Back in 2010, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act was signed by President Obama requiring more audio-described shows on TV to allow blind and partially sighted people better access to shows and movies. Video description is a narration track included between the natural pauses in dialogue describing the visual elements of a program.
Live shows can pose an extra technical challenge when providing this kind of accessibility. However, Comcast NBCUniversal reported a successful effort to add video description services to NBC’s “The Wiz Live!” last year, and is offering the services again for “Hairspray Live!” on Dec. 7.
“We are delighted that this highly-anticipated performance of Hairspray will include live description, which allows people with vision loss to fully enjoy the magic of television,” Kirk Adams, president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, says. “Comcast NBCUniversal is a trailblazer in the area of accessibility and digital inclusion; this is yet another example of their commitment to ensuring people with vision loss have equal access to entertainment and news.”
Comcast says the described broadcast will be available across the country wherever Secondary Audio Program (SAP) audio feeds are available. It’s working with Descriptive Video Works, a company that has provided more than 1,000 hours of live description, including 15 telecasts of the Rio Summer Olympic Games this summer. The descriptive audio can be accessed by enabling the SAP feature on a television or set-top, Comcast reports.
Tom Wlodkowski, VP, accessibility at Comcast, points out in a blog that beyond the video description services, the company also offers voice commands with its Xfinity X1 service. X1 customers have access to a talking guide, a voice-enabled TV menu and interface, and a voice-controlled remote.
