About

Increasingly, user preference is driving digital innovations. This trend is noticeable in practice as digital television and broadband services converge to deliver media online through streaming platforms, which include media accessibility provision such as audio description (AD), i.e. a verbal commentary describing visual content, originally intended for visually impaired audiences.
The traditional AD format for film and audiovisual materials is highly time constrained. AD narration needs to fit in gaps in the existing audio track, leaving little opportunity to cover everything that is potentially relevant for the target audience. The issue is compounded by an increasing demand for AD or similar assistive commentaries that meet the needs of other diverse audiences, beyond the visually impaired.
Some currently available streaming technologies make it possible to record extended AD narratives for audiovisual content and to play them back while the video is automatically paused, although the potential of this feature for resolving current issues with the delivery of AD and repurposing AD for diverse audiences has not yet been explored.
Aimed at opening AD for a wider range of audiences, this interdisciplinary research will investigate the feasibility of a novel approach to creating AD narratives. This approach will focus on creating a core description that meets standard AD specifications, complemented by add-on modules to support personalisation for cognitively and visually challenged audiences whilst avoiding duplication of work in the production process (to cater for different audiences) and ensuring a cohesive narrative for the recipients.
The approach will be tested through a reception study to improve our understanding of cognitive audiovisual accessibility and evaluate whether the addition of bespoke extended commentaries to generic descriptions can aid user comprehension and enhance their viewing experience. The flexibility of the modular approach offers an all-inclusive model, designed to meet specific access needs of different user groups.