For many years, LiveTV has provided connectivity systems and entertainment options aboard aircraft for many different airlines.  The availability of closed captions with its service is significant because LiveTV believes it “is a major step forward in delivering the excitement of inflight entertainment to those passengers with hearing disabilities.”

Continental Airlines will be the first airline to offer this new closed captioning feature.  Passengers onboard the LiveTV-equipped airplanes will be able to individually control the captioning option on over 100 available DirecTV satellite channels.  LiveTV and Continental Airlines should be applauded for taking this great step towards greater accessibility.  Hopefully, additional airlines will begin to take advantage of this service as well.

Having closed captioned content available for passengers aboard an airplane is another great example of how technology is greatly improving accessibility.  Not only can video content be viewed by more people and in more places than ever before, but people with hearing disabilities are not excluded and can enjoy the same entertainment options as everyone else.

Closed captioning has moved from the standard of television to being available with video content online, on video screens and scoreboards at live events, and now in the middle of a flight.  Are there any other areas where you think technology will help improve the availability of accessible media?

VDS specifically includes audible narration about significant visual elements of video content.  By including the description and strategic pauses in between dialogue, people that are visually impaired are able to gain a greater understanding of what is occurring on screen.

The reinstated rules are directed, for the most part, at large-market affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox as well as major cables channels including the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT and USA.  The mandate placed on these stations and affiliates is to provide a minimum of 50 hours of VBS content per quarter of the calendar year.

The possibility of greater and greater amounts of television programming including VBS is certainly an exciting progression for accessibility.  Much like the significance of closed captioning in extending the benefits of the television experience to people that are hard of hearing, VDS marks an important stepping stone in enhancing the experience for the visually impaired community.  In fact, current estimates state that 11 million blind or visually impaired consumers will be positively affected by these video description rules.

According to the reinstated rules, full VDS compliance is required for the listed stations and affiliates by July 1, 2012.  For more information regarding the technical process and other aspects of VDS, read this full-length article from TV Technology.

In short, the FCC must release advanced rules for Internet captioning by January 2012.  All live and near-live programming must have online captions by this same deadline.  A 12 month deadline was also given for edited programming to have captions online by July 2012.

The goal of these deadlines is to ensure that all users can enjoy and benefit from television content played on the Internet.  In fact, the report released this past July states that the “fundamental performance objective is that regardless of how the captioned video is transmitted and decoded, the consumer must be given an experience that is equal to, if not better than, the experience provided as the content was originally aired on television.”

To strive towards this objective, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on September 19, 2011.  Several rules are suggested to help implement the 21^st CVAA and these suggestions are currently open to public comment.  Some of the proposed rules include that video programmers must provide the necessary caption files to the video distributor; the programmer and distributor must ensure that captions will be available to the end viewer; and the quality of captioning on video viewed on the Internet must be no less than the quality of captions available when viewing the same video content on a television set.

As the Internet continues to significantly change how people view media, the new rules for Internet captions will play a tremendous role in providing equal access to everyone.  For decades, the FCC has enforced regulations that provide access for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to content via closed captions on the television set.  Thankfully, the FCC’s deadlines and proposed rules are good start to establishing the same access that has been provided on television sets to be available on content viewed on the Internet.

On June 15, a class-action suit was brought against Time Warner in Alameda, CA. The next day, the National Association of the Deaf filed a civil suit against Netflix in federal court in U.S. District Court in Springfield, MA.

Both suits show that hard-of-hearing individuals continue to fight for equal access to information that hearing people may take for granted.

The suit against Time Warner alleges discrimination against the more than 100,000 hearing impaired people who live in California. The suit says that CNN.com, a subsidiary of TW, is a major source for that content, with daily traffic in the tens of millions of visitors. According to the suit, more than 67 million people visited the site in a single day following the tsunami in Japan. But those with hearing loss missed the full picture, since CNN doesn’t caption its online content.

