I originally started another post that would mention this but I\u2019ve decided it deserves a post all on it\u2019s own<\/p>\n
Over the last few days I\u2019ve been playing with the new Xbox features (that\u2019s the post I started, it\u2019s on the way!)<\/p>\n
When I first turned my Xbox on there was a handy little video displayed to explain what all the new features are so I fired it up<\/p>\n
Mrs P was sat next to me and asked<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t supposed it\u2019s got subtitles has it?\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a new reader, my wife is profoundly deaf, she\u2019s currently being assessed to get a cochlear implant next year. You can read about it here (www.thedeafone.co.uk<\/a>) as well talking about her experiences around the CI process she also discusses what it\u2019s like to be \u201cthe deaf one\u201d<\/p>\n I pulled up the display menu and as expected there were no subtitles. If she wanted to find out about the new features either I had to explain them, she\u2019d have to go to the website, or look through the online help<\/p>\n I\u2019ve blogged on here a couple of times about the lack of subtitles in Xbox Video Marketplace, even though it looks like the system supports it, the video description usually lists \u201csubtitles: none\u201d <\/p>\n Since Zune Video was one of the new features I jumped into that to see if anything had changed<\/p>\n Again I was disappointed, where under the old system it looked like there \u201cmay\u201d have been subtitles, this time around the was no mention of subtitles at all<\/p>\n What irritates me a lot about this that I can\u2019t get any definitive answer as to why this is the case or if it\u2019s ever going to change. Most Xbox games are pretty good when it comes to subtitles, in just about every game I\u2019ve played cut scenes and the like have optional subtitles so that the story can be followed. I\u2019m not sure what it\u2019s like on the PS3\/Wii though<\/p>\n While on this, www.deafgamers.com<\/a> reviews games from a deaf standpoint so that as well as talking about the game itself it will highlight if you need to be aware of any issues where a lack of sound would interfere with playing the game. If a game gave instructions on how to control your character via voice over with no visual cues for example<\/p>\n Access for people with disabilities is a problem in the digital world as well as the offline world, when regular people upload videos to youtube they don\u2019t think about adding subtitles. I\u2019m not saying everyone should but one of the most popular sites on the Internet is generally unavailable to anyone with a hearing problem (or a visual problem for that matter!)<\/p>\n Did you know you can add subtitles to youtube videos?<\/p>\n You can add a complete caption file which specifies exactly when each line of word should be spoken or you can upload a transcript and youtube will try and figure out where it should all fit<\/p>\n There is a nice explanation of how this works here: http:\/\/www.google.com\/support\/youtube\/bin\/answer.py?answer=100077<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n However, the tutorial video is on a tiny little screen and has no subtitles\u2026..the irony<\/p>\n I could create a very long list of areas on the Internet that are just off limits to certain groups<\/p>\n I do appreciate this isn\u2019t something that has an easy solution. Broadcasting companies in this country are legally obliged to provide subtitles for 90% of their content<\/a>. What if the program you want to watch is in that 10%. (The BBC are committed to 100% subtitling of content) If we can\u2019t get that sorted on a platform that is under complete control how does a system like the Internet stand a chance?<\/p>\n This is where I think the Xbox platform doesn\u2019t have any excuse. Microsoft 100% control the system. They set standards for the type of content that is and isn\u2019t allowed on their platform so why can\u2019t we get subtitles set as one of those standards? <\/p>\n Zune marketplace in my opinion has NO excuse at all. They are streaming major cinema releases. They have subtitles created for them for use in cinema (again I’ve blogged about this in the past<\/a>!) and for the DVD releases. <\/p>\n Having not tried Sky Player on the website or on the Xbox I can\u2019t comment on their ability to display subtitles. (again, I\u2019ve got an opinion on this too<\/a>) Does anyone know if they can? This another area where there really shouldn\u2019t another reason not to do it<\/p>\n Just for balance there are some technologies that have been a great leveller for deaf people<\/p>\n Email, SMS, Instant messaging, twitter, forums, blogs, facebook, etc, all these services are based around visual functionality first. Some them do have video and audio but it\u2019s the core functionality that means you need the keyboard to communicate means deaf and hearing people alike are on an equal footing<\/p>\n If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the issues a deaf person can face when the digital and analogue worlds cross check out the the \u201cPesky People blog\u201d<\/a>. This blog first came to my attention when it\u2019s writer Alison<\/a> attended the \u201cHello Digital\u201d event in October<\/a>. She had tried to make provisions to attended the event but was badly let down by the organisers and she talks about various disability access issues in depth on the blog \u2013 it\u2019s worth a read!<\/p>\n So will anything change? I don\u2019t know, going on my past experience around deaf issues probably not which is a terrible shame<\/p>\n It would be good if I could get some information from Microsoft as to what there policies are for disability access around the Xbox, especially where Video Marketplace is concerned<\/p>\n Also any opinions you have are welcome. Very few people come across disability issues on a day to day basis because it just doesn\u2019t effect them. What lots of us take for granted as just regular day to day stuff is hard work for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n Did you hear a traffic report on your radio on the way into work today? If you were deaf you would have just driven straight into that five mile tailback<\/p>\n What about calling your credit card company as you\u2019ve been incorrectly billed? Just a five minute call to get that straightened out? Not if your deaf, you either have to use minicom or type talk or get someone to call for you (then they insist on speaking to the account holder) <\/p>\n Just a couple of examples but it happens every day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I originally started another post that would mention this but I\u2019ve decided it deserves a post all on it\u2019s own Over the last few days I\u2019ve been playing with the new Xbox features (that\u2019s the post I started, it\u2019s on the way!) When I first turned my Xbox on there was a handy little video<\/p>\n