Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Newsletter Summer 2007
14 Chapel Street
Crewe
Cheshire
CW2 7DQ
NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2007
Message from the Chairman.
Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter. May seems to have made up for the very dry April, although we are promised another hot dry spell.
I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Fashion Show such a great success: some of the ‘models’ were a bit more flamboyant than others, but I am sure we all enjoyed the experience!
We have a number of fund raising events coming up soon, starting with a street collection in Nantwich on 9 June. This will be followed by a number of Coffee Mornings. We would appreciate donations to the Tombola and bric-a-brac stalls, at these events.
Can I remind you that this year’s subs were due in April and that the current rate is £5.00.
We have, in the meeting room, a CCTV reader which members may use to enlarge letters, pictures etc, as demonstrated at the members’ meeting. So if you think that it may be of use to you why not drop in and give it a try; give Wendy a call first to make sure that the room is free and that you can be shown how to use it.
All the best.
Cheers,
Bruce
IRIS VISION RESOURCE ROOM
New Products
Magnifying Compact Mirrors
We now have two magnifying mirrors in stock; one magnifies by 5x and the other by 10x. They can help you to see better when applying make-up, eyebrow tweezing and other close up work. Both are made with distortion free glass and are small enough to carry in your handbag.
Prices are £9.85 for the 10x and £10.95 for the 5x
Micro Kettle
The micro kettle allows you to boil up to 500mls of water in your microwave. The lid is fitted with a special ‘Boil-Stick’ which detects when the water has reached boiling point, at which stage the kettle ‘whistles’. The kettle can also be used as a measuring jug and comes with a soft grip handle.
Price £10.94
Large Print Sudoku
Together with the large print crossword and word search books we now have a large print Sudoku book which has 25 puzzles (together with the answers).
Price £2.75
Radio Controlled Talking Watch
This watch has a white face with clear black numbers and a second hand. The watch is able to pick up radio signals in the UK, USA, Germany and Japan. It will automatically set itself and display and speak the local time. The watch can be set manually outside countries with a radio signal. The watch has a black moulded case and strap with a metal buckle. It features an alarm and hourly report function. It is battery operated.
Price £38.44
THE CASE OF THE VANISHING VOLKSWAGEN……
My wife and I were collared - if that is the word - by a policewoman in a little market town (for causing an obstruction with the car). I am only partially sighted, and we therefore carry a Blue Badge, which we use freely, life having few privileges, in all conscience. We had parked in a narrow one-way street, with plenty of room behind us for another car to park. When the driver of a huge lorry decided that there was room enough for his leviathan, (during our absence) and departed the scene for his lunch, chaos descended on that quiet street.
All was well until another lorry came down the street - and could not pass. By the time we returned to our car, the tailback was practically out of the county. It was at this point we were collared by the policewoman and accused of causing an obstruction. I pointed out that we were there first, using the time card we have to display, and that it was therefore the driver of the lorry who had caused the obstruction (“Fifteen Love, I thought”). Unable to dispute the evidence laid before her, she switched tactics by noticing that our Blue Badge was out of date.
“Cheque's in the post,” I said. “Sorry.” (’Thirty Love’)
By this time she was mining what she thought was a richer seam. Having phoned up the office on those radio things they carry, she asked, rather triumphantly, I thought, “Is this your car?” Memories of Max Wall’s interpretation of the same line had me choking to hold back a ripe chuckle that I knew would not help the
situation. I managed to keep a straight face, and assured her that it was indeed my car, though my wife had to do the driving.
“There’s no record of it on the PNC or at the DVLA,” she said, giving us the gist of her radio enquiries. “Are you sure it’s your car?”
“If it’s not on the PNC and it’s not in the DVLA records, we can neither of us be sure of that, can we?” (Forty Love’)
“But it does occur to me,” I continued, “to ask how a car that does not exist can cause an obstruction?”
She gave me a look that said, “Keep going, punk, and you’ll make my day!” (Dirty Harry in a bra.)
“I have owned this car for four years”, I continued hurriedly, sensing thin ice. “I can produce the Bill of Sale and whatever they call the Logbook these days.”
Not to be outdone, she pressed on: “Are those the original registration plates?” she asked.
“No” I said. “These are my own plates - they were swapped over by the garage when I bought the car.”
