[Blindtlk] Audio Description

[Michelle Medina]

So my question is HOW do I access this?
I'll phone into Newsline and it'll tell me that something is audio
described, but according to my family I don't have the button required
on my TV, or cable box to gain access. So do I need to buy some
special TV and if so where would I obtain it?

On 6/15/12, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>
> Beginning July 1, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, plus the
> top five cable networks will begin providing
> audio descriptions of some of their programming
> for blind or sight-impaired viewers. The shows to
> be described range from ABC's Modern Family to
> CBS's NCIS to Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer to USA's Royal Pains.
>
> For now, stations in the top 25 markets and cable
> systems with 50,000 or more subs will be required
> to offer about four hours a week of the new
> service. The number of stations and hours will gradually increase.
>
> Starting July 1, the country’s 21.5 million
> visually impaired people will be able to enjoy TV more than ever before.
>
> On that day, the Big Four broadcast networks and
> the top five-rated cable networks will begin
> offering four hours a week of so-called video
> descriptions that clue in blind and partially
> sighted viewers on what's going on when the
> characters aren't talking. The descriptions,
> audible only to viewers who want them to be
> audible, are squeezed in between the dialog.
>
> Video descriptions have been part of
> broadcasting, cable, home video, but never to the
> extent on TV as they will be beginning next month.
>
> It's not altruism driving the surge in
> descriptions. They were mandated by Congress in
> the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.
>
> According to the FCC's implementing rules, the
> Big Four O&Os and affiliates in the top 25
> markets will have to air 50 hours each quarter ­
> or roughly four hours a week ­ of described programming.
>
> Cable and satellite systems with at least 50,000
> subscribers have to offer the same amount of
> described programming for the top five-rated
> cable networks ­ currently Disney, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT and USA.
>
> And with just weeks to go before the deadline,
> the described programming plans of nine affected networks are shaping up.
>
> ABC’s plan is to provide descriptions on some of
> its Tuesday and Wednesday shows. This summer,
> those shows include sitcoms Last Man Standing,
> The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, Happy
> Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23.
>
> In the fall, ABC will likely include most of
> those shows and new sitcom The Neighbors and new drama Nashville.
>
> CBS has been providing audio descriptions for
> several programs since 2002. The lineup is CSI,
> Criminal Minds, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, plus movies and miniseries.
>
> NBC has broadcast a slew of shows with
> descriptions, including the Betty White reality
> show Off Their Rockers, drama Grimm and the
> summer series Saving Hope. Described sitcoms
> include The Office, Up All Night and Parks and Recreation.
>
> At Fox, The Simpsons has been audio described for
> several years. Beyond the animated sitcom, Fox
> isn't prepared to say what it would be offering.
>
> Disney Channel's described shows will include hit
> sitcoms Jessie, A.N.T. Farm and the animated Phineas and Ferb.
>
> Nickelodeon will offer descriptions for some of
> its biggest hits, like the long-running animated
> Dora the Explorer and preschool educational show Team Umizoomi.
>
> Turner Broadcasting will have described movies as
> well as TV series. Among the series: TNT’s The
> Closer and TBS’s Tyler Perry comedies House of Payne and For Better or
> Worse.
>
> USA’s described programs will include off-network
> shows NCIS and Law & Order: SVU, plus originals like Royal Pains and Suits.
>
> “My hope is that more and more networks will
> embrace these accessibility initiatives,” says
> Joel Snyder, president of Audio Description
> Associates. He serves as director of the American
> Council of the Blind’s audio description project and is an adviser to the
> FCC.
>
> “If they do it right, they'll find ways to make
> money from it. If they make their shows
> accessible to these folks, there is a bigger
> market for advertisers to sell their products.”
>
> For the most part, video-described programs won't
> include live shows or news. The networks, which
> are providing most of this content to their
> affiliates, need time to write description scripts for voice artists to
> record.
>
> “It takes longer to get that done than closed
> captioning,” says one network executive. “It also
> requires us to look at how our post-production
> schedules are set up. We have to work very
> closely with the folks at the post-production
> houses to make sure we get the programming to our
> vendors with sufficient time to get the video description correct.”
>
> Producing the descriptions costs between $2,000 to $4,000 per hour.
>
> The networks and some associations for the blind
> are helping to ensure that people with vision
> problems know that descriptions are coming.
>
> “It’s great for the networks to comply, but
> what’s more important is getting the information
> out to folks,” says Helena Berger, EVP-COO of the
> American Association of People with Disabilities.
> She is also a member of Comcast-NBCUniversal’s joint diversity council.
>
> “What we can do on our end at AAPD is to use our
> communication channels, like our newsletter, our
> website and social media to get the word out to the community.”
>
> Some of the networks are creating logos and audio
> tones so that people with vision problems know
> when a program has audio descriptions. So far,
> there isn't an industry standard.
>
> And TV listing providers like Tribune Media
> Services will provide data to programming
> services to let them know if a program is
> audio-described. Then, it’s up to individual
> cable systems to add symbols or sounds to their on-screen listings.
>
> These described programs are the culmination of a
> 12-year battle by the FCC and groups such as the
> Audio Description Institute. They thought they
> had won the battle in 2000 when the FCC adopted
> rules similar to the 2010 act, but a court agreed
> with broadcasters that the agency had overstepped its authority.
>
> Now backed by law, the new FCC rules gradually
> expand the description obligations to other TV
> stations. By July 1, 2015, major network
> affiliates in the top 60 markets will have to
> broadcast the descriptions. The FCC may require
> additional stations to air descriptions at a rate
> of 10 markets a year if it deems the cost is reasonable.
>
> According to broadcasters, it costs stations
> anywhere from $10,000 and $25,000 to install the
> gear necessary to handle the extra audio channel.
>
> Just because someone has a disability doesn't
> mean they don't want to be included in life,”
> says Debra Ruh, chief marketing officer at SSB
> Bart Group, a firm that helps companies make
> their computer services and websites fully
> compliant and accessible to people with
> disabilities. “Part of participating in life is
> being able to experience television. TV is a very
> important part of our culture.”
>
>
>
>
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