Abstract: The Web Access Project, a part of the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM; http://www.wgbh.org/ncam), was initiated in early 1996. Its mission is to develop and test technology to make World Wide Web sites accessible to deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or visually impaired users. The Project has developed methods for adding captions and audio descriptions to movie clips, making Web-based multimedia more accessible to users with sensory impairments. NCAM has also worked with Microsoft and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) on tools which allow authors to use a standard markup language and timecode to synchronize multiple sound and text tracks to video. This client-side rendering technique can provide users with easy and flexible access to closed captions and audio descriptions, in addition to foreign language soundtracks and subtitles. This paper examines the work done by the Web Access Project in the field of multimedia, and also explores accessibility issues in future multimedia technology, such as Shockwave, WebTV and Java.
Keywords: Accessible multimedia, Captioning, Disabilities, Accessible web design, Video service
