Videos
Accessibility Features
OVC includes as standard several accessibility features to assist blind, low-vision, hard-of-hearing, and deaf individuals. Keep these features in mind when developing your video.
Open Captioning
This feature allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to read a transcript or dialog of the audio portion of a video, film, or other presentation. As the video plays, text captions are displayed that transcribe speech and other relevant sounds. Open captions are visible without using any special devices, such as a set-top decoder or a TV with a built-in decoder chip. They are a permanent part of the picture that all viewers see. See File Setup for submission requirements related to this feature.
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Closed Captioning/Subtitles
The primary difference between open and closed captioning is that closed captioning means that not all viewers see the captions-only those who decode or activate them. The object in both types of captioning is to describe all significant audio content, as well as "non-speech" interpretative information, such as the identity of speakers and actions occurring on the screen. See File Setup for submission requirements related to this feature.
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Audio Navigation
This feature reads DVD menu button labels aloud for low-vision or blind users and itemizes all the navigation options that appear on the screen, including the total number of buttons. Grantees are not responsible for creating this feature; it will be added as part of the production process.
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Visually Described Script
This feature integrates an additional narration track into the main program audio for blind and low-vision users. Pauses in the program audio are filled with identification of speakers by name and title and, if the information fits, brief summaries of events. The length of descriptions and their placement are largely dictated by what can fit in natural pauses in dialogue. In cases in which more detailed information is desired, that detail can be provided in the enhanced audio (see below). See File Setup for submission requirements related to this feature.
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Enhanced Audio
This feature combines the audio portion of a video with a narrative description that interprets what is happening in the video and provides the names and titles of individuals appearing in it. This is an audio-only presentation, so it does not include the video but does permit us to edit the program audio track, thereby allowing as much time as is needed for new descriptive material. Please keep the following in mind when developing the enhanced audio script:
- Create a smooth, flowing narrative that helps to tell the story for blind and low-vision users.
- Avoid mechanical instructions when they don't add to the script (e.g., Kenneth Barnes appears on screen).
- Feel free to identify individuals by name and title initially and, thereafter, simply use their names (e.g., Rev. Mercer). Only repeat when it is essential to clarify their identity again.
- Try to mention the most compelling images in your script, but you may need to leave out minor details (e.g., "images from newspapers, shots of report covers").
See File Setup for submission requirements related to this feature.
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