Category: News and Views
Sesame Street DVDs Accessible To Blind Children
Millions of children who are blind or have low vision now have the
opportunity to fully experience one of America's most beloved children's
programs on DVD.
(For Immediate Release, New York, July 1, 2005) - Sesame Workshop, the
nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, Sony Wonder and The
National Captioning Institute (NCI), announce the introduction of audio
description on Sesame Street DVDs to make these programs accessible to
children who are blind or have low vision.
NCI's Described Media division will describe three new Sesame Street DVDs
scheduled to be released later this summer and this fall. "Friends to the
Rescue" will be released on August 2. "All Star Alphabet" will be available
on September 6. "Elmo Visits the Doctor" debuts on DVD on October 4.
"We are thrilled to introduce audio description to our upcoming home video
titles", says Heather Hanssen, Director of Video Business Development,
Sesame Workshop. This technology will enable our videos to be accessible to
millions of blind and low vision children. Sesame Workshop has always been
committed to bringing Sesame Street's rich content and beloved characters to
all children with the hopes of fostering a love of learning. With
descriptions, visually impaired children will have the opportunity to "see"
the images through the descriptions of the visual elements and therefore be
able to embrace the full educational value of these DVD's".
Christopher Gray, President of the American Council of the Blind, praised
the development. "Sesame Street has been a leader in children's television
for so long and I applaud their taking the lead in adding description to
their DVDs. Now whenever they want to pop in a DVD, blind kids can follow
along and enjoy the antics of all the Sesame Street characters."
Sesame Street descriptions are not only for those who are blind or have low
vision. All children can appreciate and benefit from the carefully selected
words and phrases used to describe the visual elements of the program. The
descriptions allow children to enhance their vocabulary and articulation
skills as well as improve their understanding of word associations. In
addition, descriptions allow parents and other family members who are
visually impaired to enjoy these videos along with the children.
"Sony Wonder is very excited to offer video description on Sesame Street
DVDs. This feature will bring the content to "life" for children who are
blind or vision impaired - allowing them to fully embrace the total
experience of timeless, entertaining and educational programming", Alan
Fergurson, Senior VP, Video Sales & Distribution, Sony Wonder.
Description provides access to television and prerecorded video programming
for people who are blind or have low vision, an estimated audience of over
12 million Americans. This detailed process provides concise and vivid
descriptions of a program's visual elements enabling viewers to "see"
colors, costumes, settings, facial expressions, gestures and actions.
Description writers carefully select words that bring lasting images to life
that not only enable those who are visually impaired to enjoy televised or
recorded programs, but also enhance the experience for all program viewers.
Selected descriptions are added during pauses in the dialogue within the
program without disrupting the original soundtrack.
"NCI is excited to partner with Sesame Workshop to add descriptions to these
Sesame Street DVDs. This technology, coupled with closed captions and the
educational content of the programs, will help contribute to the development
of sophisticated language skills for all children," stated Jack Gates,
President and CEO, NCI Operations.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful
difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the
Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today,
the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries,
using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and
products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning
programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, and ground
breaking multi-media productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. These
are among many Workshop endeavors recognized for their deep understanding of
children's developmental needs and the most effective ways to address them.
As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of
Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Sagwa products right back into its
educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online
at <
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/>
www.sesameworkshop.org.
Sony Wonder is the children's and family division of Sony BMG Entertainment.
With offices in the Washington, DC metropolitan area; Burbank, CA; Dallas,
TX; and London, England, the nonprofit National Captioning Institute is the
global captioning leader, supplying the highest-quality closed captioning,
audio description and related services for broadcast and cable television,
home video and DVD, and government and corporate video programming.
PRESS CONTACTS
Ray Hammerman/Sesame Workshop Jay Feinberg/NCI (212) 875-6434 (703) 917-7600
(V/TTY)
<
mailto:ray.hammerman@sesameworkshop.org>
ray.hammerman@sesameworkshop.org
(703) 917-9853 (fax) <
mailto:jfeinberg@ncicap.org>
jfeinberg@ncicap.org
Joel Snyder
Director, Described Media
National Captioning Institute
1900 Gallows Road, Suite 3000
Vienna, VA 22182
Direct Line-703 917-7693
Fax-703 917-9878; V/TTY-703 917-7600
jsnyder@ncicap.org