To be honest, one year ago, I had next to no clue about what media accessibility actually was.
No beating around the bush. That was just the case.
In terms of digital accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), I had come across alt. text and the like before, but I remember being around 17 working on a website and being advised to just use it for SEO purposes.
Sometimes, especially when you’re younger, you don’t think about the bigger picture. Should I have considered: Why was alt text there? What is its purpose? Yes, I probably should have, but at the time, I will have just been wanting to impress, and so you get your head down and crack on.
But now, looking back. It would be nice to go back in time and re-assess my view of alt. text, but here we are.
I’m not here to discuss WCAG really. But it’s important to know my starting position, because I would say that it is reflective of a portion of the media industry.
I was aware of British Sign Language (BSL), voiceovers and subtitles, but just didn’t give them too much thought.
That’s simply because I came from a privileged position of being fully hearing and sighted. I don’t remember being taught about accessibility in education. And if you aren’t taught about something, and you don’t know anyone directly who is blind or deaf, it may not be something that crosses your mind until you’re older.
And that, for me, was the case with media accessibility.
But now having worked in the space for a year, indulged myself in all types of media accessibility and services that we at VoiceBox offer, I can honestly say that I won’t look past it again.
There is so much I’ve learnt, which I will explore in this blog:
Just how many people are affected
I didn’t know what I expected stats-wise – but it wasn’t that as many as 18 million adults in the UK are deaf, hard of hearing or have tinnitus. That’s one in three.
Other stats relating to media accessibility in the UK that I didn’t know before include:
- More than 2 million people live with sight loss
- There are around 151,000 BSL users
- Of those, 87,000 BSL users are deaf
- There are 30,000 Braille users
The depth of services
Until learning about the offering at media accessibility companies, I had no idea how many services there are.
There is something to support every type of person, which I love!
For example:
- For deaf and hard of hearing people: There are live captions, subtitles (as used in the Premier League), sign language interpreters and audio induction loops.
- For blind or partially sighted people: There is audio description, voiceover, Braille, large print (for the partially sighted), and accessible PDFs and documents.
There are so many useful media accessibility services. But, unfortunately, it’s not often that they are all used to support all kinds of different needs.
Think about it, not everyone who is deaf knows BSL, so subtitles are still important to provide. But around 22,000 people in England and Wales consider BSL to be their first language so you also should be able to cater to their preferences to give them the best experience.
This is what I’m getting at. To look after all audiences, there are so many options and ways of considering them. It’s just a case of whether you want to and then, if budget allows.
I’ve learnt that we would advise advice that accessibility is a sliding scale and taking some steps to be accessible is better than not being accessible at all.
How AI can support media accessibility
Previously, before starting this role, I had no idea how AI could support media accessibility. It’s just not something I would have considered.
Perhaps if I would have been asked, AI subtitles made sense, but I wasn’t knowledgeable on the topic.
In terms of AI, I used to think it was all bad. But since I have re-framed my thinking because it certainly has benefits, when used in the right way.
For example, AI helps make media more accessible because it is cheaper and faster than human alternatives. Therefore, it can cater to projects with smaller budgets or tighter turnarounds.
Some of the ways AI can support here include:
- AI subtitles
- AI dubbing
- AI voiceovers
- AI live captions
Of course, it goes without saying that if you want guaranteed accuracy and you may need a professional output, human services are the best here.
If there is no room for error in a medical webinar for example, you need a guarantee of accuracy. AI live captions (with average accuracy rates of 70% – 85%) won’t be suited.
But there is a time and a place for AI solutions.
On the whole, they have a positive impact because even if AI options are not perfect, they are better than not being accessible at all. And it’s only getting better.
So, just over a year on, I can now confidently say I know a lot more about media accessibility and having read a lot, spoken to affected people, I now know why it’s so important and I will forever be a champion of making media more accessible.