At any given time, CNN.com is host to hundreds of videos. Some of those appeared on the air fully captioned, but the captions don’t translate to the Internet. Captions can be costly, and analysts say CNN may have skirted the captioning requirements by providing written transcripts for many videos posted on CNN.com. But members of the deaf community say that’s not good enough. The suit alleges that the script often varies from the content of the video, and keeps hearing-impaired people in the dark.

Supporters of online captioning say that all people should have on–demand, 24-hour access to news and information.

Netflix is in the same boat, in trouble with the deaf community for not captioning enough of its streaming, “watch instantly” content. Many of the instant programs are captioned, but more are not. Netflix officials have said since 2009 that they’re trying to work out technical difficulties to get all programming captioned, but viewers are growing increasingly impatient. Supporters of the suit say if some programs can be captioned, they all can, and sooner is better than later.

Captioning advocates say leaving a big portion of the population out of the entertainment loop contributes to the stigma and isolation that already exists for people with a hearing loss.

It is sometimes a struggle to provide captions, but all content providers – whether multinational conglomerates or local mom-and-pop shops – need to weigh the pros and cons of captioning. They need to consider the cost to their reputations when they appear to disregard potential customers who are only asking for basic access.

We’re in the midst of an unstoppable trend toward 24-hour, on-demand, online programming, and providers will eventually have no choice but to get on the boat or miss it entirely. It would be in the best interest of all for content providers to dive into full captioning as quickly as they can. There’s a huge population out here just waiting to become loyal customers.

Not only is the availability of this standard significant because of its importance to producers, but SMPTE’s standard is also crucial to accessibility as video viewing habits continue to undergo drastic changes.  With approximately 240 million Americans using the Internet, it should come as no surprise that the number of Internet users watching video content online is growing exponentially.  Not only is Internet access becoming more and more widespread, but the quality and speed of Internet connections continue to improve for users throughout the country.  Current estimates state that almost 70% of online Americans watch video content via download or a streaming service.  In the next few years, this number will grow to over 75% of Internet users in the United States, which will result in nearly 200 million online viewers.

The dynamic of viewership has certainly shifted in recent years and it is necessary for producers of video content to adapt to this trend.  For this reason, the FCC is currently preparing to issue its final rules regarding online captioning to be included under the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA).  As many anticipate these new rules, the standard made available by SMPTE is a tremendous stepping stone in the process of making online video content readily accessible to people with disabilities.  The fact that SMPTE has made the standard available for free is certainly a tremendous benefit to both producers and viewers alike.

For more information on SMPTE’s standard for closed captioning of online content, click here.

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act that was signed into law in October 2010 will do a lot for people with disabilities – make sure that phones are hearing-aid compatible, provide for reliable text access to emergency personnel, and assure that new technology is accessible to everyone, regardless of physical abilities.

But probably the biggest impact relates to captioning video on the internet.

Technology moves like lightning, and every day, the internet becomes more useful and more integrated with our lives.

You can bet the trend will continue, with more people watching everything imaginable over streaming connections, from favorite TV shows to space shuttle launches to political uprisings halfway around the world. Video on the internet opens up a path to new worlds, but without the words and ideas to accompany the pictures, the video is inaccessible to millions of people. The solution comes in the form of closed captioning.

The 21st Century CVA Act mandates that any video that will appear on broadcast TV and then on the internet must be closed captioned. This will provide deaf people with equal access to countless videos, both live and recorded, that would not have been available to them before the passage of the law. The new rules cover virtually all commercially produced programs that will be made in the future.

The law expands the definition of video programming so that the new rules will apply to all television-like programming on the internet.

This includes pre-produced programs first seen on broadcast TV, new programs produced by cable and satellite providers, and live programming.

Manufacturers will be making life easier for the hard-of-hearing, too.

The 21st Century CVA Act expands the parameters of a 1990 law that required that TVs larger than 13 inches be equipped for captioning. Now every device of every size that shows video and sound simultaneously – whether broadcast or over the internet – has to employ captioning technology, and also be able to relay audible descriptions for the blind.

