IBM Announces Tool to Help Visually Impaired 'See' Internet Multimedia

Millions of senior citizens may experience streaming video, animation

March 25, 2007 - IBM has announced a first-of-its-kind emerging technology that helps blind and visually impaired people experience streaming video and animation on the Internet. It is estimated that there are more than 161 million people with these impairments and the vast majority are senior citizens.

The multimedia browsing accessibility tool hasn't been named yet, according to Information Week. "Chieko Asakawa, a senior accessibility researcher at IBM who has been blind since the age of 14, spearheaded the development of the new software out of frustration with streaming video," IW says. It was designed at IBM's Tokyo Research Laboratory.

The emergence of multimedia content has raised usage levels of Web content. Yet people with low or no vision have not been able to enjoy the benefits of these advances. Screen-reading software and self-talking browsers cannot handle multimedia applications, which are designed for intuitive visual use. Visually impaired users cannot see multimedia control buttons appear on a screen.

In addition, the audio of a streaming video --- which automatically starts playing after the page is loaded --- interferes with a synthesized assistive voice from screen-reading software, a vital assistant for visually impaired users. Furthermore, most multimedia content operates with a mouse rather than keyboard, making it impossible for visually impaired people to use it.

The new multimedia browsing accessibility tool offers people with visual impairment the same multimedia control features sighted people see and operate with a mouse.

To enjoy a streaming video on video sharing websites, for example, visually impaired people can select the "play" button by simply pressing a predefined shortcut key to control the media instead of roaming the content to search for buttons to control the video. The tool also allows users to control video replay speed, volume and even speed up the sound since to people with visual impairment, listening to the sound streaming video offers is painfully slow.

"The new multimedia browsing accessibility tool will enable persons with visual impairments the opportunity to access dynamic multimedia web content, quickly and easily. This tool is another example of IBM Research developing innovative solutions for persons with disabilities," said Chieko Asakawa who leads accessibility research at IBM's Tokyo Research Laboratory.

The new multimedia browsing accessibility tool can adjust the volume of an individual source, allowing users to identify and listen to different sound sources including screen-reading software and the sound of a video. If a content creator wants to offer a voice narrative to a video, the new accessibility tool provides the flexibility of metadata, which contains a text script explaining what is happening on screen.

The tool automatically makes adjustments to let voice guidance synchronizes with the video, even with the speed control capability.

"IBM has a long history of developing innovative solutions for persons with disabilities, and the new multimedia browsing accessibility tool is another example of IBM innovation that will enhance the web experience for persons with visual impairments," said Frances West, director, IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center.

IBM plans to open source (make available for others to help develop) the new multimedia browsing accessibility tool to accelerate the enhancement and adoption of the tool to make multimedia contents accessible for visually impaired.

"IBM has developed other technologies for the visually impaired, including a talking browser and programs that help people with visual impairments adjust font sizes and color contrast on Web pages," reports Information Week.

IBM (www.03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/TechWatch.wss)