What is VDRDC?
With the ever-growing reliance on innovative educational video available on the Internet, accessibility solutions must keep pace in order to support the success of students who are blind or visually impaired. In August of 2010 the U. S. Department of Education announced its funding support of a new grant for establishment of a Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) to identify, prototype, and evaluate promising technologies and techniques for adding descriptive information to Web-based video resources as used in the classroom. Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute was awarded this grant.
The VDRDC will also provide a vigorous program of outreach and information dissemination regarding these technologies. Four webinars will be presented over the two-year project period in collaboration with the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). Participants in this webinar series will be given an opportunity to learn from and interact with VDRDC scientists and its Description Leadership Network coalition of world-class organizations involved with the practicality, policy, and technology of blindness and video accessibility.
CEU credit, through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP), will be available to participants.
Upcoming Webinar
YouDescribe – You Have a Microphone...You Have YouTube...You Can Do It! How You Can Add Audio Description to Any YouTube Video
Learn about YouDescribe, the exciting new tool developed by the Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC). YouDescribe is a FREE tool that anyone can use to add description to YouTube videos. YouDescribe includes everything needed to create description; all you need to provide is a microphone. In addition, YouDescribe has a FREE embeddable player which can be used to include described videos on your own site.
The webinar will include a review of the basic rules for creating description, as well as demonstrations on: registering as a YouDescribe user; recording descriptions with YouDescribe; playing described videos via YouDescribe; and embedding YouDescribe videos on web pages. Presented will be information for teachers on how YouDescribe can be used to improve accessibility of video for students who are blind/visually impaired, and an overview of educational resources provided by the DCMP.
Register Now! Viewing Instructions
Previous Webinars
| Name | Archive | Date |
|---|---|---|
| “Do It Yourself” Educational Description: Guidelines and Tools | View Archive | October 24, 2012 |
| "Bringing Video Description Into the 21st Century" | View Archive | January 24, 2012 |