Sunday, November 27, 2022
11/27/2022
Access to video, whether broadcast or streaming, is key to community living of the 36 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing. Access to video has a direct impact on societal participation, including entertainment, keeping up with news, political processes, contact with institutions and elected representatives, education, and acquiring new skills. The advent of modern technology (e.g. digital devices and ASR) can potentially greatly improve the current unsatisfactory state of caption quality and caption display on screens. The goal of this five-year partnership of Gallaudet University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Apptek, in consultation with consumer and industry stakeholders, is to devise a modern evidence-based approach toward meeting the caption quality and caption user interface/user experience needs of viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The primary objectives are (1) to develop caption quality metrics that are widely accepted, practical, technology neutral, and maximize access to video by people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and (2) to investigate what factors in the presentation/display of captions on the screen optimize the usability and the experience of deaf and hard of hearing viewers. Anticipated outcomes are (1) changes to caption quality policies, (2) changes to caption user interface guidelines, and (3) the adoption of clear objectives that both human and ASR-based captioning processes need to meet. Expected products include programs, technologies and guidelines for assessing captions, a video library for evaluating captioning methods, evidence-based reports that link caption quality metrics with subjective and objective viewer metrics, and evidence-based reports that describe the impact of caption display/presentation on the viewers.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
