Innovative Techniques for Creating and Distributing Described Video for the Blind

描述(由申请人提供)：建议的项目将开发一种创新的互联网技术-描述视频交换(DVX)-以促进对盲人和视障人士的业余视频描述的有效性的研究。在盲人和视障人士的康复中，视频无障碍是一个关键且日益严重的问题，并对教育和就业以及娱乐和社会融合产生影响。专业的视频描述需要仔细编写和录制简短的画外音片段，以宣布盲人和视障人士无法访问的屏幕上的事件。视频描述已被证明可以使教育和娱乐视频对盲人和视障观众更有效，但它极其昂贵和耗时。随着视频材料制作的加快和支持专业描述的资金的减少，调查基于志愿者的视频描述系统的有效性和可行性变得越来越重要。DVX将提供一个平台，用于简单地创建、共享、观看和评估由志愿者录制的DVD和基于互联网的视频内容的描述，并由各种视力障碍的人进行评估。DVX将是第一个将视频描述记录和回放工具与基于服务器的描述共享机制紧密结合的系统，从而使志愿者和盲人消费者能够无缝地创建和消费描述材料。DVX的出现将使人们有可能解决几个重要的研究问题，这些问题是关于使用业余爱好者描述视频的有效性。我们提出了几个具体的研究问题；然而，DVX为未来更多的视频描述研究打开了可能性。本项目建议利用基于互联网的调查协议，对50名有视力障碍的业余描述者和200名具有广泛视力障碍的评估参与者进行以下调查：1.与传统的专业视频描述相比，评估各种流派和视频格式的业余描述的有效性。此外，评估消费者反馈对业余描述质量的影响。2.评估一套拟议的增强回放功能的有效性，这些功能旨在缓解业余描述中经常遇到的问题；3.对使用主流社交网络平台(例如Facebook和Twitter)招募业余描述者进行初步研究。 与公共卫生相关：大多数视频材料的获取机会有限，这是盲人和视障人士康复方面的一个严重且日益严重的问题，对他们的教育和就业以及娱乐和社会融合都产生了负面影响。拟议的项目将开发一种创新的互联网技术--描述性视频交换(DVX)--以促进研究利用业余描述者提高盲人和视障人士获得无障碍视频的有效性。随着视频材料制作的加快和支持专业描述的资金的减少，调查基于志愿者的视频描述系统的有效性和可行性变得越来越重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed project will develop an innovative Internet technology - the Descriptive Video Exchange (DVX) - to facilitate research into the effectiveness of amateur video description for the blind and visually impaired. Video accessibility is a critical and growing issue in the rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired, and has impacts in education and employment, as well as entertainment and social integration. Professional video description requires careful scripting and recording of brief voiceover segments announcing on-screen events that would otherwise be inaccessible to the blind and visually-impaired. Video description has been shown to make educational and entertainment video more effective for blind and visually-impaired viewers, but it is extremely costly and time-consuming. With the accelerated production of video materials and dwindling funding to support professional description, it is increasingly important to investigate the effectiveness and viability of a volunteer-based system of video description. DVX will provide a platform for the simple creation, sharing, viewing, and evaluation of descriptions of DVD and Internet-based video content recorded by volunteers, and evaluated by people with a wide range of visual disabilities. DVX will be the first system to tightly couple video description recording and playback tools with a server-based, description-sharing mechanism, thus making the creation and consumption of the described materials seamless for both volunteers and blind consumers. The availability of DVX will make it possible to address several important research questions about the effectiveness of using amateurs to describe video. We propose several specific research questions; however DVX opens the possibility for many more future video description studies. The present project proposes to conduct the following investigations utilizing an Internet-based survey protocol involving 50 sighted amateur describers and 200 evaluation participants with a broad range of visual disabilities: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of amateur description for a variety of genres and video formats, in comparison to traditional, professional video description. In addition, evaluate the influence of consumer feedback on the quality of amateur description. 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of a proposed set of Enhanced Playback Functions intended to mitigate problems commonly encountered in amateur description; 3. Conduct preliminary research into the use of mainstream social networking platforms (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) for the recruitment of amateur describers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The limited accessibility of most video materials is a critical and growing issue in the rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired, and has negative impacts on their education and employment, as well as entertainment and social integration. The proposed project will develop an innovative Internet technology - the Descriptive Video Exchange (DVX) - to facilitate research into the effectiveness of using amateur describers to boost the availability of accessible video for the blind and visually impaired. With the accelerated production of video materials and dwindling funding to support professional description, it is increasingly important to investigate the effectiveness and viability of a volunteer-based system of video description.