Lew The UK has produced hundreds of audio described DVDs, and the number showing up each year seems to be increasing. The AD track is another option on the DVD, so you just buy a standard copy and choose the second English audio track. I'd also say that the amount of audio description provided in UK cinemas seems to have drastically increased in the last year or so, at least where I live.
Sky also provide a talking service to help use their TV offerings. I'm not sure how much access it actually gives as I don't have Sky, but it's certainly advertised as speaking channel selections, pause/play controls, etc. As far as I know, the iPhone app for Sky is also accessible, so you can schedule recordings independently. Cheers. Laura On Apr 29, 8:03 am, Lewis Alexander <freemacsforthebl...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Jenny, I'm glad I've been listening to this thread. > > From my experience on this, Here in the UK, though there is audio description > to TV shows via new digital TV's, there still isn't a spoken user interface > to allow access to various menus, same on DVD players, recorders, etc. I've > not yet come across a single audio described DVD in my time. > > Support for blind and visually impaired people in most parts of the UK is > absolutely shocking. as an example, in education, I'm here in Wales (a > lottery win would see me leaving here as soon as possible), throughout my > education life, both visually impaired and blind, I've been let down and lied > to, given useless equipment which constantly failed, the wrong software, > extremely poor braille training, etc. the only good thing that came from it > was mobility training through RNIB instead of social services rehab > department. > > There was a point where mobility aids were free but now they're not, so I > have to pay about £300 per year on canes and tips due to high usage and > certain occasions where thugs in our area attack me destroying the cane for > "fun", so replacement canes are kept by. > > If you apply for funding, it's virtually non existent, not only that but the > rulings given have no sense nor structure. so if you need adaptive equipment, > not a chance, it's sell what you own or get into debt, that's my experience > on that matter. > > Why is it when you walk into a store and ask for help, you get a useless > person who hasn't a clue of how to assist you? I get this all the time... I > may as well appear as a muppet on the Muppet Show.. You ask to be guided and > they go without you, they say " it's over there", don't describe the items, > etc. So what's the bloomin use of them in the first place. > > Then of course the ultimate insult. to be blind and wanting to work for > companies here is a joke. Though I'm highly qualified and have all the right > requirements, because of being blind, there are 3 main areas that stop me > from working for a firm. 1: disability discrimination by the interviewer or > company, 2: Health and Safety regulations acts, 3: employer insurance costs. > > I've been in the IT game for myself for a while and don't mind it, but my > main skills are as a cabinet maker, having been trained by my grandfather who > was a master cabinet maker / carpenter. so I took on his work after his > retirement, so I'm the last in the line of the family in the trades and am > keeping that alive. I'm fine working for myself, but if I were to work for a > joinery company, they couldn't take me on for the amount of HSE red tape > nonsense. This stops us experienced folk from doing our jobs and putting us > out of work and I'm sick of it. > > I do some work with a company as a product demonstrator / endorser of their > products as I use them every day in the workshop and it's ridiculous how all > this nonsense gets in the way. > > Anyway, I also agree that here in the UK, if you're in a wheel chair, deaf, > etc you receive more support, blind and visually impaired people don't matter > and we're being ripped off with rubbish services, etc. Education is a total > mess where mainstream education should be the best option and is instead > hampered by people who cannot cater for a blind or visually impaired person's > needs and LEGAL RIGHTS. > > anyway, enough from me on that matter and I agree with your statements. This > world needs to open it's eyes to how we have to survice in this world and > that we should be treeted with the utmost respect and care, given the same > rights as the rest of the world and granted the support we need to be able to > achieve what our SIGHTED, able bodied equals should and are able to do. > > lew > > On 29 Apr 2012, at 01:40, Jenny Keller wrote: > > > > > > > > > Well, In my humble opinion, equality isn't there, so that, isn't fair > > treatment. the Americans with Disabilities Act should include the blind or > > visually \impaired just as vigorously as it does every other disability in > > this country. > > > there aren't any services, that I know of at this point, that the visually > > impaired community, or blind community receive that anyone else would > > consider unfair. > > > Believe me, I've been almost totally blind all my life, and I can say from > > experience, that the simplest things that I've needed have had to be > > justified by education or work, which I can work because of other physical > > disabilities, and for education, I wasn't given the option of being taught > > braille in the beginning because I had some sight. So I can say out of > > experience, there isn't anything that I own, that I didn't beg, borrow, or > > barter, or finance within an inch of my disability, to get. > > > to be very frank, there are a lot of things, such as that bar code