Australia Launches World-First Revolutionary Realtime Communication Technology for Education, Workplace and Events:
’3D Speech™’

2011 Australian Human Rights Award winner, The Captioning Studio, today announces its revolutionary new realtime communication access technology, 3D Speech™, that will transform the way deaf people communicate and participate in the classroom, events and the workplace, whether in the room or offsite.

Co-founder of The Captioning Studio, Alex French, says: “3D Speech gives people who are Deaf or hard of hearing a choice of accessing sign language, captioning, or both, for their realtime communication access”.

The Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) in Australia is the first in the world to trial 3D Speech™. Professor Greg Leigh, Director of RIDBC Renwick Centre, is delighted with the results:

“The 3D Speech technology has been trialled with our graduate programs with great success. We have been really impressed by the speed and quality of the access that the technology, and The Captioning Studio’s highly skilled captioning services, have provided for us.”

The innovative 3D Speech™ technology will be in action this weekend at the Deafness Forum Summit in Melbourne, the first conference in the world to offer the technology.

Conference delegates can access live captioning and sign language interpretation (individually or simultaneously) on their laptops, smartphones and tablets, and will be able to use bookmarking and annotation functions. Delegates will also have online access to conference presentations, transcripts and sign language recordings following the event.

With bookmarking, annotation, chat interactivity and impressive search functionality, 3D Speech™ greatly enhances the accessibility experience of deaf people in educational, workplace and conference settings.

“The overwhelming feedback about 3D Speech™ has been that it is ‘mind-blowing’. Even people with English as their second language will also benefit greatly”, says Alex French.

“Once people see the technology in action and grasp its extensive functionality, I believe we’ll start seeing 3D Speech™ as a standard feature in classrooms, workplaces and conferences right around the world.”

The subject of a number of patents pending, the 3D Speech™ technology offers impressive and diverse functionality such as, but not limited to:

1. Live realtime captioning
2. Live streamed sign language
3. Bookmarking and annotating of both sign language and captioning
4. Pause the live captioning/transcript to review previous text.
5. Transcript available immediately and can be saved as PDF
6. Storage of complete online libraries of audio/video, sign language and text transcripts – all completely searchable, allowing users to search and review transcripts and sign language files of their lectures, meetings or other events.
7. Interactive transcripts of pre-recorded material within your 3D Speech™ library
8. Audio/video, transcript and sign language keyword search, instantly navigating you directly to the point in the audio/video, and the captions, where the keywords you’re searching for were spoken, and captioned, and/or signed!
9. Analytics data showing content owners which sections of audio/video have been reviewed by users, assisting with targeting of future marketing
10. Instant messaging/chat functionality
11. Ability to post segments of live captioning text directly to Facebook and Twitter (if permitted by event organiser)
12. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops. Works with most browsers.
13. Live realtime captioning and/or sign language can be delivered either onsite or remotely.

An Auslan video has been produced explaining how 3D Speech™ works for Deaf people who communicate using Australian Sign Language – www.3dspeech.com/auslan-introduction

For further information contact: Alex French – (08) 8463 1639 / Mobile: 0409 963 998

About The Captioning Studio:

Described as ‘trailblazers in captioning technology’ by The Canberra Times, Australian social innovation company The Captioning Studio provides high-quality captioning and audio description services and technology.

Winners of the 2011 Australian Human Rights Award in the Business Category, The Captioning Studio has also developed the award-winning GoTheatrical theatre captioning system and the world-first theatre captioning App.

More information: www.3dspeech.com and www.captioningstudio.com

A big ‘hear, hear’ for new theatre app

By ArtsHub ArtsHub | Tuesday, February 07, 2012

• Share

The Captioning Studio’s Mobile App Launch

The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre

Tuesday 7 February 2012

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we are meeting, and to pay my respects to their elders past and present.

