1. How ITU-T contributes to Audiovisual Media Accessibility? Alexandra Gaspari Programme Coordinator for Accessibility ITU – Standardization Bureau ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting 3 - 4 December 2013 Zagreb, Croatia

2. Outline of presentation ITU Radio and Standardization Sector needed to work on audiovisual accessibility First initiative: Workshop 2010 FG AVA mandate FG AVA results and impact And now what? An IRG is being proposed… ITU needs your contribution: let’s make it work! ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

3. Were we started three years ago? ITU-EBU Joint Workshop on Accessibility to Broadcasting and IPTV ACCESS for ALL, (In cooperation with the EU project DTV4All) Geneva, 23 – 24 November 2010 The objective of this Workshop is to consider and explore how persons with hearing, sight or aging disabilities can consume the same broadcasting (television, radio and Internet) services as those without disabilities, to a reasonable extent. In Cooperation with the European Union project DTV4All, the Workshop will feature speakers from broadcasters, IPTV providers, manufacturers and user associations. Programme : http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/accessibility/20101123/programme.html Photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/malcolm_johnson/sets/72157625470895616/ And demos (see next three slides) ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

4. What participant showcase on: Brunel University London: Current BBC access service “Sign translator on demand“ IRT/rbb/UAB/TVC: Natural signer - video over Internet (HbbTV) DVB subtitles Reduced playback speed (video and audio) Clean audio (spanish) ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

5. Fraunhofer IGD / EU Project GUIDE: Software simulation of interaction patterns of disabled and elderly users RNIB: Talking set top boxes NHK: Speech rate conversion Machine translation of sign language with its CG generation ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

6. UAB: Subtitles, audio-subtitles and audio description on iPhone RAI: Video signing on an iPhone Translation of written text into sign language with visualization through a virtual interpreter on iPhone ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

7. At the workshop in 2010, an agreement was reached 1/3 The participants agreed on the following: The Workshop recognized that there was a clear need to coordinate the technologies that can be used to aid those viewers and listeners with disabilities to gain maximum benefit from media delivered by broadcast, cable, IPTV, and Internet. The target is to make access service requirements independent of the delivery platform. As part of the discussions, it was concluded that it would be beneficial to establish a common platform that could allow unencumbered participation of experts from both ITU-T and ITU-R study groups, in particular ITU-T Study Groups 2 and 16 and ITU-R Study Group 6. Participation should also be open to the constituencies of other stakeholders (inter alia user associations, broadcasters, Internet service providers, manufactures, standardization organization). ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

8. At the workshop in 2010, an agreement was reached 2/3 The participants agreed on the following: It is therefore proposed that the Terms of Reference of such a Focus Group should include the following: To determine how to involve all stakeholders, including potential users, in the development of such access systems. For users, the principle "nothing about us without us", must be applied to any system development. To identify gaps in existing specifications that support the established service requirements in systems defined by both ITU-T and ITU-R. To encourage the availability and use of access services on behalf of all users, making “accessibility to all” a principle for AV content delivery (i. e. universal design in line with the UN Convention). ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

9. At the workshop in 2010, an agreement was reached 3/3 The participants agreed on the following: To identify the challenges to interoperability and access service interoperability requirements. Actively to promote the use of systems for access services which apply internationally agreed standards for a given delivery platform. To prepare clear guidelines on the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the delivery of digital AV media. To prepare guidelines for the inclusion of access services in all new digital AV user devices. A Focus Group was proposed: FG AVA was born six months later ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

10. FG AVA - Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility – FG AVA (Under the ITU-T Study Group 16 – Multimedia is LEAD SG for telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities) Mandate: to stimulate the development of international standards that improve the accessibility of audiovisual (AV) media for persons with disabilities. Results: creation of new work items under SG16, increased awareness for audiovisual accessibility Ended its mandate on 24 October 2013 ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

11. Who participated into FG AVA? Academia, Organizations representing PwDs, Research, industry, experts, other stakeholders Reaching what: raised interest with regulators, broadcasters, audiovisual industry, research bodies ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

