Live Classroom Captioning:Ending Disability for Deaf Kids

Tony Abrahams & Leonie Jackson

6th National Deafness Sector Summit: 23-24 April 2010

Ai-Live™ | Ai-Stream™ | Ai-Skills™info@ai-media.tv

The End of Disability

© Access Innovation Media 2010

The costs of not having access

Deafness costs Australia $12 billion every year

• One in six people have hearing loss rising to one in four by 2050

• 160,000 people out of work because of deafness

• 10,000 Aussie kids with hearing loss

• 2,500 kids with severe deafness

• 85% of deaf kids in mainstream classes

• Poor educational outcomes

• More mental health issues

• 2.4 times less likely to complete high school

SOURCE: Access Economics 2006, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Better Hearing Australia 2008

Live captioning delivers inclusion

$12 b

$600 m

Current costs 100% Captioning

Access iscost-effective

© Access Innovation Media 2010

After 3 years of R&D Ai-Live™ is now ready to roll out

© Access Innovation Media 2010

ScopingScoping Digby I Ai-Live™|Ai-Stream™|Ai-Skills™ Developed Digby II

Ai-Media & NSW DET begin discussions on

design & implementation of live remote

captioning solution

Digby I pilot for 3 deaf students at Blackwattle Bay. Students

loved and used the solution

when reliable

Ai-Media develop a fast, low-bandwidth

solution and training,

accreditation & QA program for

re-speakers

Ai-Live™v 1.0

Digby II trials begin at RTHS

Ai-Live™v 3.0 released

Successful pilot complete at

RTHS (3 students, 4 subjects)

Dec 2006 Oct 2007 Aug 2009 Mar 2010Dec 2007

Ai-Live™ v2.0

released15 Nov 2006: THGS

Successful proof of concept of remote

stenocaptioning Student: Shirley Yr 9

Teacher: Jenny Higgins

23 Apr 2010:Launch beta version

of Ai-Live™ and expressions of interest from

students and schools

How Ai-Live™ works

Text appears on student laptop < 7 secs

later

3Teacher wears lapel

microphone

1

Audio received by remote captioner who

‘re-speaks’ content

2

Clas

sroo

mRe

-spe

aker

Audio

Text

© Access Innovation Media 2010

© Access Innovation Media 2010

© Access Innovation Media 2010

© Access Innovation Media 2010

Feedback

© Access Innovation Media 2010

“Captioning enables me to access all the information on everything.” - Student “Captioning makes me a more independent person at school. I would like captioning to be a part of my future. It will be helpful when I am at University as well as at school.” - Student

“I have never seen Lisa so engaged. She laughs at class jokes and relates to me

on a personal level now” – Teacher

“Captioned students for the first time have laughed at humorous comments made by staff and class mates.” - Principal

“Rather than address the student through an interpreter, teachers addressed the captioned students directly and, with only a minor delay, a response was forthcoming from the captioned students.” - Principal

A solution that builds inclusion

Innovative

Scalable

Tested

Australian

World Leaders

© Access Innovation Media 2010

Get involved

Daisy, Age 8, Vet

• Register at ai-live.com to participate in pilot

• Schools

• Students

• Captioners

• New solutions require new funding mechanisms (National Disability Insurance Scheme - NDIS)

• Productivity Commission Inquiry

• National Disability Strategy (Skills & Learning)

• Write to your local member© Access Innovation Media 2010

Bridges are worth the effort