Real-Time Text Taskforce

Arnoud van WijkDirector Real-Time Text Taskforce Foundation (R3TF)

arnoud@realtimetext.org

Real-Time Text, a major leap forward for accessible internet for people who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.

IGF 2009 Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt

Information Society, the Internet is everywhere!Internet started as a government project and now it is everywhere in daily life.

• Information and communication• Online Education and training• Online banking• Video and TV over Internet• Booking Travel (How did you come to Egypt?)•Telephony: More than 65% of all telephone traffic uses the internet for transport• Remote Healthcare : monitoring health at home •Security

Real-Time Text Taskforce

We all depend more and more on the Internet in our daily life. Not just on a PC, but on mobile devices too.

This dependency will only increase every year.

Having a disability limits the ability to benefit from the use of the Internet because the internet is not designed for everyone

• On the web, text, pictures and videos are hidden from people with a visual disability.• navigation and controlling Hardware is a hurdle for some disabilites • video and audio (telephony, podcasts) can be hard or impossible to understand with a hearing disability.

Real-Time Text Taskforce

•If a person with disabilities can’t access the Internet they can’t participate in society (banking , telephony, online education, less information and news) •Emergency preparedness , Disaster relief and 112 and 911 are services that persons with disabilities have a right to access these services

•Proper design of websites and internet services will allow all users to use and benefit from the Internet.

• Where does a website end and the service start?

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Having a disability limits the ability to benefit from the use of the Internet because the internet is not designed for

everyone. The Internet can and should make daily life easier for people with disabilities!

Focusing on people with Deaf, Hard of Hearing and speech disabilities

There are 2 huge accessibility issues:• video: where are the captions?• audio: where is the real-time text?

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Accessible Internet for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.1. Video

• the sound and speech in video clips are not understandable.• Movies (i-Tunes, IPTV, streaming video lack captions!)• YouTube supports captioning • training and educational videos need captioning

The solution is simple: caption ALL videos!2.Audio

• audio clips and podcasts may not be heard by many.The solution: add transcripts or caption.• Internet based real-time voice telephony, (VoIP) is not accessible for persons with hearing disabilitiesThe solution: use Real-Time Text!

Real-Time Text Taskforce

What is Real-Time Text?• Real-Time Text is sent and received on a character by character basis. • Characters are sent immediately once typed.• Characters are displayed immediately at the other end for the receiving person.• Real-Time Text is more like talking because of instant transmission• Much easier for conversation• Instant Messaging (IM) is not real-time!

• IM sends a bloc of text when transmission is indicated by user• often long waiting time to receive messages• unsuitable for conversations• Each IM is proprietary and not compatible with other IM systems

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Example of Real-Time Text and Instant Messaging

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Real-Time Text Instant Messaging

Real-Time Text in IETF and ITU standards: For information only•Real-Time Text is designed around the ITU-T T.140 real-time text presentation layer protocol. (CORE)•T.140 allows real-time editing of text•Based on the ISO 10646-1 character set and uses the UTF-8 format.•For SIP telephony RTT uses RTP just like VoIP and Video-over-IP. The text is encoded according to IETF RFC 4103 “RTP Payload for Text Conversation”.

•SIP is used without any alteration. RTT/VoIP/Video. SIP does not care. It is all UDP media streams.•Real-time text encoding is identified by using the SDP media definition 'm=text‘.

•3GPP IMS supports RFC4103-> 3GPP TS 26.114 v7.4.0 A5+• Open and International Standards!

Real-Time Text Taskforce

So, we have Real-Time Text…and what is possible?:•All people can use Real-Time Text to talk whenever, wherever

•As part of IP telephony, in combination with voice and/or video. It is called Total conversation and open ITU/IETF standard. •Deaf and Hard of Hearing users can communicate without restrictions.•Via transcoding gateways text telephony (TTY) is supported.

•Real-Time Text can also be used stand-alone for direct text to text conversations. As a new text chatting function or even as an enchantment of IM.Real-Time Text creates new communication possibilities and services! Enables access!

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Total Conversation:•Audio, video andReal-Time Textsimultaneously•Uses SIP telephonystandards.•Combine whicheveryou prefer.•Freedom of communication

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Live Transcription at conference:•Interpreter types all speech into text, real-time text allows fastest streaming delivery.

Speech to TextInterpreter/CART

Broadcast ServerReal time text clients

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Remote Interpreter:•An interpreter listens in from a remote location and translates the spoken conversation in text.

Speech to TextInterpreter/CART

Hi I am Mister GibberishNice to meet you

Hi I am Mister GibberishNice to meet you!

=

Internet

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Mobile Real-Time Text. Acts as Mobile Textphone using transcoding GW for PSTN text telephony for users who are Deaf or hard of Hearing.

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Allows new communication possibilities and services:•Text based IVR read and reply by pressing the number. And you can interrupt if you know the menu partly (or know which number to start) press 1 for billing department press 2 for reporting your credit card stolen press 3 to order a new card press 4 if you want to jump out the window press 5 to hear all the options again

• 112/911 use for when voice is not possible.•E.g. hidden under bed with burglar sitting on it.

• Hip youngsters with Next generation chatting! A new market! • Design for all! All users benefit with Real-Time Text!

Real-Time Text Taskforce

About R3TF: The Mission•The R3TF is an international non-profit Foundation based in The Netherlands. The goal of the Real-Time Text Taskforce Foundation (R3TF) is to ensure that harmonised, interoperable real-time text communication solutions are as readily available as conversational voice.

• The R3TF acts as a centre for advocacy and knowledge exchange in the field of Real-Time Text. It will contribute to the promotion, design and implementation of interoperable Real-Time Text solutions and encourage adoption of Real-Time Text in mainstream products and services.

Real-Time Text Taskforce

About R3TF:• The R3TF provides an open forum for all stakeholders who share its vision. They including engineers, designers, solution architects and private individuals. Its activities are delivered through specific Task Groups (TGs).

• The R3TF supports the use of different real-time text technologies as long as they adhere to a common interoperability standard (RFC4103).

Real-Time Text Taskforce

Real-Time Text Taskforce

•The R3TF achieves this by providing specific expertise and tools to promote and support the development of such interoperability.

•The R3TF collects and disseminates information on real-time text user requirements, available solutions and technology implementations.

• The R3TF seeks to promote real-world deployment for implementation of real-time text by contributing to and participating in such projects