reader > > they have on special on financing, which I can't afford, that my husband > > and I desperately need,, that I'll never be able to have. Only because I > > can't justify it to the government because we're not working. > > > We both have physical limitations to prevent us from doing so, but because > > of that, we don't have the opportunity for the simplest and most basic of > > things to help us with independent cooking and identification skills. > > > so I don't have a problem downloading anything that is descriptive from > > that site because I'm tired of being left out because I'm not able to work > > and can't afford the opportunities that I should get for things that others > > can. If I lived in the UK, things would be a lot different, and if I could > > get on a plane and become a citizen to the United Kingdom, I certainly > > would in, well, a New York minute. > > > to make this apple related, the only reason I have this machine is because > > I had to put up with my Dad's crap and constant criticism for him to buy it > > for me. > > > If it weren't for that, we wouldn't even be talking. > > > Jenny > > On Apr 28, 2012, at 7:06 PM, Ricardo Walker wrote: > > >> Hi, > > >> Keep in mind, fair doesn't always mean equal. I'm sure if we looked hard > >> enough, we can find some services offered exclusively to those who are > >> visually impaired and or blind. > > >> Ricardo Walker > >> rica...@appletothecore.info > >> Twitter:@apple2thecore > >>www.appletothecore.info > > >> On Apr 28, 2012, at 6:11 PM, Jenny Keller <jlperd...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >>> In my opinion, accessible movies, TV shows, appliances, etc, should fall > >>> under the ADA. > > >>> Not to be politically incorrect here, but if people in wheelchairs can > >>> get them for free and most places are made to be accessible for them, and > >>> the deaf get closed captioning for almost every TV show and eventually > >>> DVD, and TTY phones and free relay services, then why isn't it mandatory > >>> that we get the same consideration. > > >>> The fact is, we don't, and in my opinion, if we have to go to other > >>> sources to get it because this wonderful country of ours, who makes other > >>> disabilities have accessible products and services as mandatory, then we > >>> have do do it until we get our fair shake. > > >>> It's fairness to all, or it shouldn't be for any. > > >>> Go red, white, and blue:( > > >>> Jenny > >>> On Apr 28, 2012, at 1:37 PM, Christine Grassman wrote: > > >>>> Arguably, anything beyond the things required for daily living is a > >>>> luxury. Plenty of people do not have computers or TV's. I personally > >>>> have found a greater appreciation for movies and television shows when > >>>> they are described, and it is exceedingly frustrating when one cannot > >>>> watch a foreign film or dialogue-poor show. The level of audio > >>>> description in the UK versus what is available in the U.S. is astounding > >>>> -- in fact, the bulk of the audio description is done in Great Britain. > >>>> I remember not going to action movies with peers when I was younger, or > >>>> not being invited, because no one wanted to describe them to me. I > >>>> remember people becoming annoyed when my mother quietly described what > >>>> was going on in a movie. > >>>> Even important information on news broadcasts is flashed across screens. > >>>> If it is possible to accommodate the print-disabled and visually > >>>> impaired in one country, it is possible in another. We should not have > >>>> to pick and choose among "luxuries" -- Shopping for appliances is > >>>> another nightmare; I am tired of having to get someone to go over touch > >>>> screens and controls with me so that I can memorize, mark controls, or > >>>> make charts so that I can use something for which I paid full price. > >>>> Even companies which advertise that they have "accessible manuals" > >>>> either do not actually provide them or only provide them in shorter, > >>>> slimmed-down versions. > >>>> If something is accessible to people who want it and can afford it, it > >>>> should be accessible to all. Not only is their a fairness component, but > >>>> a social component: culturally, experientially, we are better integrated > >>>> into the social fabric of our societies when we have independent, > >>>> real-world access to the things our peers take for granted. > >>>> Christine > >>>> show > >>>> On Apr 28, 2012, at 1:34 PM, Eugenia Firth wrote: > > >>>>> Hi guys. > >>>>> I love audio description as much as any blind person could. Before you > >>>>> couldn't get them, I bought several movies on those tapes, movies I > >>>>> wanted to watch again. However, and maybe I'm showing my age here, but > >>>>> I consider audio description to be a luxury for us. I watched movies > >>>>> and TV just fine before we got it. > > >>>>> Computer accessibility, however, including the Internet's > >>>>> accessibility, has become an increasingly frustrating necessity. I > >>>>> don't have statistics to back up my opinion, but I think we delude > >>>>> ourselves if we think we are a money-making proposition. Poor Apple has > >>>>> been braver than everybody else by jumping into the quicksand of > >>>>> accessibility. If the good folks in Cupertino are sorry they they made > >>>>> the plunge, they are being smart enough to be quiet about it. I think > >>>>> they will be better off than everyone else in that regard eventually, > >>>>> especially when the feds get involved in evaluating accessibility the > >>>>> education arena. At least Apple will have no trouble, unlike > > ... > > read more » -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
