Adept Newsletter - Issue 4
Disability Equality & Accessible
Information
Information
comes in many forms: printed or electronic documents, audio-visual presentations,
publications, business stationery, videos or films. Making it accessible
means the choice of an alternative format or media – known as transcription.
Most
common formats
Braille – a tactile format embossed onto paper
Audio Cassette & CD – indexed for navigation
and used for second language, word and print access
Large print – usually between 18pt and 36pt font
size
Electronic formats – such as Word/Email enable
use of voice synthesisers on PC's and individual adjustments by user
Picture-supported language – text supported by
pictures
Easy Read – 18 point plain English supported by
pictures and audio
BSL & subtitles – video correspondence or added
to video to support the audio content
Audio description – adds description of non-verbal
activity
Types of transcription
Whether you outsource or provide in-house, there are usually two types of service:
1 - Comprehensive service, which aims to provide the same content and quality as the original document. It requires editing and quality checking to retain the full complexity of the original documents, e.g. house style, logos, diagrams.
2
- Express service, which turns around documents in a much shorter time
scale, and is primarily used for small plain text documents that do not
require quality checking, house style, logos or diagrams.
Good
Practice
•
Identify customer/employee’s preferred formats at the earliest point
in your process
• Track individual and generic access requirements on database
• Set up procedure and budgets for alternative formats, whether
in house or external transcription provider
• Provide same content as original such as all articles, adverts
and pictures
• Same quality of production e.g. house style, logos, materials
• Fast turnaround of alternative formats when required
• Transcribed documents quality checked by format user
• All formats received at the same time as original
• Monitor the quality of alternative formats’ service and
any change in format requirement
END OF NEWSLETTER
Written
by Eileen Finch of Adept - May
2007