Another segment of the law requires devices to be user friendly when it comes to turning captioning and video description on and off. That translates to a conspicuous placement on remote controls or in on-screen menus.

Like motorized vehicles or clothing we don’t weave ourselves – sure, there are ways to get through life without captioned video. But just like with those other modern conveniences, life is sure a lot better when we have the technology at our fingertips.

People who live with challenges appreciate the ADA every day, but this anniversary was special, because it also marked the passage of another important piece of legislation.

On July 26, 2010, the U. S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3101, commonly dubbed the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Legislators recognized the need for further changes in the communications industry, with a landslide vote of 348 to 23.

Although this bill still has many crucial steps to make before it is signed into law, the overwhelming vote for H.R. 3101 shows that our government leaders recognize the need to update accessibility laws to accommodate citizens living in the 21st century.

Where the ADA provided physical necessities like ramps on sidewalks and into buildings, and easier access to transportation, H.R. 3101 puts people with individuals in touch with all of the new technology that has become so essential in American life. With this new legislation, materials on the internet and in video will become much more accessible to those who have hearing loss.

H.R. 3101 was authored, introduced and championed by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). The bill, if passed, would require television programs that are captioned for broadcast to be captioned when viewed over the internet, as well. The resolution would also lead to hearing-aid compatibility over internet-based telephone, improved relay services and funding, access to internet-based services and equipment, and requirements that would increase video description services for television broadcast.

The resolution has received bi-partisan support in the House, and has now gone to the U. S. Senate for a vote. The legislation has received ample support so far, but that doesn’t mean that it will pass with no opposition, or that its success is necessarily guaranteed. It is essential for advocates of H.R. 3101 to contact their legislators and voice their support of equal access for all.

You can make your opinion known by writing, calling, faxing, or emailing your two U. S. Senators. Contact information for all senators, including phone, e-mail and snail mail addresses, can be found at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Tell your U. S. Senators to vote for H.R. 3101 – the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, and help make technology more accessible to all.

Let’s say you work for years and your company invest lots of money to take a spark of an idea and make it reality. You create a video to tell the world about your wonderful product, and you hope the video will go viral and that everyone in the world will want to buy your product, right now.

You post it, and once your baby has left your hands and is out in the wide world of the internet, voice recognition technology puts its two cents in. It takes your dream, labels it with a bunch of inaccurate captions, and the only attention you’re getting is side-splitting laughter from the millions of people who receive your video as a funny forward.

Last year, YouTube brought voice recognition online, and used the technology to automatically caption millions of videos on the hugely popular internet channel. That’s great for viewers, especially those with hearing loss, right? Yeah, not in all cases.

We applaud the fact that YouTube when out on a limb to provide viewers with new voice-recognition captions, however, it is impossible for software to be accurate all the time. As a result, examples of seriously incorrect captions have flooded the internet.

Viewers watching an episode of the PBS series “Sid the Science Kid” heard the alphabet song. But those watching the subtitles saw “a B C D E F G a giant day an enemy and he laughed and he made me now the US black and scene.” Hello, how am I supposed to learn to spell my name using that alphabet?

An interview segment from a trade show caught a spokesman talking about Windows 7. The auto-captioning had him saying, “The good news is that they want a more reliable of racism they want.” OK, am I supposed to believe that my computer has been making fun of my ancestry behind my back? I hope not.

Macintosh is known for technical innovation, but the video introducing the company’s new operating system, Snow Leopard, read “you know this is is more monkeys and transplant patients have mental Clinton’s aides to Obama.” Of course, I can’t be positive, but I’m guessing that’s not the message Mac wanted to send to its customers.

What about you? When your company places a sales, promotional, or training video online, what message do you want to send? And how can you be sure that when potential customers search for what you’re selling, they’ll be directed to your doorstep?

Accurate captions keep your work (and your product) from turning into a joke, but they also make a big difference when it comes to the effectiveness of internet searches. A client searching for the hot new Mac OS probably won’t be Googling Clinton or Obama, or with any luck, mental patients.

