scholarly journals From image to text to speech: the effects of speech prosody on information sequencing in audio description

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maija Hirvonen ◽  
Mari Wiklund
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Text To Speech ◽  
High Pitch ◽  
Speech Prosody ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Pitch Level ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Partially Sighted

Abstract Given the extensive body of research in audio description – the verbal-vocal description of visual or audiovisual content for visually impaired audiences – it is striking how little attention has been paid thus far to the spoken dimension of audio description and its para-linguistic, prosodic aspects. This article complements the previous research into how audio description speech is received by the partially sighted audiences by analyzing how it is performed vocally. We study the audio description of pictorial art, and one aspect of prosody is examined in detail: pitch, and the segmentation of information in relation to it. We analyze this relation in a corpus of audio described pictorial art in Finnish by combining phonetic measurements of the pitch with discourse analysis of the information segmentation. Previous studies have already shown that a sentence-initial high pitch acts as a discourse-structuring device in interpreting. Our study shows that the same applies to audio description. In addition, our study suggests that there is a relationship between the scale in the rise of pitch and the scale of the topical transition. That is, when the topical transition is clear, the rise of pitch level between the beginnings of two consecutive spoken sentences is large. Analogically, when the topical transition is small, the change of the sentence-initial pitch level is also rather small.

scholarly journals Accommodating the Syllabus to Visually Impaired Students in the English Language Classroom

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
Ana-Isabel Martínez-Hernández ◽  
Begoña Bellés-Fortuño
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
English Language ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Accurate Assessment ◽  
Language Test ◽  
Text To Speech ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Visually Impaired Students ◽  
Partially Sighted

The inclusion of students with disabilities in the education system results in content or assessment accommodations to suit the students’ special needs and to ensure they have acquired the objectives listed in the curriculum. In this paper, we aim at proposing different ways to accommodate a university English language test to a partially blind student who used text-to-speech tools (TTS) in order to provide them with accurate assessment. To carry out this research, the student has been monitored throughout the course to see which accommodations fit their1 needs best. All in all, we have observed that read-aloud accommodations lead to a better inclusion of the partially sighted student and better performance.

scholarly journals Stories, journeys and smart maps: an approach to universal access

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Wang ◽  
Danny Crookes ◽  
Sue-Ann Harding ◽  
David Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Universal Access ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Emotional Engagement ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Reception Study ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Museum Experience ◽  
Interactive Map ◽  
Partially Sighted

AbstractThis paper proposes a new approach to universal access based on the premise that humans have the universal capacity to engage emotionally with a story, whatever their ability. Our approach is to present the “story” of museum resources and knowledge as a journey, and then represent this journey physically as a smart map. The key research question is to assess the extent to which our “story” to journey to smart map’ (SJSM) approach provides emotional engagement as part of the museum experience. This approach is applied through the creation of a smart map for blind and partially sighted (BPS) visitors. Made in partnership with Titanic Belfast, a world-leading tourist attraction, the interactive map tells the story of Titanic’s maiden voyage. The smart map uses low-cost technologies such as laser-cut map features and software-controlled multi-function buttons for the audio description (AD). The AD is enhanced with background effects, dramatized personal stories and the ship’s last messages. The results of a reception study show that the approach enabled BPS participants to experience significant emotional engagement with museum resources. The smart model also gave BPS users a level of control over the AD which gave them a greater sense of empowerment and independence, which is particularly important for BPS visitors with varying sight conditions. We conclude that our SJSM approach has considerable potential as an approach to universal access, and to increase emotional engagement with museum collections. We also propose several developments which could further extend the approach and its implementation.

Approaches to Increasing Assertive Behavior and Communication Skills in Blind and Visually Impaired Persons

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 794-798
Author(s):  
Rona L. Harrell ◽  
Felice A. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Assertive Behavior ◽  
Structured Intervention ◽  
Impaired Person ◽  
Assertion Training ◽  
Partially Sighted ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Many visually impaired individuals are found to be too passive or too aggressive in their social interactions. Lack of assertive behavior is related to the concept of learned helplessness. Components of assertive behavior are described with suggestions for enabling the visually impaired person to develop these skills. The underlying concepts of assertion training are explained along with specific techniques to be utilized in the school or rehabilitative setting. With a structured intervention resulting in improved assertiveness skills, blind or partially sighted individuals can increase their effectiveness in communicating with others and can feel more in control of their lives.

The Influence of Visual Impairment on Physical Fitness Test Performance

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 729-731
Author(s):  
Francis X. Short ◽  
Joseph P. Winnick
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Physical Fitness Test ◽  
Fitness Test ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Partially Sighted

The Project UNIQUE Physical Fitness Test was administered to 686 normally sighted and 484 visually impaired subjects in the 10-17 age range. Significant differences favoring the normally sighted were found for each of the six test items. The severity of the visual impairment was a significant factor on the two running items. Partially sighted subjects made better scores than legally blind subjects on the 50-yard dash and long-distance run. No significant differences between partially sighted and blind subjects were found for the non-running items in the test battery (skinfolds, grip strength, sit-ups and sit and reach). Findings suggested that, depending upon the purpose of the assessment, physical fitness test scores of the visually impaired generally should be compared to specially designed norms and that, on the running items, separate norms should be utilized for the blind and partially sighted.

