"Inside the darkened Steve Jobs theater, the screens of iPhones and MacBooks
glow. Now the house lights dim, and a video plays on a large display behind
center-stage."
Those are the first words of a new audio track available for the Apple
Special Event held in September 2019, which gave details of Apple's
groundbreaking new hardware, software and services. This event had the
tagline "By Innovation Only", which was fitting for the devices and services
showcased at the event.
But in addition to the technological innovations that Apple executives
proudly demonstrated, Apple also provided an innovation for viewers with
vision impairment and viewers who find it useful to have verbal descriptions
of visual elements on the screen. It is possible to watch the September
2019 Apple Special Event with audio descriptions.
People who are blind have typically struggled to understand the marketing
videos shown at these events, which sometimes consist of a series of images
with little dialogue to accompany them.
Thanks to the new audio track for audio descriptions, blind people will
struggle no more. Blind viewers can now appreciate the videos that were
shown for more than just their soundtrack. For example, a blind viewer
listening to the audio descriptions for the event can now know that the
video played at the start of the event charts the evolution of Apple
technology and shows a large number of Apple products available today.
Blind viewers now have access to the same information as sighted viewers.
So how can people access the audio descriptions?
Visit the Apple events webpage at:
www.apple.com/apple-events <http://www.apple.com/apple-events>
You will need to visit this webpage on a device that allows you to choose
alternate audio tracks; you can do this on devices manufactured by Apple.
On that page, choose to view the September 2019 event, and then activate the
Play button.
If you have enabled the setting to prefer audio descriptions, the video
should start playing with audio descriptions automatically.
Otherwise, activate the button which has the label "Media Selection" or
similar. Then, choose the audio track labelled "English Audio Description
AD".
You cannot access the audio descriptions if you watch the event through the
Apple Keynotes podcast in the Podcasts app.
Which Apple Special events have audio descriptions available?
As of December 2019, audio descriptions are only available for the Apple
Special Event held in September 2019.
Audio descriptions are not available for events held earlier than September
2019.
Hopefully Apple plans to ensure that audio descriptions will be available
for the recordings of events to be held in the future. Thank you, Apple. I
feel confident in saying that this feature is bound to make many fans of
Apple products who have vision impairment very excited.
Blind people can now marvel in the pioneering technology that Apple
announces at its events more fully than was previously possible.
Having access to audio descriptions will allow blind people to appreciate
the grandeur of the videos that are shown at Apple events, which some people
say are the highlight of the events.
Once again, Apple has demonstrated their commitment to accessibility.
Submitted by TJT 2001 at:
www.applevis.com
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