Thank you Joy [Joy Burch, ACT Minister for the Arts and Minister Community Services] and I acknowledge your hard work in supporting people with disability and carers in the ACT.

I'd also like to recognise Shane Rattenbury, Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly as well as Dean Barton-Smith, Chair of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO).

And thank you to The Captioning Studio for having me here today to launch Go-Theatrical!

Minister Macklin is very sorry that she is unable to be here but she has asked me to convey her congratulations and thanks to you on your tremendous achievement.

If there is any need to explain why we should all be thrilled to be here this morning, it is surely best told by the people who have already experienced The Captioning Studio's work.

Like Rosslyn Werner, a South Australian theatregoer with hearing impairment who said after seeing a GoTheatrical! captioned performance;

For the first time in years ... I did not miss a single word of a performance ...With the magic of captions, theatre came alive and accessible again.

Or the architect with hearing impairment, who had been to a conference:

I'm over the moon ...this is the first time, believe it or not, that I've been in a room, a conference, a lecture theatre, a seminar, a workshop, and I've actually understood everything the speakers have said.

What fantastic endorsements.

And today we are taking it a step further, with The Captioning Studio's latest development, enabling people who are deaf or hearing impaired to access live captions of theatre performances on smart phones and tablets.

Technology like this builds on the Australian Government's commitment to ensure that all Australians can participate in our community.

That disability must not be a barrier to being included.

The ideal of an inclusive society is one we should all embrace.

But having an ideal is one thing.

We need the sorts of practical measures that we are launching today to make it happen.

That is why I am particularly pleased to be associated with fantastic developments like the Go-Theatrical! app.

It is why the Government has committed to funding, some $500,000, to improve access to cinemas for people who are visually or hearing impaired.

This will mean captions and audio description are available on 242 screens in cinemas around the country by the end of 2014.

Similarly, it is why we have provided $1 million for playback devices, DAISY players and audio navigators, to be made available for loan to people with print disability through public libraries across Australia.

The goal of effective, practical reform for people with disability has driven the historic reforms that marked last year as a watershed one for people with disability in our country.

Our government announced we would begin preparing for a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

This is a truly historic initiative.

The Prime Minister described it as a scheme that will stand alongside Medicare and the age pension as a fundamental strand of Australia's social compact.

We committed immediately to lay the foundations for the new scheme.

The road ahead is long and complex.

But the NDIS will fundamentally change the way disability care and support is provided in Australia. It is a significant opportunity for all governments, present and future, to pursue major reform to the disability services sector and to improve the lives of thousands of Australians with disability, their families and carers.

This will finally end the cruel lottery that means the services people with disability get depend on where they live, what disability they have and how they got that disability.

The NDIS is the culmination of years of dedication and work by many, many people.

People like Nari Jennings, co-founder of The Captioning Studio, here today....who have a passion for achieving true access and inclusion for people with disability.

The new scheme is being introduced on the back of our National Disability Strategy which we launched early last year.

The Strategy is a ten year road map for practical reform.

A strategy that guide all levels of government to bring about change in mainstream services and programs as well as community infrastructure.

This kind of change is pivotal to giving people with disability the same opportunities as other Australians – a quality education, adequate health care, a job where possible, as well as access to buildings, transport and social activities.

The strategy is both about providing practical support, and about changing mainstream community attitudes.

So that no opportunities are closed to people with disability.

We put it in place after two years of consultations.

As the final report on those consultations noted, the clear picture to emerge was that people with disability may be present in the community, but most do not enjoy full participation in it.

Participants observed consistently that they should not require such extraordinary effort to live an ordinary life......to attend a conference, to catch public transport, to go on a holiday.....

And of course, enjoy a night out at the theatre!

I would like to thank and congratulate those theatre administrators and those theatre companies who have embraced the need to provide for people with disability.

Who realise it is such an easy thing to do.

Well, taking it up is easy. And the technology we are launching today will be remarkably easy to use.

