Device helps blind visualize rides and helps deaf guests

[Cheshire Figment]

The following is from today's Orlando Sentinel.

Heard but not seen at Disney: Device helps blind visualize rides
Disney adds audio for the blind to attraction device that has captions for deaf patrons

Jason Garcia | Sentinel Staff Writer
April 16, 2009

"Audio description" is the latest feature of a proprietary, wireless system Disney initially created for disabled guests. (WALT DISNEY WORLD / April 15, 2009)

Walt Disney World has rolled out a first-of-its-kind service designed to let even blind guests "see" its famed attractions.

Called "audio description," the service provides visually impaired vacationers with a narrative depiction of the scenes that unfold as they move through rides such as the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean.

It is the latest feature added to a proprietary, wireless system that Disney World initially developed to help disabled guests. The system also includes features for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests, such as amplified sound and hand-held captions.

"We want to make our rich stories available to everyone," said Greg Hale, vice president of worldwide safety and accessibility for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

But it has also become something of a side business for Disney.

Through a three-year contract that was recently renewed, Disney licenses the technology to Houston-based Softeq Development Corp., which markets the system to everyone from other tourist attractions to timber companies.

The system relies on a series of remote, infrared sensors and a durable, hand-held device initially built to withstand drops to the ground, rain and other liquid intrusion, and all manner of other punishment dished out during a day in a theme park.

Customers include the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, where a former general manager and the current attractions manager are former Disney World executives, and the Hall at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass., a hall of fame dedicated to the New England Patriots football team.

Both of those attractions, like Disney World, use the system to provide services to deaf and blind visitors.

But other types of companies are also interested in buying the hand-held unit itself, which Softeq sells as the rugged "Durateq."

Trey Litel, Softeq's vice president of sales and marketing, said Softeq markets the device to forestry and oil companies, industrial-safety businesses and even restaurants interested in point-of-sale systems that allow servers to run credit-card transactions right at their customers' tables.

Disney earns royalties on the software, which it has patented, and on the hand-held devices, which it developed jointly with Softeq.

Both companies declined to say how much the royalties amount to, but the potential market is significant: For example, Softeq hopes to cultivate clients from among more than 14,000 museums across the country.

Disney first introduced its version of the hand-held device in 2005, but it took company engineers much longer to perfect the audio-description feature. The descriptions must be perfectly synchronized to avoid interrupting an attraction's primary narration.

Engineers had to make various changes along the way. Tests revealed, for instance, that blind guests were uncomfortable using the original, two-ear headphones because they depend on their sense of sound to guide themselves around. So Disney replaced the headphone with a single earpiece, which allows a guest to leave the other ear unobstructed.

The system's narration also had to be carefully selected and produced to distinguish it from the other audio encountered in a Disney attraction.

For example, in the Haunted Mansion, where all riders listen to a ghoulishly themed male voice, the audio description produced by the hand-held device is provided by a female voice speaking in even tones.

Disney rolled out the audio descriptions earlier this spring, just before the Easter rush. The company says it is now working on expanding the service to include descriptions of outdoor areas in its theme parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

really COOL
Thanks for sharing. I have heard audio description in movies and TV. As difficult as the issues seemed to be for adding those, this is a much more complex problem.
I'll be excited to hear the first reports on how it works.

 

[Juliah]

How cool! Thanks so much for posting this.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Hey everyone, look at this:

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/041609disney_device

It's a new device to help Guests with vision or hearing problems!

EDIT: Just wanted to add another article I've found about it, to give you guys some more information:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizdizdevice16041609apr16,0,2498532.story

 

[SueM in MN]

I merged 2 threads together that were about the same subject.
I'll be really interested in getting some feedback about how the device works.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Oops! Sorry, I didn't see that there was already a thread on this! Thanks for merging them, Sue.

 

[Talking Hands]

This was sent to me with a request to post it.

First-of-a-Kind, Handheld Device Brings Magic of Disney Theme Parks to
Guests with Disabilities

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., April 16, 2009 - Disney engineers have taken
recent advances in wireless technology one step further, creating a
first-of-a-kind, handheld assistive device to bring the magic of Disney
theme parks to guests with visual and hearing disabilities.

Disney's Handheld Device combines multiple functions - assistive
listening, handheld captioning, and closed captioning activation - into
one small, easy-to-use platform. The assistive listening system provides
amplified audio, while handheld captioning enables guests to read
captions while enjoying specific theme park attractions. Closed
captioning is also activated by the handheld device in pre-show areas
where TV displays narrate the upcoming experience.

The device also provides audio description for guests who are blind or
with low vision. This service provides narrated information about key
visual elements in attractions such as actions, settings and scene
changes and works seamlessly with the existing show audio. From the
moment a guest steps into an attraction, they are given rich detail of
their surroundings and become immediately involved in the experience.

