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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
Is it possible to have audiodescription on TV if the broadcasting mode is analogue and the ability to employ several language audio tracks does not exist yet? Italy has had the solution, at least a decade ago still, where audiodescription for the movies aired by RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, would have the descriptive track delivered on a designated FM radio frequency. A blind person wishing to watch such a movie would turn on their TV to the right channel and then tune a radio receiver to the right frequency to enjoy both the original movie track and the audiodescription in sync. As it turns out from the paper below, keeping both in sync is difficult.
By the device of anecdotal evidence I know that a similar system existed in Slovenia.
Another thing that was available in Italy, and I haven't heard of it anywhere else before, are accessible audio menus on DVD's.
openstarts.units.it/bitstream/…
#Accessibility #Blind #Audiodescription #Italy #Slovenia #Radio #AdventCalendar
#Accessibility #blind #radio #AudioDescription #Italy #adventcalendar #slovenia

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James Scholes
James Scholes
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
I am seriously enjoying these posts. You should write a book!
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Paweł Masarczyk
Paweł Masarczyk
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
@jscholes Thank you for the kind words. It means a lot and motivates me to dig out even cooler pieces of accessibility. A publication would be a very welcome enhancement but I think it would make the most sense as a joint work including a group of experts from several countries willing to share their secrets. I hope I'll be able to read something like that one day.
@James Scholes
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James Scholes
James Scholes
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
The UK has some DVDs with accessible menus, although I don't know how many. Doctor Who box-sets are the only examples I've personally used.

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Paweł Masarczyk
Paweł Masarczyk
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
@jscholes I would be curious to know what software is used to generate that. I can imagine this being useful even for private projects. An accessible DVD of the wedding video sounds like the best gift for blind newlyweds.
@James Scholes
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Mikołaj Hołysz
Mikołaj Hołysz
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
@jscholes I’ve seen these here (Poland) too. The way DVDs work, every item in the menu is a separate scene, showing an almost the same static picture, except with a different highlighted item. Pressing the arrow keys just moves you between such scenes. There’s nothing stopping you from putting an extra “play sound” instruction there, with the appropriate sample.
@James Scholes

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Paweł Masarczyk
Paweł Masarczyk
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
@miki @jscholes Still, having an easy-to-use software for this would be a great way to make smaller projects like this a reality.
@Mikołaj Hołysz @James Scholes
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Mikołaj Hołysz
Mikołaj Hołysz
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The #Accessibility for the #Blind advent calendar: day 5 - Italy - expand the content warning to open the window and discover the interesting fact for the day.
I’ve heard of a similar system employed somewhere in the US, but I haven’t been able to find specifics. Considering that they used to have free or flat-rate local calls, and considering how low the latency was in the days of analog TVs and phone systems, it definitely seems believable.

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