• (cs)

    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

  • s. (unregistered)

    Bark-bark? -- Gaspode, in the Discworld series.

  • Rex (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

  • (cs)

    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

  • Tp (unregistered)

    what about the illiterate (God i hope that is spelled correcly..)

  • (cs)

    I happen to be dyslexic, and I would really appreciate the letters being randomized so that I "see" them "normally" ;)

  • (cs) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Text to Braille ?

    Or you can try to put bass shakers under the chair and hopefully they can learn to understand speech through the speaker vibrations. I have two under my desk at home and they do wonders for the hearing impaired to experience some sounds, but I haven't found an optimal solution to help your body distinguish words (when closed captioning isn't available)

  • (cs) in reply to n9ds
    n9ds:
    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

    There are many forms of dyslexia... Some people simply can't read because their eyes can't follow straight lines... Others mix up letters.

    In any case I don't see how this is a WTF at all.

    On another note: Audio captions that can be picked up by TTS can easily be used by a translator to translate the captions into another language (a BIG bonus there, deffer translating to 3rd party software muahahahahahahahaha, i guess i dont like typing)

  • sweavo (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    go and feel a pineapple or something ( (C) pygmygoat.net )

  • diaphanein (unregistered)

    One would think TTS of the closed captions would make the original audio next to impossible to understand...

  • Cesa (unregistered) in reply to Tp

    It is. You misspelled "correctly" however ;)

  • (cs)

    Well, he should use the captions to describe the scenes to visually impaired people, not for the already spoken text. They made such experiences here (Belgium) in a theater, for a movie. Blind people received headphones where someone was describing the movie scenes, between the dialogs :D.

  • (cs) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    If you're blind and deaf, your best bet is to find a job as a taxi driver in New York.

  • tinkerghost (unregistered) in reply to GalacticCowboy
    GalacticCowboy:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    If you're blind and deaf, your best bet is to find a job as a taxi driver in New York.

    Please, no blind taxi driver could aim at pedestrians as well as the NY ones do!

  • (cs)

    Hey which government was this site made for? It can't possibly be any government in the US because I'm pretty sure they don't care about accessibility. Very few subway stations in NYC have elevators and I don't even think they had a ramp into my local post office until a couple of years ago!

    Seriously though, props to this guy for actually giving a damn. Accessibility is rarely considered (I know I don't think much about it) but it's pretty important so that everyone gets a fair shake.

  • (cs) in reply to n9ds
    n9ds:
    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

    Leave us lysdlexics alowne you winker! :-)

  • (cs)

    It could be worse...

    I had a website that failed the accessibility test because the keyboard was mounted to high for a wheelchair user to reach!

  • (cs) in reply to tchize
    tchize:
    Well, he should use the captions to describe the scenes to visually impaired people, not for the already spoken text. They made such experiences here (Belgium) in a theater, for a movie. Blind people received headphones where someone was describing the movie scenes, *between the dialogs* :D.
    I presume that, if you're a blind beauty queen, the description is only available in Flemish ...
  • Michael Parkhurst (unregistered) in reply to Rex
    Rex:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

    So you'd be relying on the closed captioning you can't see and the audio reading you can't hear?

  • (cs) in reply to Outlaw Programmer
    Outlaw Programmer:
    Hey which government was this site made for? It can't possibly be any government in the US because I'm pretty sure they don't care about accessibility.
    If you'd bothered actually reading the article, you might have noticed the paragraph discussing the United States government's Section 508 requirements.
  • (cs) in reply to tchize
    tchize:
    Well, he should use the captions to describe the scenes to visually impaired people, not for the already spoken text. They made such experiences here (Belgium) in a theater, for a movie. Blind people received headphones where someone was describing the movie scenes, *between the dialogs* :D.
    That's awesome! It's like an audio book, except with the original actors doing the dialogue, and THX surround sound.
  • SkittlesAreYum (unregistered) in reply to dlikhten
    dlikhten:
    n9ds:
    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

    There are many forms of dyslexia... Some people simply can't read because their eyes can't follow straight lines... Others mix up letters.

    In any case I don't see how this is a WTF at all.

    You don't see how it's a WTF for them to want the program to read the closed captioning out loud?

  • Matt (unregistered)

    Did John ever see the screencaps from "The Backstroke of the West" with captions? :-)

  • NotAnEnglishMajor (unregistered) in reply to n9ds
    n9ds:
    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

    You mean they still haven't discovered a cure for dailysex?

    -NotAn

  • CynicalTyler (unregistered)

    Oh man, is it a warning sign that I read this and immediately started thinking: "hm, how would I do that?" rather than "that's absolutely bat-shit insane"?

    (Answer: OCR FTW!)

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to Tp
    Tp:
    what about the illiterate (God i hope that is spelled correcly..)

    The Good News: You spelled the word "that" ...

    The Bad News: correctly.

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Read the captions on your Braille terminal...

  • bramster (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Old Joke. . .

    How did Helen Keller burn her ear? She answered the Iron.

    How did she burn her other ear? The sonofabitch called again.