"We have a longstanding commitment to providing outstanding services for
guests with disabilities," said Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice
president of Worldwide Safety and Accessibility for Walt Disney Parks &
Resorts. "We had been looking many years for a way to deliver content in
narrative attractions where fixed captioning systems weren't an option.
With this device, we found a solution for building multiple functions
into a single lightweight, durable device that is simple to use and easy
to maintain."

The innovative handheld assistive device was designed to fit in a
guest's palm, weighing a mere 7.2 ounces. The Disney-patented*
technology delivers location-based and synchronized information as
guests move through an attraction. The device can also serve a wide
variety of retail, commercial and industrial applications.

"We are now making this technology available outside of our Disney
Parks," said Hale. "Museums, movie theaters, stage shows, tours - it
extends accessibility where it was previously impractical." Softeq
Development Corporation handled product development and is licensed to
make this technology available beyond Disney Parks.

The device is offered at no additional cost at Walt Disney World Resort
and Disneyland Resort theme parks. For further information about
services for guests with disabilities, guests should visit the Walt
Disney World Web site at disneyworld.com <http://www.disneyworld.com/>
or contact Walt Disney World Information at 407-824-4321 (voice) or
407-827-5141 (TTY).

###

*U.S. Patents 6,785,539 and 7,224,967 may apply.

Media Contact: Zoraya Suarez, Walt Disney World Manager of Media
Relations, 407-828-3814.

 

[SueM in MN]

I added another thread by Talking Hands together with this one because these threads were on the same subject.

 

[Talking Hands]

No problem. My post was the official Disney press release and was sent to me with a request to post it on the boards.

 

[SueM in MN]

No problem. My post was the official Disney press release and was sent to me with a request to post it on the boards.

That's great.
What you posted had some information that was different than was in the news stories that were already posted.

And, one question for you. Have you had a chance to use this yet?

And (I guess this is a second question), if you used it or when you use it, can you give a report on this thread about it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Turk82]

I used the device when I was at WDW last November. They requested a $100 deposit that they returned at the end of the day. At that time it was available at all the parks except Magic Kingdom...it still had a lot of kinks to work out....(i.e. it didn't work on all the rides, sometimes I had trouble figuring it out, etc)....It worked the best for me at Epcot....even with the issues I had with it....I thought it was amazing and wished that the technology was common and found other places, it significantly improved my visit experience (I'm totally blind and travel with a guide dog). It is a little heavy (3-4 lbs) and hangs on a lanyard around your neck (it started to give me a slight headache, fromthe weight of it pulling at the back of my neck). I hope they continue to improve the technology and will definately use it again the next time I go.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the report. I think it was still undergoing trials at that time.
Glad to hear that even with some problems, it was still helpful.

 

[denversees4me]

Turk
thanks for the info i am also a blind guide dog user and i live in CA i have an anual pass to Disneyland but because i am blind as you know i require someone to go with me to accompany me thru the oark read menus and tell me where im at . I have to pay for an anual pass twice one for me and one for my caregiver ... if disney wants to avoid an eventual lawsuit by someone who is blind and finds it a violation of title 3 ADA maybe they should look into getting this launched with area discriptions so we would be able to navigate the oarks alone if we chose to do so that would be sooooo cool !!!! does anyone know if they plan to bring it to cali??? i was just there 4 days ago and no kidding i said i wish they had a device describing where i was at and what was going on in the rides who would have known... i am going to disney a day before my DCL cruise in Oct and DEFINATELY plan on using it good to know about the deposit too i will bring it with me
cari and guide dog Denver

 

[SueM in MN]

I found a page on the wdwinfo part of the DIS site that has a short video showing a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean and you can hear the audio from this device that goes along with the scene.
Here's a link to the page.

 

[amylucinda]

We are traveling to DisneyWorld in June, with my now 8-year-old daughter who wears hearing aids.

I'm wondering about the feasibility of using the visually-impaired audio portion of the device in conjunction with her hearing aids.

Here are my thoughts....

1) She often turns off her aids because the volume in attractions is overwhelming.

2) Some of the press releases describe the audio description portion as using a calmer, more clear voice instead of more dramatic voice...i.e. simpler to hear.

3) I'm wondering how well she'd do reading during the rides, as opposed to listening. I suspect she's not going to want to watch the screen, but rather the rides.

4) She regularly uses an FM transmitter with her aids via a regular 3.5mm cable between the transmitter and TV, Mp3 player, etc.


What I'd need to be able to allow her to listen to the descriptive audio portion is a regular audio output jack on the new device....i.e. headphone jack. We would use a regular cable between the device and her FM transmitter; then her transmitter would send the audio directly to her aids. The press releases indicate the device is used with a single-ear earphone, but make no mention of the connection mechanism.

I've tried to call Disney to get more details about the device, but haven't been terribly successful. I ended up talking with a CM at Special Room services who asked someone else, but I'd like something a bit more certain.

So, after that long-winded explanation, in summary:

Does the new device have a regular headphone output jack and/or is there a better phone number to call?