12. When and where FG AVA met? Met nine times; in Europe, north America and Asia (Barcelona, New Delhi, Tokyo, Toronto, Geneva) FG AVA met sometimes back to back with a workshop that FG AVA organized, namely: ITU Workshop on Making Media Accessible to all: the options and the economics ITU Workshop "Making Television Accessible - from Idea to Reality" Tutorial on Audio Visual Media Accessibility ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

13. What FG AVA achieved? Well, in general… Great awareness on audiovisual accessibility, role of audiovisual accessibility in different contest: inclusion, man and natural disaster, education, real access for ALL Facilitated a network of experts that met and work together for a couple of years Push the issue within ITU and outside Produce reports which will be further developed within ITU, some of them into standards, driven by the ITU members ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

14. What FG AVA achieved? Working Groups final reports FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Group A “Captioning” FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Group B “Audio/Video description and spoken captions” FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Group C “Visual signing and sign language” FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Part C “Visual signing and sign language” and D “Emerging access services” on common activities FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Group F “Participation and Digital Media” FG AVA Final Report of activities: Working Group G “Digital Broadcast Television ” ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

15. What FG AVA achieved? Working Groups final reports Overview of audiovisual media accessibility: an introduction ITU-T Technical report (originally conceived as online manual) on audiovisual accessibility for decision-makers Interworking and Digital Audiovisual Media Accessibility Draft recommended requirements for the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) for media services ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

16. Results of the FG AVA: 1/3 documents on audiovisual media accessibility Overview of audiovisual media accessibility: an introduction ITU-T Technical report (originally conceived as online manual) on audiovisual accessibility for decision-makers Interworking and Digital Audiovisual Media Accessibility Draft recommended requirements for the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) for media services ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

17. Results of the FG AVA: 2/3 Overall FG AVA reports Overview of audiovisual media accessibility: an introduction ITU-T Technical report (originally conceived as online manual) on audiovisual accessibility for decision-makers Interworking and Digital Audiovisual Media Accessibility Draft recommended requirements for the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) for media services ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

18. Results of the FG AVA: 3/3 new work items Draft recommended characteristics for audio descriptions (described video - North America region) and/or spoken subtitles for assisting content accessibility of Audio visual programme material Draft recommended requirements of TV receiver for closed signing Draft recommended production guidelines for sign language service Methods for improving the intelligibility of audio Using Audiovisual Media – a Taxonomy of Participation Vocabulary for ITU-T Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility Requirements and good practice for supporting remote participation in meetings for all Draft recommended features for mobile media devices ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

19. Looking at the future activities involving different stakeholders With broadcasters, Research Institutions, academia With regional organizations like the one today and tomorrow (Croatia, December 2013) With sisters UN agencies (November 2013) ITU is open to proposals by ITU members ITU is open to proposals from potential new members, stakeholders involved in accessibility and digital inclusion ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

20. Looking at the future activities proposed by ITU members IRG – Inter sector Rapporteur Group on AVA Proposed by sector members in ITU- T and ITU-R Tripartite groups to work on recommendations involving audiovisual media accessibility, broadcasting ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

21. HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE to the audio and visual media accessibility in ITU 1/2 ITU is a members driven organization: what does it mean? ITU needs your contribution In the short term: IF and once the Inter Sector Rapporteur Group (IRG-AVA) is established: Come to ITU meetings and participate actively

22. HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE to the audio and visual media accessibility in ITU 2/2 Submit your proposal to the IRG with the expertise, knowledge, good and best practices run in your organization Provide experts for the work Provide panelists for workshops, related events ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

23. Most recent ITU workshop related to audiovisual accessibility ITU Workshop on Making Media Accessible to all: the options and the economics Workshop to review existing as well as next- generation accessibility services and technologies in the audiovisual media sphere, business cases of accessibility-service rollouts from across the world Demos on accessibility services currently on the market and under development by private-sector players and research institutes. ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

24. FG AVA documents available at: http://ifa.itu.int/t/fg/ava/docs/1310-Geneva/in/ http://ifa.itu.int/t/fg/ava/docs/1310-Geneva/in/ ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia

25. Thank you for your attention alexandra.gaspari@itu.int http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/accessibility/Pages/default.aspx http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/focusgroups/ava/Pages/default.aspx ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting, 3 – 4 December 2013, Zagreb, Croatia