Secrets of the City

Another nice local bog entry on this weekend’s Living Green Expo.

I wonder what metroblogging would do if I posted ASL only clips in their comments.

I wonder what metroblogging would do if I posted ASL only clips in their comments.

Deaf Comedy Jam!

I wonder what metroblogging would do if I posted ASL only clips in their comments.

I hesitate to even respond because I don’t think you’re asking because you actually want an answer, you’re just trying to make a point and what you really want to know as a hard of hearing person is how are you supposed to know what other people are saying in their video comments. You could post something and see what happens. I’m not saying it’s an unreasonable question to ask, I’m just going by your history of making similar remarks around here.

You would be posting in another language. It’s like speaking (or writing) in Spanish. A handful of other people will know what you said and no one else will and probably most folks that don’t know it by looking at it will ignore it.

What I (personally) would do is ask someone I know who knows ASL to interpret it for me. And I’m going to ask someone if they know anything about captioning. It has to have come up at Seesmic.

What would you want us to do?

mnblrmkr,

We had a problem here at work with video. We wanted to translate the majority of our web content into ASL using video. We ran into a very unique problem: the videos would not be readable by web readers for the blind, violating our website rules for making content usable for them.

I guess my reason for bringing this up is that it is very hard to make web content accessible to all people with disabilities. There are great tools out there for each disability, but they do not usually play nicely with other tools for other disabilities.

But I think video commenting sucks too. I can’t watch it at work.

What would you want us to do?

Actually, I really was curious what would happen.

Not that you’re wrong about the second part as well, though.

I’m just trying to understand what video comments bring, besides walling off content and shutting people out of the conversation.

Aren’t there going to be others affected as well: People with slow connections or behind firewalls/filters that would block video?

We had a problem here at work with video. We wanted to translate the majority of our web content into ASL using video. We ran into a very unique problem: the videos would not be readable by web readers for the blind, violating our website rules for making content usable for them.

Couldn’t you include an audio track with the video? And since not all deaf/hoh know ASL, you would still need additional formats for them.

All the information is printed in English, so that is the alternative format, I think (I don’t work in Disability Services anymore.) And some is printed in other languages.

I think the issue is that the readers for the blind didn’t know how to deal with the videos correctly. I know they are looking for a solution, but I don’t know if they have found one yet.

It is just a weird situation.

I think the issue is that the readers for the blind didn’t know how to deal with the videos correctly. I know they are looking for a solution, but I don’t know if they have found one yet.

It is just a weird situation.

I guess I’m not following, unless you mean that the readers can’t identify the location of the video on the screen to allow a blind user to start playing it. Because as long as they can start it playing, unless they’re deaf-blind, they should be able to just listen to an audio track.

Seriously, and unrelated to captioning, what exactly does video comments bring to the table?

I think it was the readers can’t identify what it is or how to play it. Or some readers can’t, or something. Basically, we have a rule that says we cannot have video on public websites because of readers for the blind. Even the blind people in the department thought the whole thing was outrageous and were helping to try and get the videos allowed.

Seriously, and unrelated to captioning, what exactly does video comments bring to the table?
A picture says a thousand words. How else are you going to see DeRusha in his jammies?

they should be able to just listen to an audio track.
Since you are HOH you place the emphasis on sound.
Based on your prior reactions if someone were to say “they should be able to just listen to watch the video.” you’d be bouncing off the walls.

Do you comment often on Metblogs or do you just like to feel violated?

That seems to be a pretty extreme position. I don’t think even the Feds go that extreme under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Unless I’m misreading, under 508, video would be fine, as long as the information is made available in some other accessible format. (i.e. you could get away with no captions, as long as you posted a transcript.)

Even a non-reader accessible video player would probably be ok as long as a trasncript containing the same information was accessible to the reader.

Rumor has it that DeRusha wears footie pajamas.

Seriously, and unrelated to captioning, what exactly does video comments bring to the table?
A picture says a thousand words. How else are you going to see DeRusha in his jammies?

Ok, then let him post a picture? Does it add that much value to what he says to justify shutting people out of the conversation?

they should be able to just listen to an audio track.
Since you are HOH you place the emphasis on sound.
Based on your prior reactions if someone were to say “they should be able to just listen to watch the video.” you’d be bouncing off the walls.

You’re misreading the comment. It’s the exact same content, but it’s in a different format. If it’s a video with an audio track, blind people can follow along with that. If you include captions, the deaf/hoh can follow it that way.

Do you comment often on Metblogs…
Does anybody?

Seriously, and unrelated to captioning, what exactly does video comments bring to the table?

Lazier commenting (talking instead of typing)? Someone might actually have a visual aid they want to use? It’s a new toy to play with and who knows what people might actually use it for. People complain about misinterpreting written comments; I bet you sure could tell how someone felt about something if they posted it in a video.

Do you comment often on Metblogs…
Does anybody?

Which is why I was inclined to not take your question seriously, since you’ve only ever left us two comments (both on the same post, six months ago). The only reason I should care what you have to say is because it is worth exploring the larger question of accessiblilty. Not because you as a user of the site actually cared and my response would make a difference to you.

Which is why I was inclined to not take your question seriously, since you’ve only ever left us two comments (both on the same post, six months ago). The only reason I should care what you have to say is because it is worth exploring the larger question of accessiblilty. Not because you as a user of the site actually cared and my response would make a difference to you.

Actually, I did make comment, that got deleted for some unexplained reason, in another thread around Thanksgiving. Not really conducive to encouraging continued participation. But regardless, do you really believe that lurkers get no value from comment threads?

But regardless, do you really believe that lurkers get no value from comment threads?

Do you really believe that 90%+ really get no value from video?

About the dog park, when the river is high be carful of your dog going into the water. The current is mean right now and dogs get washed under.

About the dog park, when the river is high be carful of your dog going into the water. The current is mean right now and dogs get washed under.

When I was there yesterday, I still saw several labs swimming out after stuff and seeming to have a blast even as they swam like crazy against the current. Never an issue for me, since our hound is way too much of a wuss to go out further than wading.

It’s nuts how flooded that place gets every spring.

My dog puked lake water all over the living room floor yesterday when we got home from a dog park. That’s the problem with the dog parks with water, my dog is too stupid to not drink it all up.

But he loves, LOVES, loves to swim, so we let him go.

I don’t know what makes me sadder — that I watched that Lileks vid clip, or that I read all of these comments to see if anyone else did, and no, it was just me…

I watched it. Lileks will probably poke in later to comment, and I bet he has seen it at some time.

Actually, I did make comment, that got deleted for some unexplained reason, in another thread around Thanksgiving. Not really conducive to encouraging continued participation.

Not something we would have done on purpose. If it was that big a deal, why didn’t you email someone and ask about it?

But regardless, do you really believe that lurkers get no value from comment threads?

Then why the snarky comment about how no one comments?

Not something we would have done on purpose. If it was that big a deal, why didn’t you email someone and ask about it?

Because it wasn’t that big a deal. I just move on someplace else.

Then why the snarky comment about how no one comments?

This is mnspeak? It’s Monday? I got sucked in by an anony mouse? I typed faster than I was thinking? Sorry.

Going back to the beginning:
What would you want us to do?

Honestly, I don’t know what to say, barring captions (don’t hold your breath that they have it in their tech, or are even looking at it), or insisting that commenters include a transcript along with their video, other than “Don’t do it?”

All I know is that the internet used to be a great equalizer. Now, it’s isolating and shutting out people with inaccessible content formats.