  • anne (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?
    obviously to remain compliant, all websites must have the option to send Anne Sullivan over to your house and spell the text into your hand.
  • AdT (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Write a few books about it.

    NotAnEnglishMajor:
    You mean they still haven't discovered a cure for dailysex?

    They have, and it's called MTV Dismissed. I watched one show and felt the urge to enter a convent, so I wouldn't risk meeting one of those repugnant egomaniacs.

  • Greg (unregistered) in reply to Tp

    Actually accessibility for people with poor reading skills is rather important. It's fair enough to discriminate against these people regarding employment, but it makes sense to make online text as simple and readable as possible, both in terms of fairness and as an investment against having to explain to people something that is already written and available.

  • (cs) in reply to Zylon
    Zylon:
    Outlaw Programmer:
    Hey which government was this site made for? It can't possibly be any government in the US because I'm pretty sure they don't care about accessibility.
    If you'd bothered actually reading the article, you might have noticed the paragraph discussing the United States government's Section 508 requirements.

    Guess my text to speech app is on the fritz.

    Actually, I did read that part. Just trying to point out that these guys go way over the top with accessibility on a site that services only a few people, while public transportation/government buildings/etc. remain horribly inaccessible.

  • Rex (unregistered) in reply to Michael Parkhurst
    Michael Parkhurst:
    Rex:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

    So you'd be relying on the closed captioning you can't see and the audio reading you can't hear?

    And jokes you can't detect!

  • Michael Parkhurst (unregistered) in reply to Rex
    Rex:
    Michael Parkhurst:
    Rex:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

    So you'd be relying on the closed captioning you can't see and the audio reading you can't hear?

    And jokes you can't detect!

    Bah!

  • (cs) in reply to WhiskeyJack

    Unless the TTS software has a braille API...

  • Tommy (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack

    Play pinball.

    At least that's what I did.

  • (cs) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Play pinball?

  • (cs) in reply to RobbieAreBest
    RobbieAreBest:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Play pinball?

    You send back in the same joke as the last post only 42 minutes later?

    Or did you miss the pinball wizard reference?

  • SomeoneElse (unregistered) in reply to NotAnEnglishMajor
    NotAnEnglishMajor:
    n9ds:
    I wonder if they would make them spell the captions in random order for the dyslexic audience?

    You mean they still haven't discovered a cure for dailysex?

    -NotAn

    Yes they have. It's called marriage.

    SomeoneElse

  • DropDeadThread (unregistered) in reply to DeLos

    Yeah, what are you, blind? Anyway, clearly, if you are audio-visually impaired then the answer involves a wooden table and frames.

  • Patrick (unregistered) in reply to Rex
    Rex:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

    No no no! You put the captions in braille! Geez, keep it simple.

  • Rich Wilson (unregistered)

    There's no such thing as an "alt tag". It's an alt attribute.

  • Sean (unregistered)

    If the TTS software can't read it, could braille-output devices read it? There are options for blind and deaf people, you know.

  • Dustin Michaels (unregistered)

    This isn't a WTF.

    If your blind and deaf and use a refreshable braille display you probably have screen reading software installed on your computer which is configured to output to the refreshable braille display. If the screen reading software can't access the captions then the blind deaf guy can't get at the caption text.

  • Dustin Michaels (unregistered)

    This isn't a WTF.

    If your blind and deaf and use a refreshable braille display you probably have screen reading software installed on your computer which is configured to output to the refreshable braille display. If the screen reading software can't access the captions then the blind deaf guy can't get at the caption text.

  • (cs)

    In the last year or two, they have made advances in technology which will help people who have lost senses interpret data. Since your brain simply interprets signals, there are ways of getting the signals to your brain besides seeing and hearing them. For example, they once blindfolded a guy and put a camera on him and sent the signals to tactile sensors on his tongue. He was able to manuever obstacles easily without contacting them by learning to interpret those signals. Sure, it would take training yourself, but I'm just saying that it may be possible in the very near future for blind people to interpret visual data using technology. This is pretty much the only reason I agree with using technolgy within the body, to overcome a major health problem or disability.

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to RobbieAreBest
    RobbieAreBest:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Play pinball?

    Only if you're dumb as well.

  • (cs) in reply to bramster
    bramster:
    Old Joke. . .

    How did Helen Keller burn her ear? She answered the Iron.

    How did she burn her other ear? The sonofabitch called again.

    Wait... how'd she hear it ring?

  • That guy over there (unregistered)

    "Once he was reasonably certain that he'd hit the site was fully accessible" What's "he'd hit" doing there?

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to Michael Parkhurst
    Michael Parkhurst:
    Rex:
    Michael Parkhurst:
    Rex:
    WhiskeyJack:
    Heh. So you're either blind and you can hear the multimedia presentation, or you're deaf and you can read the captions while watching it.

    What if you're blind AND deaf? What's one to do, then?

    Obviously, you rely on both the closed captioning and the audio reading of the text. I certainly wouldn't hire you as an accessibility consultant!

    So you'd be relying on the closed captioning you can't see and the audio reading you can't hear?

    And jokes you can't detect!

    Bah!

    In fairness, the level of humor present was well below the detection threshold for people unaided by specialized instruments.

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