Visual Impairment is Not Blindness

1971 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 334-336
Author(s):  
Benjamin Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Essential Difference ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Functional Potential ◽  
Blind Persons ◽  
Partially Sighted ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

□ Visual impairment is not necessarily blindness and the requirements of visually impaired persons are in many ways significantly different from those of blind persons. All too often agencies for the blind have not distinguished between these different requirements in providing services. The essential difference is that blind persons must rely on their other senses in order to function, while partially sighted persons must be helped to use whatever vision they have in coordination with their other senses. In providing services to partially sighted persons, the following basic principles should be considered: 1) Full service requires the cooperation of medical, physical, and behavioral specialists; 2) Services for partially sighted clients should be individualized on the basis of their differences in degree and quality of sight; 3) Whatever vision the client has should be augmented or strengthened through either mechanical or physical means; and 4) Clients should be helped to enhance their perception to its maximum functional potential.

scholarly journals Audio Description from a discourse perspective: a socially relevant framework for research and training

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Braun
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Global Coherence ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Partially Sighted ◽  
And Training

The topic of this paper is Audio Description (AD) for blind and partially sighted people. I will outline a discourse-based approach to AD focussing on the role of mental modelling, local and global coherence, and different types of inferences (explicatures and implicatures). Applying these concepts to AD, I will discuss initial insights and outline questions for empirical research. My main aim is to show that a discourse-based approach to AD can provide an informed framework for research, training and practice.

scholarly journals A Hands-Free Obstacle Detection and Avoidance System

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 801-804
Author(s):  
M. Abdul-Niby ◽  
M. Alameen ◽  
O. Irscheid ◽  
M. Baidoun ◽  
H. Mourtada
Keyword(s):  
Obstacle Avoidance ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Text To Speech ◽  
Voice Signal ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
The Voice

In this paper, we present a low cost hands-free detection and avoidance system designed to provide mobility assistance for visually impaired people. An ultrasonic sensor is attached to the jacket of the user and detects the obstacles in front. The information obtained is transferred to the user through audio messages and also by a vibration. The range of the detection is user-defined. A text-to-speech module is employed for the voice signal. The proposed obstacle avoidance device is cost effective, easy to use and easily upgraded.

scholarly journals Creating an Authentic Experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Sarah Osolen ◽  
Leah Brochu
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Library Service ◽  
National Network ◽  
Narrative Story ◽  
The Walking Dead ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Walking Dead

While working as production assistants for the National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS), an organization that creates and shares accessible versions of books to people with print disabilities, we were tasked with a challenging request from a user: Could we make an accessible version of the comic book The Walking Dead? Audio description services are available to the visually impaired in a few different venues such as television, movies, and live theatre. Guidelines for the creation of these descriptive texts are available to potential creators, but in our case, we could find nothing that would help guide us to create a described comic book. While some people and organizations have created prose novelizations of comic books, these simply tell the story, and do not include the unique visual aspects of reading a comic book. We have found that it is possible to create a balanced description that combines the visual grammar of a comic with the narrative story. In addition to creating a described comic book, we are developing guiding documentation that will be a necessary tool to ensure that visually impaired readers have a comic book experience (CBE) that (a) closely matches the CBE of a sighted reader, and (b) is standardized across producers, so that the onus of understanding the approach to comic book description (CBD) is not put on the visually impaired reader. At this point in our work, we need more feedback from users with print disabilities to ensure we are meeting the highest standards.

scholarly journals Building a natural sounding Text-To-Speech system for the Nepali language: research and development challenges and solutions

Gipan ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 106-116
Author(s):  
Roop Shree Ratna Bajracharya ◽  
Santosh Regmi ◽  
Bal Krishna Bal ◽  
Balaram Prasain
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Speech Synthesis ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Synthesis Method ◽  
Text To Speech ◽  
Synthesis System ◽  
Unit Selection ◽  
Language Research ◽  
Shed Light

Text-to-Speech (TTS) synthesis has come far from its primitive synthetic monotone voices to more natural and intelligible sounding voices. One of the direct applications of a natural sounding TTS systems is the screen reader applications for the visually impaired and the blind community. The Festival Speech Synthesis System uses a concatenative speech synthesis method together with the unit selection process to generate a natural sounding voice. This work primarily gives an account of the efforts put towards developing a Natural sounding TTS system for Nepali using the Festival system. We also shed light on the issues faced and the solutions derived which can be quite overlapping across other similar under-resourced languages in the region.

Quality Assessment in Audio Description

2019 ◽  
pp. 155-177
Author(s):  
Louise Fryer
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
European Research ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Research Project ◽  
European Research Project ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Training Materials ◽  
Professional Profile ◽  
Partially Sighted

Audio description (AD) is one of the younger modes of translation. It shares many similarities with interpreting, although AD users have specific needs because they are blind or partially sighted. As quality is of concern in both fields, this chapter explores the overlaps to see what can be learned for AD from research already carried out in interpreting. Macro and micro criteria suggested for each discipline are compared, and describer competencies are discussed in the context of AdlabPRO, a European research project that seeks to define the professional profile of an audio describer and develop training materials and courses. The chapter concludes that assessment protocols and rating scales developed for interpreting might be adopted for AD, after appropriate adaptation to accommodate areas where the fit is incomplete. These include synchrony and the need for the AD to be considered, not in isolation, but in relation to the existing audio elements of the source text (ST).

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