 

[SueM in MN]

2) Some of the press releases describe the audio description portion as using a calmer, more clear voice instead of more dramatic voice...i.e. simpler to hear.

The video in the post I made right above yours has a sample of the audio description for a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't know, but think all the audio descriptions would be similar.
I have seen information about movies with audio captioning. In those, since the person can hear, but not see, they usually use on earphone. That allows the audio description to be directed toward one ear and the other ear is uncovered to hear the same audio as the seeing guests are hearing.

I don't know if that is how this audio description works, but I would not be surprised if it works that way.
[/quote]I've tried to call Disney to get more details about the device, but haven't been terribly successful. I ended up talking with a CM at Special Room services who asked someone else, but I'd like something a bit more certain.

So, after that long-winded explanation, in summary:

Does the new device have a regular headphone output jack and/or is there a better phone number to call?[/QUOTE]
I don't know if this number is the same as the general WDW number, but it was the one listed for more information in the Press Release that Talking Hands posted.
407-824-4321

 

[amylucinda]

We are at Disney now with my 8 year-old daughter who wears hearing aids for a moderate-severe loss. She is a very oral child and is rather skilled at speech-reading (just some background on our situation).

We tried the device at Studios. Quick summary...it's a nice attempt, but still not ready for prime-time.

It's about the size of a "rugged" Nintendo DS, for reference. Has a flip-open clear screen...we lost ours, so keep an eye on it. It's not a bad weight...the lanyard leaves a bit to be desired, so you might consider your own.

The first device we got was not correctly set up, so I had to hoof it back to Guest Relations for help. Tip - check for the correct menu system before you leave. There's a guest menu and a set up menu.

One nice feature is that you can preview the captioning! That's great because you can become familiar with the dialogue before the show or ride....that can be very helpful for those with hearing difficulties. However, it would often return to the menu in the midst of the screens, and there's no way to navigate thru them other than one at a time from the beginning.

First use was Indiana Jones. During the show, things seemed to be working pretty well...at first. At some point, it started flying thru the captions, and by halfway thru the show, it had just stopped providing captions. One thing we figured out after a while was that previewing captions gave you back/pause/next controls, but the auto captioning controlled by the show gave you no such options. At each ride, for the most part, the auto captions went by so fast, even I couldn't read them (and I'm a darn fast reader!)

Everytime we turned around, it was either in power save mode or had returned to the menu in the middle of an attraction. Oh, and on the Backlot Tour, the audio didn't match the captions at all. Apparently, they had updated the script but not the device.

We never did get the audio to work. We tried using my daughter's fm system with it (she plugs it into her mp3 player), but she never heard audio. Tomorrow at AK, I'm taking earbuds and a spare pair of hearing aids for testing purposes.

Oh, breakthrough...I think I figured out why the audio didn't work. I saw the set-up menu, and it had 4 choices: HC, ALS, HC/ALS, and audio. The CM sets it up for you, and then starts it in user menu mode. Audio and ALS may use different technologies??? I know ALS can be used with an induction loop, and the CM at first tried to give us a headset attached to the device. Maybe it was a special headset? Hmmm..now that I type this, it doesn't make sense. How does one jack have 2 different outputs? Surely audio and als both provide the same output...just different content (descriptive for blind vs. attraction script for hearing difficulties).

On the Great Movie Ride, it did the auto captioning pretty well, but again, flew through most of it too fast.

Frankly, I think the simplification has made it more difficult to use than easier to use. Since there's little or no control, you're at it's mercy. You need to be able to slow the auto captioning or they need to be able to time it better with the rides. It needs to prompt you before jumping back to the menu or main screen, asking if that's what you want to do.

I don't want to discourage anyone from using it. The more folks that use it AND provide feedback, the better. It is certainly way better than our last trip and I appreciate the steps Disney is taking.

And, finally, can anyone connect me to someone at the parks I can work with to see if we can improve our next park visits? We still have 4 more park days!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the really thorough explanation/review.
I'm sorry things didn't work out for your daughter, but I am happy that you are using your problems as an attempt to improve things.
Someone may come along with a better suggestion , but here's my suggestion (I am not at home and I am working on my iPod, so I don't have a lot of references or ability to copy anything )

In post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, near the top, there are links to the WDW website Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities. There may be a phone number in that area of the FAQs thread. If there is not, follow one of the links in that thread -I think either the general link or the one about hearing will have a phone number you can call to get more information. Also in post #3 of the FAQs thread, farther down, there are links to some past threads. One group is about hearing/services for the deaf. Skim those for a name or number.
You can also try the phone number listed in the FAQs post about resorts. The people at that phone number are very helpful and should be able to point you in the right direction.
From what I can see, it appears one I'd the problems with the device us that they are trying to make one device do too many things.
Good luck and let us know how you do.
Also, if it would bit be too much trouble, I would really appreciate some picures of the device. Thanks