1. Video Accessibility @ the UW: Overview & How We're Doing
Terrill Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS)

2. Video accessibility issues
Users can see video, but can't hear audio
Solution: captions
Users can't hear audio, but can't see video
Solution: audio description
Users can't see or hear video/audio
Solution: transcript
Users are:
Using keyboard only (no mouse)
Using a screen reader
Using speech input
Dependent on high contrast / custom color scheme
Solution: An accessible media player

3. How UW Does Accessible Video
Disability Resources for Students (DRS) and Disability Services Office (DSO) provide funding and support for captioning and audio description if individuals request it as an accommodation
UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS) provides internal grant funding for making high impact videos accessible as universal design practice
ATS provides training and support (2 staff)

4. Why Making Accessible Video Isn't an Undue Burden
Cost of Producing a 10-minute documentary-style video: $10,000
Cost to caption $2/min) = $20 (0.2%)
Cost to describe $10/min) = $100 (1%)

5. How We're Doing: Captioning YouTube Videos
58 known UW-affiliated YouTube channels
Nearly 8,000 videos
Over 2,700 hours of programming
18.4% are captioned
Up from 7.6% in August 2015
12 channels (20.6%) have captioned over 50% of their videos
25 channels (43.1%) have captioned 0%
Source: UW Video Caption Reports

6. Doug Hayman dyhayman@uw.edu
Captioning Project
Doug Hayman
Susie Hawkey

7. Overview of the Captioning Project
UW-IT short-term funding is available to caption:
Videos available to the public on a high-use website
Videos that will be used multiple times in a course
Videos developed by several faculty members to be used in several different classes

8. Captioning Project Progress
By the numbers:
630 videos have been captioned
169 hours of video have been captioned
11 departments excluding DRS have accounts with 3Play Media
Captioned videos will be reused in 60 classes per year
Over 750,000 individuals are estimated to watch the videos each year
Increased the numbers of videos captioned on campus by 10.8%

9. Captioning Project Progress (cont.)
Products:
Created a video: “Making Videos Accessible”
Promising Practice has been created to document how to setup a captioning project on a college campus

10. Captioning Project Video

11. Captioning Tips & Tutorials

12. Overview of the Captioning Training
The training includes the topics:
Captioning in YouTube
Using Amara and Camtasia to assist in caption creation
Facebook captions
Uploading captions in Vimeo
Setting up an account with 3Play Media
Helpful hints

13. Captioning Basics (1 of 3)
Anatomy of a caption file:
SRT caption file
Simple text file with time stamps that can be opened with Word, Notepad, etc.

14. Captioning Basics (2 of 3)
DCMP Captioning Key
This can be used as a resource if you are captioning your own videos and not using a captioning vendor

15. Captioning Basics (3 of 3)
YouTube:
Will create auto-generated captions
Not accurate enough to be compliant
Use the built-in editor to
Correct auto-generated captions
Create captions from scratch or
Import a script and sync with the video

16. How to setup Captioning Training
Contact Doug to setup training for:
Individuals
Departments
General questions about captioning

17. 3-Play Media Departments can setup their own account by contacting:
Erin Batog
Account Executive
3Play Media
X109

18. Links to Project Products

19. Media Player Accessibility
Terrill Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS)

20. Able Player https://ableplayer.github.io/ableplayer
Free, open source, HTML5 media player
Full support for HTML <track> element (captions, subtitles, descriptions, chapters, & metadata)
Chapters, captions, & descriptions are automatically assembled into an interactive transcript
Fully accessible player controls
Supports multiple versions of a video (described vs non-described); user can toggle using "Description" button
Can play YouTube videos

21. Able Player Screen Shot

22. Able Player is just HTML
<video data-able-player>
<source type="video/mp4" src="path_to_video.mp4">
<track kind="captions" src="path_to_captions.vtt" srclang="en" label="English">
<track kind="subtitles" src="path_to_es.vtt" srclang="es" label="Espanol">
<track kind="descriptions" src="path_to_desc.vtt">
<track kind="chapters" src="path_to_chapters.vtt">
</video>

23. Audio Description Terrill Thompson Technology Accessibility Specialist
UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS)

24. Which videos are the highest priority?
As with captioning, need to prioritize
Videos that are required viewing for students who need description (an accommodation)
Videos that are likely to be required viewing for students who need description
Videos that:
Are popular
Provide critical content
Discuss Demo 1 again; show Demos 2 & 3

25. Multiple Methods of Producing Audio Description
Separate "audio described version" of the video
Human-narrated description
Description narrated using synthesized speech
A WebVTT description file
Plain text, easy to produce
Description is read aloud by screen readers
The standard method, using HTML5 <track>
Currently only supported in Able Player
A second, user-selectable, audio track
Uses one method for all audio tracks (e.g., audio description, director's cut, translated/overdubbed)
Supported in JW Player and Video.js (but not in all browsers; depends on HLSV4 support)

26. WebVTT Format Stands for "Web Video Text Tracks"
WEBVTT
00:00: > 00:00:02.000
Michael Young, President, University of Washington
00:00: > 00:00:44.000
Tracy Mitrano, Director of IT Policy, Cornell University
00:01: > 00:01:32.000
Edward Ray, President, Oregon State University

27. How can we create our own WebVTT description track?
Simply use your favorite text editor (e.g., Notepad)
Use any captioning tool
Amara.org
Dotsub.com
NCAM Caption and Description Editing Tool (CADET)

28. Captioning Tool Example
Shown: Amara.org

29. Which method should we use? (continued)
If dramatic work:
Outsource for human-narrated description
Link to the "Described version"
Else if need for description is minimal and simple:
If using Able Player:
Do It Yourself! Create a WebVTT file
Else:
Outsource for human-narrated description OR text-to-speech

30. Which vendors provide human-narrated description?
"Services Involved with Audio Description" List of 75+ providers
In Spring 2017, narrowed the list to 18 providers that seemed to provide relevant services, contacted each by or web form
Prices vary significantly, based in part on complexity of the description ($12 - $75/min.)
Turnaround: 24 hours – 6 weeks
Final list: 8 providers

31. Eight audio description vendors
Human-Narrated ($12-15/min)
Access USA
Audio Eyes
Caption Max
Mind's Eye Audio Productions
Valerie H Productions
WGBH Media Access Group
Synthesized Speech ($10/min)
3PlayMedia
Automatic Sync

32. If using 3PlayMedia, which voices/speeds are best?
Research: Three students who use description
Watched 9 versions of two short videos
Voices: Michael, Allison, Kate (British)
Speeds: Slow, Medium, Fast
Watched 7 additional videos, described with various settings
Results:
Male/female voice should be distinct from voice of speaker(s) in video
Slight preference for Medium Michael
Slight tendency to dislike the fast voices, especially Fast Kate.

33. How can we deliver a "described version"?
Add a link: "Available with audio description"
Use Able Player
Supports multiple versions of a video (described vs non-described); user can toggle using "Description" button
Supports text-based audio description, announced by screen reader; user can toggle using "Description" button

34. Example Link to Described Version
Source:

35. For More Information…
UW Accessible Technology
Creating Accessible Video
DO-IT Videos