Accurate text in the video means your search engine optimization factor, or SEO, shoots up like a rocket. Better information for the search engines means a higher placement and better ranking, which will lead your audience right to you. With accurate text in the video, people searching will be more likely to land on your video.

A professional captioning company can create accurate and useful captions that will bring respect instead of giggles, and help boost your worth when it comes to internet searches.

YouTube is a cultural phenomenon that isn’t going away any time soon, and there’s no reason every business person shouldn’t consider using it – to create a buzz, to create an image, to provide demo videos and tech support. But leaving the captions up to a technology that’s still in its infancy might not be the best choice. When it comes to your livelihood, best to do what your clients do – go to the experts and let them do their thing.

Sometimes faith-based organizations are strapped for cash and so they put captioning on the back burner. Many provide captioning only when it is mandated by law. Many others consider it as an undue burden to provide captioning for their TV program or internet media. But in doing so, they alienate viewers who really need and desire access to the church’s message, and more importantly, God. Ruling out captions essentially walls off the entire deaf and hard of hearing population as unimportant!

Adding captions to evangelistic programming brings that extra bit of encouragement and steadiness into the lives of people with hearing loss. Many shut-ins rely on religious programming, and many of these people also have difficulty hearing. Because they cannot get out of the house, their favorite weekly local church broadcast may be all the church they get.

The faithful are called to spread the word, and captioning makes that more achievable. Churches and non-profits may consider the same prospective for their web-based communications. Hearing–impaired individuals can read the newsletter and get information from a flier, but without closed captioning, they miss out on a recorded sermon or an inspirational video about a new ministry opportunity.

Both television and Internet programming can reach people who are too far away to attend your church, or who live in remote areas where there isn’t an accessible church. In this situation, technology opens up doors not only for the hearing-impaired, but for speakers of other languages.

It’s not easy to balance a budget, especially when your project is sharing resources with a dozen other ministries. But don’t write off captioning as an unnecessary luxury. It’s a valuable tool, and worth every penny; because it helps you reach those people who are waiting out there for someone to tap them on the shoulder and invite them to follow.

Captions are also widely used in public places where noise or other distractions make them a welcome addition. Health clubs, restaurants, bars and airports all make use of captions, allowing people to stay plugged in while they are socializing, working out, or waiting for their flight to be announced.

It is in these environments that the majority of hearing citizens are exposed to captions. Public caption use is becoming such a part of our culture that government is getting in on the act. There is a bill in the works that could require bars in Maryland to display captions on all televisions [read more].  Some legislators want captions on all sets, while others think captions should be turned on only when requested. In either case, most of the legislators seem to agree that it is important to make captions available for those who need them.

If you have a profound hearing loss, there’s no question that you need captions. But beyond the issue of need, there are a few things captions can do that benefit society as a whole.

It’s not too surprising when you think about it, but captions are an excellent learning tool.  Research has shown improvement in motivation, reading comprehension and vocabulary when hearing children are shown text captions along with audio and video. Just like “word walls” that are so highly recommended in schools throughout our country, captioning continues that text-rich environment of the classroom, and carries it to each child’s TV time. Using captions mimics the techniques used in educational videos, but instead of learning just colors and numbers, a child can discover new vocabulary in anything that comes across your TV set — words that pertain to sports, economics, geography or far-away cultures.

Captions also benefit hearing adults who are trying to learn a new language. The ability to see the spoken word in films, television and Internet videos greatly increases retention of new words and their meanings. When we see the written words, it is much easier to pick up on connections between our native language and the new words, cementing these language lessons in our minds. The great part is that the learning happens almost effortlessly.

Captions are a great tool for both the hearing and the hard-of-hearing communities. Try it out for yourself.  During family TV time, turn on the captions and see the difference it makes in your kid’s reading and comprehension. Next time you rent a DVD, turn on the subtitles in Spanish or French. You’ll be amazed at what you learn!