Accessibility as a Foundational Tool for Social Storytelling presented by Rooted in Rights Seattle-based team of disabled video producers, editors, and digital organizers Part of Disability Rights Washington, Washington State’s Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system Rooted in Rights Trailer Video https://youtu.be/P25BUIpA0ng Transcript in first comment Presenters Anna Zivarts, Program Director (she/her) annaz@rootedinrights.org Twitter: @AnnaBikes Allexa Laycock, Associate Editor (she/her) allexal@rootedinrights.org We tell authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, chronic illness, and mental health. We partner with local coalitions and national advocacy campaigns to fight for concrete changes for our community. Accessible social media is one of our initiatives. Goals Understand accessibility from the perspective of a content creator Learn how to integrate accessibility into your workflow, even with inaccessible platforms Captions, Audio Description, Transcripts, Alt-Text Why Make Content Accessible? Goal of social media is connection Disabled folks use social media regularly Accessibility features help non-disabled folks too Accessibility: creating an equal experience for everyone, even though those individual experiences may be different Image description: Photo from an event shows two panelists on a stage with a projection of remote panelists above them. There is an ASL interpreter signing to the audience and a stenographer’s hands are typing on a steno machine as a live transcription is a projected on a screen. CART (Communication access real-time translation) Captioning Captioning in a Couple Minutes Video https://youtu.be/1Z2OYIrxQsw Transcript in first comment Why? d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing folks Cognitive disabilities; easier to understand content when reading along while listening Noisy or ”quiet” area; forgot earbuds at home Noisy: walking around downtown, airports Quiet: offices, riding the bus Open Captions Closed Captions Open Captions - captions always on Closed Captions - user able to toggle on/off, text formats to device or program it’s being viewed on Examples from Facebook mobile app on smartphone phone. Open Captions: great on desktop but too tiny on mobile devices. Close Captions: user able to customize on certain platforms/devices. Reminder: goal is to create equal experiences for everyone. Examples from Facebook mobile app on smartphone phone. Open Captions: great on desktop but too tiny on mobile devices. Closed Captions: user able to customize on certain platforms/devices. Reminder: goal is to create equal experiences for everyone. Open vs. Closed Captions Youtube - Closed Facebook - Closed Instagram - Open Instagram/Facebook Stories - Open Twitter - Open (for now) Tips Subtitles are different than captions Don’t block important visual information Write out your numbers Formatting: capitalize speaker names, use brackets or parentheses for audio information Resources Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Various 3rd party services like Rev or 3Play media Rooted in Rights uses Rev as a starting point Cindy Shares Why Accessibility Matters https://youtu.be/aWFIWKj3mj8 Transcript in first comment on video Why Describe Video https://youtu.be/9EXozGIdFow Transcript in first comment Audio Description AD Audio Description in a Couple Minutes https://youtu.be/XdK0KcVh2wg Transcript in first comment Audio Descriptions (AD) A description of essential visual information necessary to understanding the story and purpose of the video An audio describer describes important visual elements as they occur To simplify, audio description makes it so that if you were to remove the visual component of your video entirely, your story would still make sense as solely an auditory experience. Considerations Speakers (who is speaking) Settings Speaker/setting changes Clothing Body language Actions On-screen text “Visual gags” Example: Wizard of Oz...transition from rural Kansas in sepia to whimsical land of Oz in technicolor. Why? Blind or low vision folks Cognitive disabilities; prefer to just listen instead Distance or obstruction of view of screen Playing TV in the living room while preparing dinner in the kitchen dyslexia, cracked phone screen, sitting in back of room with pillar in the way Tips Talk Your Text Always Introduce (Avoid) Scenes That Are Not Heard Think about AD when scripting - not as an afterthought! Incorporate AD into script when possible. Transcripts The Transcript is Really Necessary https://youtu.be/myxyVIgLG7g Transcript in first comment Transcripts Text version of video; includes audio and visual information You’re halfway there if you’ve created captions! Leave in audio description Downloadable plain text file on website/google docs Copy/pasted as first comment on social post Creating Transcripts Download your .srt file from YouTube Open in TextEdit or Notepad and make sure it is in plain text format Remove the timecode using find and replace Add title following “Transcript of” and “End of Transcript” at the end of the transcript Why? People that use screen readers Create Braille transcript Reach users that can’t stream or download video Quickly search to jump to specific topic or quote Useful for podcasts too! Slow internet connection Alt-Text Alt-Text in 60 Seconds Video https://youtu.be/Xeqzd2WXh-Y Transcript in first comment Alt-Text Text that describes details of an image HTML attribute (metadata) Helpful for people that use screen readers Text still shows when images don’t properly load In the case of slow internet connection or broken image links, the alt-text still shows. Image Descriptions Written text included in share text Typically more descriptive than alt-text [Image: Courtney and Clark from RiR look up to the sky smiling as they wear solar filtered glasses] Why? Most platforms still lack intuitive alt-text features Helps people with visual or cognitive disabilities that don’t use screen readers Text still shows when images don’t properly load Accessibility Perks Low cost, low time commitment once integrated into workflow Closed captions, transcripts, alt-text, and image descriptions can improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) There are other considerations for accessibility but we’ve shared foundational information Understandable to feel overwhelmed; important to start somewhere Accessibility Hacks: Instagram Stories Provide AD and upload on the spot Use Adobe Rush to add AD for photos Add captions through “text” function or other apps Credit: @ocasio2018 Examples of captions when speaking to camera Using “text” function vs. Clipomatic Text considerations: size, contrast, placement, etc. A slow-motion clip of snow falling on a residential street in Seattle. In the lower left corner, there’s a sticker of the House Stark sigil from Game of Thrones that says “Winter is Coming.” Example of adding AD to video without someone speaking to camera, or for a photo Remember: AD includes descriptions of stickers, filters, etc. Make an accessible Instagram Story! Create a video including captions and AD Tag @RootedinRights on social or email link of post to info@rootedinrights.org and we’d love to share it! Make sure it’s public! RootedinRights.org For more on digital accessibility: RootedinRights.org/Access