It was not so easy to conceive, develop and implement! It took talent, it took research, it took acumen. Above all, it took will.

Nari Jennings had that will......

This morning would not be complete without paying tribute to Nari.

Acquainted with hearing loss through her own family, she was inspired to ensure people could share the joy of theatre after her first experience of opera at the age of 16.

An Aunt took her to La Boheme.

She determined to ensure that other people could share the unforgettable experience of that wonderful opera.

We all owe her our thanks and our gratitude, for her generosity and her talent.

Thanks to her, many people who would not otherwise be able to do so, will be able to share with their fellow Australians many wonderful nights at the theatre.

Thank you Nari.

It is entirely appropriate that the Australian Human Rights Commission recognised you and your team with the Human Rights Business Award last year.

I have much pleasure in launching Go-Theatrical! and asking Alex French from The Captioning Studio to tell us more about this exciting new technology.

World-first Technology Brings Theatre Alive for People with Hearing Impairment

Tuesday, 07 February 2012 14:20

World-first technology will enable people who are deaf or hearing impaired to enjoy live theatre by accessing live captions on their mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Jan McLucas and ACT Minister for the Arts, Joy Burch today helped launch the GoTheatrical! mobile app, developed by Australian company The Captioning Studio, at the Canberra Theatre Centre.

Senator McLucas said this revolutionary technology will complement current captioning displayed on screens at the side of the stage at select venues, giving people with a hearing impairment the same choices as other theatre-goers.

"Enjoying a night out at the theatre is something that many of us don't think twice about but the fact is there are many Australians who haven't been able to enjoy this popular past time," said Senator McLucas.

"This new technology builds on the Australian Government's commitment to ensuring everyone can participate fully in the community, regardless of ability.

"The Australian Government has already committed to $500,000 to improve access to cinemas for people who are deaf, blind, or visually or hearing impaired, which will see captions and audio description available in 242 screens by the end of 2014.

"We have provided $1 million for playback devices to improve access to print material in a digital format for people with print disability at selected public libraries across the country, with almost 1,259 playback devices (DAISY players and audio navigators) already in selected public libraries."

The initiative is another step towards reaching the objectives of the National Arts and Disability Strategy agreed to by the Australian, State and Territory Governments.

Ms Burch congratulated The Captioning Studio for developing this cutting-edge technology.

"The Captioning Studio has made a significant contribution to assisting people with hearing impairment," Ms Burch said.

"In December last year The Captioning Studio won the Australian Human Rights Commission's 2011 Human Rights Business Award for their contribution to inclusion of people with a hearing loss, and in August were presented with the Best Event Captioning in Australia Award at the 2011 National Captioning Awards, hosted by Deafness Forum Australia.

"They have also launched a national campaign to help promote captioning for people with hearing loss as well as the GoTheatrical! Kids initiative for 2012, making live theatre accessible to school children aged Year 3 to 12 who are deaf or hearing impaired.

"All Australians should be proud that we are leading the way in improving access to live theatre for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, and it is wonderful to see this new technology being rolled out here in the ACT."

12 December 2011 – The Captioning Studio Wins 2011 Human Rights Award

The Captioning Studio has been awarded the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2011 Human Rights Award for Business for its contribution to the inclusion of people with a hearing loss through its captioning services and its innovation in captioning technology.  The Awards were announced at a gala luncheon ceremony held in Sydney on Friday, 9 December, and were attended by over 400 people.

Ms Nari Jennings, co-founder of The Captioning Studio, gave a heartfelt and well-received speech about her own family history of genetic deafness and her passion for access for, and inclusion of, people with a hearing loss which led to the creation of her company 8 years ago.

