Welcome to Media Access Australia
This website provides information on access to media using technology. It covers a wide range of practical information on access issues involving TV, DVDs, cinema, the arts, new media and education; and access technologies including captioning (primarily used by people who are Deaf and hearing impaired) and audio description (primarily used by people who are blind and vision impaired). You will also find information on rules and regulations affecting access, and levels of access on various types of media in Australia and the rest of the world. The key to our service is keeping people up-to-date with the world of accessible media.
New Web Captioned Telephony Trial
Monday, 19 October 2009 07:24
The Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) has launched the trial of a new communications service called the Exchange Web Captioned Telephony (CapTel) to enable millions of Australians who are Deaf or hearing impaired access to phone services.
This new service, funded entirely by ACE, will allow people who are Deaf or hearing impaired to receive supporting captions while talking on the telephone, in real time, via the Internet.
During the trial, more than 500 people will have access to the technology over a two year period.
ACE Chief Executive Officer Sandy Gilliland says that while the technology is relatively simple to use, it has the potential to make a big difference to the everyday lives of people with a hearing difficulty.
“While email, SMS and online chat give hearing impaired Australians greater freedom, none of these modern methods of communication have replaced the need for a simple telephone conversation,” Mr Gilliland said.
Web CapTel works with any type of phone. The important difference is its ability to display every word the caller says as they speak, in a similar manner to captioned television. In fact, the CapTel relay operators undertake similar training and use similar revoicing software to that used by live captioners.
If the user has difficulty hearing what the caller says, he or she can read the captions on the computer screen for clarification.
The CapTel trial was officially launched in Sydney on Friday by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Howard, who is also the Ambassador for Deafness Forum, said, “There are three million Australians, both young and old, who could potentially benefit from this new technology which can bring freedom of expression, independence and ultimately improved quality of life.”
If you’d like more information about the CapTel trial, visit the Australian Communications Exchange Website.
