ITU-EBU Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe on
e-Accessibility in Television Broadcasting
3 - 4 December 2013
Zagreb, Croatia
How ITU-T contributes to
Audiovisual Media
Accessibility?
Alexandra Gaspari
Programme Coordinator for Accessibility
ITU – Standardization Bureau
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Looking at the future activities
proposed by ITU members
IRG – Inter sector Rapporteur Group
on AVA
Proposed by sector members in ITUT 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
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
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
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 nextgeneration 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
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
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