The Captioning Studio, which provides quality captioning and subtitling services for the Deaf and hard of hearing, has patented and developed a range of advanced technology for captioning in many areas of life, including education, the arts and the workplace.  The company has also launched a series of initiatives to create awareness in Australia of the importance of captioning inclusion to those who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

World Federation of the Deaf President Colin Allen attended the Awards Luncheon on Friday.  “It was a pleasure to see The Captioning Studio awarded the Business Award for their dedication to the Australian Deaf Community and hard of hearing people in Australia,” said Mr Allen. “It’s great to see a successful business inspired by personal experience providing top quality captioning and giving back to the community.”

According to a recent report, some 4.5 million Australians have a hearing loss.  This number is predicted to rise to 1 in 4 Australians by 2050.

Many theatre venues across Australia are now offering their patrons captioned performances, including the Sydney Opera House and The Arts Centre in Melbourne, using the GoTheatrical!™ technology developed by The Captioning Studio.  GoTheatrical!™ assists Deaf and hard of hearing theatre patrons by displaying live subtitles on screens located on or near the stage, and in 2012 captions will also be available on Apple mobile devices in participating venues.   Recently the company also launched GoTheatrical!™ Kids, a national project to make live theatre accessible to children with a hearing loss.

“We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award as it will help to create awareness of the need for captioning”, said Nari, “Importantly, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to recognise, respect and celebrate those already making life accessible to people with a hearing loss, including many theatres, festivals, schools and universities, employers and website owners”.

This is the second National award received by The Captioning Studio in 2011.  In August, the company was awarded the 2011 Deafness Forum Australia National Captioning Award for the Best Event Captioning in Australia.

The annual Human Rights Awards celebrate outstanding contributions to protect and promote human rights in Australia.  The awards include the Human Rights Medal, Young People’s Human Rights Medal and eight award categories: Business, Law, Community (Organisation), Community (Individual), Literature (non-fiction), Print and Online Media, Television, and Radio.

President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Catherine Branson QC, said of the Human Rights Awards: “All winners and indeed all finalists should be treasured by all of us for the often selfless way in which they try to make Australia an even fairer and more equal society than it already is.”

For more information www.captioningstudio.com

The Australian Theatre Captioning Advisory Group (ATCAG) has been established to assist venues and production companies with knowledge and experience of  theatre captioning for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

ATCAG brings together a knowledgeable and respected group of industry professionals with a wealth of experience in the theatre and access industries, along with representation from the deaf/hearing impaired community.

With a shared commitment to access to the arts for people with a hearing loss, ATCAG aims to encourage and assist Australian venues interested in offering theatre captioning for patrons with a hearing loss by sharing combined knowledge and experience of the access service.

The Australian Theatre Captioning Advisory Group (ATCAG) comprises the following members:

Nari Jennings, ATCAG Chairperson  - Co-Founder of The Captioning Studio and Co-Creator of GoTheatrical! ™ theatre captioning technology.

Ricky Bryan, Marketing Manager, Canberra Theatre Centre.

Tim Dakin – Arts Access Officer, Frankston Arts Centre Melbourne.

Susan Daw OAM –  Convenor, Better Hearing Australia Canberra Branch, Hearing Impaired Patron, Captioned Performances Subscriber, Canberra Theatre Centre.

James Dipnall – Manager Visitor Services, The Arts Centre Melbourne.

Kay Jamieson – Executive Producer, Brink Productions, Adelaide.

Joanne Hartstone – Artist/Producer, Co-Producer  of Centre for International Theatre, Adelaide.

Steve Robinson – Venue Services Coordinator, Merrigong Theatre Company.

Lisa Scicluna – Marketing Manager, Melbourne Theatre Company.

Gillian Thompson – Marketing Manager, Frankston Arts Centre Melbourne.

For more information on ATCAG, please contact us at atcag @ captioningstudio.com

Full details can be found at:

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/hr_awards/finalists_business.html

We feel extremely privileged  to have been named as a Finalist in the Human Rights Awards and we sincerely thank the Human Rights Commission for this incredible honour.

Winners will be announced at an award ceremony to be held on Friday, 9 December in  Sydney.