customer service center are accessible to everyone. After learning about NCAM's extensive media access consulting services and the many other benefits of membership, Siemens became an NCAM Business Partner.

Corporate America is realizing that including access technology in its public media products makes good business sense. Company executives also recognize that NCAM is a valuable partner in their work to accomplish product accessibility.

More than thirty national, high technology companies have become members of the NCAM Business Partnership, investing funds that enable us to develop new systems and technologies so that disabled citizens can work, learn and enjoy life to the fullest. In addition, these companies are partnering actively with NCAM to find practical ways to make their computers, home electronics, multimedia, telecommunications services and Web sites more accessible.

NCAM would like to thank the following new Business Partners for their financial support and innovative work in the field of media access. Consider their stories and you'll see that these national and world leaders in high technology believe that media access is important and that working with NCAM produces practical access solutions!

The premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services in the mid-Atlantic region, Bell Atlantic Corporation is committed to leveraging its technological, financial and human resources to produce positive change in education for students and teachers. Bell Atlantic's educational initiatives include Internet access for schools, online school libraries and interactive distance learning. Referring to its NetDay activities to wire public schools for Internet access, Bell Atlantic Chairman Ray Smith observed, "We simply cannot stand by and see our children do without the pens and pencils, slates and boards of the 21st century. Computers and Internet access are no longer luxuries, they are essential to the learning process." Find out more about Bell Atlantic's educational programs at its Web site: http://www.bell-atl.com.

General Electric Company is a diversified technology, manufacturing and services company, ranking #1 among U.S. electronics firms. GE has an important stake in media access through its ownership of the NBC television network and the CNBC cable news and information service. GE also recently partnered with Microsoft Corporation to build MSNBC, an all-new cable television channel with an accompanying interactive Web site, placing GE in the forefront of the coming convergence of TV and the computer. Find out more about GE and its media companies at its Web site: http://www.ge.com.

IBM Corporation develops products and services in personal computing, networking, multimedia, micro-electronics and servers. IBM's vision is one of all people--teachers, parents, various associations, advocacy groups, governments, the medical community, and people with disabilities--working together to use technology to open doors to achievement and independence. Under the Independence Series trademark, IBM Special Needs Solutions has developed a number of assistive devices and software tools that make the computer more accessible and friendly to people with vision, hearing, speech and attention/memory disabilities. The mission of this group is to provide IBM technology, research and products which will enhance the employability and quality of life of people with disabilities. These products include everything from interactive speech and cognitive therapy tools, to screen access software and keyboard access utilities, to screen enlargement programs. For more information on IBM's Special Needs Solutions, connect with its Web site: http://www.ibm.com/sns.

A wholly owned subsidiary of the IBM Corporation, Lotus Development Corporation offers high quality software products and support services that reflect the company's understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses must work together to achieve success. Lotus' innovative approach is evident in a new class of applications that allow information to be accessed and communicated in ways never before possible, both within and beyond organizational boundaries. As part of its effort to reach beyond normal boundaries, Lotus has actively sought out projects through which innovative applications of technology can be brought to schools, community agencies and networks. Examples include Massachusetts NetDay, organized to mobilize volunteers to wire schools for networks and Internet access, and New England Index, an Internet-based collaborative project among disabilities agencies throughout New England. Find out more about these and other projects at the Lotus Web site: http://www.lotus.com.

The first consumer electronics company to fund the Descriptive Video Service® (DVS®) and its descriptions accessing public television broadcasts for blind and visually impaired television audiences, Matsushita Consumer Electronics Company (MCEC) remains the longest-standing supporter of DVS. MCEC is the largest division of the Matsushita Electronics Corporation of America which markets a broad line of consumer electronics, telecommunications, and home appliance products under the Panasonic, Technics and Quasar brand names. MCEC has also partnered with NCAM in redesigning Panasonic VCRs to make them more accessible to blind and visually impaired consumers. The modification entailed designing a raised tactile dot for the SAP button of the VCR remote control and establishing universal placement of the SAP button on all Panasonic and Quasar model remotes. Matsushita is also involved in a joint venture project which is developing software to be used in a computerized speech-training system designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. To learn more about Matsushita, visit its Web site at:
http://www.panasonic.com.

A leading provider of long distance communication services, MCI Telecommunications also creates services for customers around the world that help them communicate better; receive, process and act upon information faster; and obtain mission-critical content more conveniently. MCI's strategy is to further develop its core long distance business and build alliances in contiguous markets for services that include local calling, paging, wireless, cellular, direct broadcast satellite and Internet transport and content. These alliances have developed projects such as MCI LibraryLINK, a collaboration with the American Library Association to upgrade the technological capabilities of national public libraries using communication technology to link local libraries and communities with the vast resources of the Internet. Also, through the support of MCI, the American Foundation for the Blind's unique collection of reference material is available to anyone with access to a computer and modem. Learn more about MCI's products and services at its Web site: http://www.mci.com.

