----- Original Message ----- From: "Terrie Arnold" <tanderson3@xxxxxxxxx> To: "Missouri List" <Missouri-l@xxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 4:53 AM Subject: [Missouri-l] Fw: [acb-l] Harris Corporation and Towson UniversityLaunch Global Effort To Make Radio Accessible to the Hearingand Sight Impaired > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Frank Casey" <frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > To: "acb-nl" <acb-l@xxxxxxx> > Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 8:36 PM > Subject: [acb-l] Harris Corporation and Towson University Launch Global > Effort To Make Radio Accessible to the Hearing and Sight Impaired > > >> Greetings, >> >> Although the press release, below, is rather lengthy, I believe it is >> important reading for all sight and vision impaired consumers. >> >> >> Frank Casey >> frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx >> >> >> >> >> Press Release >> Source: Harris Corporation >> >> NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University Launch Global Effort To >> Make >> Radio Accessible to Hearing and Sight Impaired >> Tuesday January 8, 12:00 pm ET >> First Over-The-Air Transmission From Special CES Station >> >> LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- (LVCC S227) -- NPR, Harris >> Corporation and Towson University today announced a new initiative to >> make >> radio >> more accessible to the hundreds of millions of hearing and visually >> impaired >> people around the world. >> >> At a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the >> three organizations announced the global accessible radio technology >> initiative >> and provided the first live demonstration of the accessible radio >> technology. The group also announced a new research center for developing >> future technologies >> on the campus of Towson University near Baltimore, MD. Additional plans >> call >> for the establishment of an international consortium of equipment >> manufacturers, >> broadcasters and other organizations to help foster broad adoption of the >> initiative. >> >> The initiative will be spearheaded by the three founding organizations >> and >> will leverage cutting-edge HD Radio(TM) technology to enable >> hearing-impaired >> people to "see" live radio content on specially equipped receivers by >> applying television closed-captioning processes to radio broadcasts. The >> technology >> also will provide audio cues and voice prompts, as well as advanced radio >> reading services, for those visually impaired and blind. >> >> "Digital radio technology makes it possible -- for the first time -- to >> serve the sensory impaired," says Mike Starling, vice president and chief >> technology >> officer of NPR. "Beyond developing the technology, this initiative will >> ensure the accessibility of these radio services at minimal costs." >> >> During the press conference, the organizations showcased the first over- >> the-air transmission of the accessible radio technology using a signal >> from >> WX3NPR, >> a special temporary station authorized by the FCC for the live broadcast. >> Attendees at the press conference watched the text transcript of the NPR >> flagship >> morning news magazine "Morning Edition" on the HD Radio receiver's >> viewing >> screen, which is what a hearing-impaired listener will see using the >> technology. >> Additionally, the demonstration carried a digital radio reading service >> that >> will assist the visually impaired with daily readings of current books, >> newspapers >> and magazines. >> >> Following the demonstration, the participating organizations unveiled >> details for the International Center for Accessible Radio Technology >> (ICART), which >> will be headquartered at Towson University in Towson, MD. Towson will >> house >> the primary administrative and academic research office for the >> initiative, >> with NPR Labs in Washington, DC, providing technology R&D and software >> development, and Harris Corporation supplying transmission and research >> support >> at its radio broadcast technology center in Cincinnati, Ohio. >> >> Members of the global initiative went on to detail plans to further study >> and understand the challenges faced by the sensory-impaired population in >> accessing >> radio broadcasts, and develop methodologies to address those issues >> through >> cutting-edge technologies. To ensure that the effort represents the >> widest >> range of participants and fosters the broadest possible adoption, >> organizers >> said they will work to bring together policymakers, broadcasters, >> transmission >> equipment companies and receiver manufacturers from around the world. >> Presently, the initiative has more than a dozen members, representing >> virtually every >> aspect of the "microphone to loudspeaker" chain: broadcasters, network >> content providers, infrastructure and transmission equipment companies, >> and >> receiver >> manufacturers. In addition to founding members NPR, Harris and Towson >> University, supporting organizations include iBiquity Digital >> Corporation, >> Delphi, >> NDS, Radiosophy, Helen Keller Institute, Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family >> National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH(NCAM), Northern Virginia >> Resource Center >> for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, and the G3ict, an Advocacy >> Initiative >> of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development. >> >> NPR, Harris and Towson will jointly determine strategic direction of the >> organization, with assistance from the initiative's full membership. NPR >> will provide >> much of the content, Harris will provide much of the transmission- >> related >> technologies, and Towson will provide research into the needs of the >> sensory-disabled >> population and will house the primary ICART facility on its campus. >> >> "We're working very closely with radio stations around the world to >> ensure >> they have the right technical infrastructure in place for this >> initiative," >> said >> Howard Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris >> Corporation. "The new HD Radio transmission systems we're installing are >> tailor-made >> for this effort, as their digital capabilities will make it relatively >> easy >> for stations to transmit live textual transcripts to HD Radio receivers." >> >> "There is tremendous need for accessible radio for sensory-impaired >> people, >> including the deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, visually impaired, print >> impaired, >> deaf/blind, and mobility impaired," said Dr. Ellyn Sheffield, assistant >> professor of psychology at Towson and co-director of ICART. "There is no >> question >> this initiative will have a profound impact on the quality of millions of >> people's lives. Finally, sensory-disabled individuals will have access to >> all >> radio programming, as well as radio emergency alerts and vital disaster >> recovery information." >> >> HD Radio enables station operators to split their broadcasts up into >> multiple channels, providing several CD-quality channels for their >> audiences. Through >> this accessible radio initiative, a small amount of the total data >> capacity >> will be used to carry textual data that will be shown live on a screen on >> new >> versions of HD Radio receivers, essentially providing a closed- >> captioning >> transcript of live broadcasts for the deaf. Initially, the closed- >> captioning >> text will be created by live, court-reporting-type captioners at >> individual >> stations and networks. Ultimately, the initiative is hoping to leverage >> advanced >> speech-to-text translation software applications that one day allow >> expansion of captioning across the radio dial. Specially equipped HD >> Radio >> receivers >> are in development with several features to provide the visually impaired >> audience with better access to broadcasts, such as audio prompts that >> notify >> which direction the tuner is going, what channel the radio is on, and >> larger, easier-to-read text on the radios. >> >> More than 1,500 radio stations are currently broadcasting in HD Radio in >> the >> United States. Over half of the CPB-qualified stations have been awarded >> HD >> Radio conversion grants by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. >> According to current estimates, by 2010, all 825 public radio stations >> should be broadcasting >> digitally. >> >> More information on the initiative can be found at >> www.i-cart.net. >> >> >> >> ************************************************************ >> Join the Monthly Monetary Support program (MMS) and help improve tomorrow >> today in ACB. >> For details, contact Dr. Ron Milliman, MMS Program Committee Chair, by >> e-mail: >> rmilliman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or by phone at 270-782-9325 and get started >> making >> tomorrow look brighter today in ACB! >> >> * ACB-L is maintained and brought to you as a service * >> * of the American Council of the Blind. * >> -- >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: acb-l-unsubscribe@xxxxxxx >> For additional commands, e-mail: acb-l-help@xxxxxxx >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.0/1216 - Release Date: 1/9/2008 >> 10:16 AM >> > > > To unsubscribe from the Missouri-L list, send an email message to: > Missouri-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxx > with the word, unsubscribe in the subject field. > > Other email lists available from MCB include: > ATI - A general discussion of adaptive technology. 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