Involved in the ITU focus Group on AV accessibility
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Mark Magennis is involved in the ITU-T Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility (FG AVA). This is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues. Over the next 18 months, the focus group will work to define the issues, challenges and appropriate approaches in the delivery, use and enjoyment of digital AV media through broadcast, IPTV and mobile platforms. A wide range of issues will be addressed, such as captioning and audio description, receiver equipment and Electronic Programming Guides. This will provide a solid basis for future work by the ITU and other key constituents on the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in this area.
The first meeeting of the Focus Group was held in Geneva. Mark was unable to attend in person but was able to successfully participate remotely using a selection of tools including the GoToMeeting remote desktop access tool, a live audio stream, live real time text transcript and teleconference facility for providing remote input. This proved very effective, though with some areas for improvement. The group hopes to refine it's remote participation tools and procedures to make them maximally effective and accessible.