Extending the use of multimedia to disabled students so they can have equal educational opportunities is a vital part of the publishing goals of Houghton Mifflin Company. The company is a leading publisher of textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for the elementary and secondary school and college markets, as well as an extensive line of reference publications, multimedia, and fiction and non-fiction for adults and young readers. Houghton Mifflin's publishing history spans more than 160 years, and features such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Winston Churchill and Rachel Carson. Educational publishing, children's books, software and testing have been built upon this strong foundation laid so many years ago. Most recently, the company created its award-winning Web site Education Place, which offers K-8 instructional materials and games, resource links and useful information on the Internet and World Wide Web. Learn more about Houghton Mifflin Company and link to Education Place at its Web site: http://www.hmco.com.

Microsoft Corporation is committed to making computers easier for everyone to use and the accessibility features in the Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Windows NT&tm; 4.0 operating systems are a significant step in support of that goal. Microsoft developed them in cooperation with users who have disabilities, organizations representing people with disabilities, workers in the rehabilitation field, and independent software and hardware vendors who create products for this market. These features expand on the accessibility that Microsoft has made available for the Windows® 3.1, Windows NT&tm; Workstation and MS-DOS® operating systems. Microsoft recognizes that jobs and careers are increasingly dependent upon the ability to use a PC and finds it crucial that computers provide full accessibility to all potential users. In support of universal access, Microsoft has expanded its range of activities from the development of new technology to the mainstreaming of access features into Windows 95 as well as working with the industry to identify key issues, develop new standards and facilitate the broad creation of accessibility products with high function and low cost. Learn more about Microsoft and its access efforts at its Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enable.

Part of the Pacific Telesis Group, Pacific Bell provides a single source for the telecommunications needs of over 23 million people in California, from local telephone services, to advanced networks for business, to interactive videodiscs to wireless capabilities. As part of its commitment to the communities that it serves, Pacific Bell invests its resources in a variety of educational, cultural and community-based programs that provide educational outreach, training, staff development and hardware/software components. One program is Technology for Results in Elementary Education, in which Pacific Bell is active in developing and funding a test site for a new technology-based reading skills curriculum designed for at-risk kindergarten children in the Los Angeles area. Pacific Bell's homesite can be found at http://www.pacbell.com.

Utilizing a founding principle, "The Network is the Computer&tm;," Sun Microsystems, Inc. is positioning itself as one of the world's leading providers of intranet--enterprise-wide network computing--solutions and industry-leading Internet technologies. The dedication to network computing has made Sun's hardware, software, and services the choice of leading companies worldwide--in manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, and many other industries where network computing is used. Accessibility is important to Sun because it makes products even more usable, a benefit to all. To better enable people with disabilities to use Sun products, the company's goal is to build accessibility support into its product lines. In addition, Sun provides its network computing expertise to the community at large through programs such as Open

Gateways. This program is a multi-pronged approach to providing K-12 teachers and students with access to the Internet and to building wide-area networks (WANs) in and between schools. Find out more about Sun's products, services and community efforts at http://www.sun.com.


Become an NCAM Business Partner now and receive:

Membership in the NCAM Business Partnership begins at just $2,500 and includes all the basic benefits. Please call Jennifer Gormley at 617/492-2777, ext. 2454 or e-mail Jennifer_Gormley@wgbh.org for a complete package of information or to enroll as a member and begin your company's Access Check-Up. It's a great way to ascertain your products' accessibility and determine the most efficient ways to implement cutting-edge access systems and technologies.


NCAM would also like to thank the following new Business Partners:

Ameritech is the third largest regional Bell operating company providing local and cellular telecommunication services and is developing long distance, paging, and wireless data communications for much of the U.S. and Europe. http://www.ameritech.com

CompuServe is a global leader in online communication and information for businesses and individuals. Its online service has provided millions of subscribers with a wide range of content for more than 25 years. http://www.compuserve.com

Data General Corporation is an open systems company specializing in servers, storage products and services for information systems users worldwide. It also manufactures the DataGenie line of hand-held computers. http://www.dg.com

Integrated Media, Inc. is a leader in strategic interactive marketing communication. Integrated Media's products and services include interface and Web site design, CD-ROMs, disk brochures, kiosks and custom software. http://www.integratedmedia.com

MathSoft, a leading provider of knowledge discovery software, develops, markets and supports technical calculation, data analysis and communication software tools for technical professionals, researchers, educators and students. http://www.mathsoft.com

The MathWorks, Inc. develops and markets interactive engineering and scientific software products, specializing in providing high-performance numeric computation and graphics in an easy-to-use environment. http://www.mathworks.com

NCR is dedicated to being a world-class provider of computer products, services and solutions to customers in the retail, financial and communications industries. http://www.ncr.com

Siemens Wireless Terminals, a division of Siemens Rolm Communications, Inc., is developing a new product line of digital cellular telephones with the goal of making them universally accessible. http://www.siemens-wireless.com

Thunder House is an interactive agency focused on the smart use of interactive technologies to do business in new ways, providing its clients with effective strategies for online business and marketing. http://www.thunderhouse.com

The Weber Group is dedicated to exploring new methods of communication that enable clients to effectively reach and influence audiences, emphasizing the impact today's technology can have on communications. http://www.webergroup.com


NCAM is also grateful to the following Business Partners for their investment in our work to achieve media access equality:

In the next issue of Priority Access, we will feature profiles of the following companies which recently became NCAM Business Partners:


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