She disappeared into the depths of her radio again. “Seems your garage slipped up and never notified the DVLA of Change of Ownership. I’ll put the paperwork in hand when I get back to the Station. In the meantime, get that Blue Badge renewed before you use it again.”
She seemed genuinely glad to get out of a situation that gave every indication of spiralling out of control by its surrealistic complications, “Game, Set and Match”, I thought as she walked off.
Some time later, we were informed by the DVLA that as we had not submitted a Change of Owner form, we were liable to a fine of £20.00. Was this the Policewoman’s Revenge? I wondered. If it were, her triumph was short-lived. When I asked the wretches at the DVLA how they had managed to issue a valid Ownership document without any Paperwork (that magic word!), ear-splitting
silence descended for upwards of a month - while the culprit was hunted down, perhaps. Then came an abject apology, presumably from the perpetrator of the bloomer: it was entirely their fault, they were terribly sorry and they were taking steps to see that it never happened again. It made the score even better:
‘Game, Set, Match and Series’.
W.L. Wright April 2006
Fundraising
Thank you to all the people involved in raising money for the IRIS Centre – we can’t say often enough how important all our volunteers are to us!
Fashion Show
The fashion show in April turned out to be a really enjoyable night. The ‘models’ excelled themselves – by the end of the night anyone would have thought they were professionals! The Edinburgh Woollen Mill staff worked really hard too and the buffet at the end of the show went down very well. Together with the raffle held on the night we raised £457.50. Thank you again to everyone who supported us.
Morrison's Supermarket Collection
in March raised £301.40 – thanks to all our collectors.
Future Events
9th June Nantwich Street Collection
16th June Wistaston Fete
23rd June Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
27th July Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
29th July Duck race in Macon meadow at 2.30pm
11th August Sainsbury's Supermarket Collection
23rd August Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
Donations
We have received a kind donation from Carillion Rail Projects of £1,000 for which we would like to say a big “thank you”.
We have also received a kind donation of about 30 Talking books (thank you to the lady concerned) which has increased our library to 463 books, They can now be borrowed by members of the IRIS Centre.
We also have two CCTVs, donated by a kind gentleman from Stoke-on-Trent, which will be available for loan once they have been PAT approved. We will update you on the situation in the next newsletter.
For Sale
If anyone out there is interested in an Enhanced Vision Max Colour mouse we have one for sale for £70 (second hand). The ‘mouse’ connects to the back of your TV, via a Scart socket, and when run across a book or newspaper magnifies the print onto the television, enabling you to see it more easily. If you would like further information please phone Wendy, Joyce or Steph on 250316.
MALCOLM’S MUSES
EMBARRASSED? WATER SURPRISE!
Most of us – that’s you and me – like to think that we can take anything that is thrown at us on the chin. What ever it is, we can deal with it – can’t we? Yes of course we can – until we have
an embarrassing moment – then all we can do is hide, get as far away from IT as possible . Yeah! The very idea of being the object of ridicule can cause a nervous tic, or the “sweats”, or the “shakes”. No-one wants to find themselves in an embarrassing situation.
In a well established hotel and restaurant, a party of some forty members of a social club were dining. Of course, during the proceedings numerous people had visited the “facilities” which were sited at the end of a big passage. The lady in question, having paid her visit had to walk through the entire tabled area to return to her seat. Unfortunately, she had tucked her skirt into the back of her underwear and all was exposed to view. It was some time before she felt able to talk about it or look anyone in the eye!
A group of friends, men, were out on a pub crawl and having had a few ended up at their last place of rest! One guy was suffering from an attack of wind as well as feeling rather drunk. However, the moment came when he just had to remove himself and visit the loo – sharpish! His walk was something to watch and it was accompanied by, no, not the Sound of Music, but yes, you’ve guessed it – Trumpet in-Voluntary! He did not re-appear in the bar, he had sneaked out through the back door, taken a taxi home and was not seen for some time by his mates.
And then there is my own moment of embarrassment. While on holiday in Boscombe my wife and I visited Beaulieu Motor Museum with a group from our hotel. Having visited and photographed everything in the museum we took a ride on the monorail to see the house and gardens. Feeling hungry we decided to find a quiet spot to eat our sandwiches and found an ideal spot with seats by a very ornate fountain. Duly fed I prepared to take photos of the fountain and using my new zoom lens I set about it. With specs hooked on my little finger and camera to my good eye, I focused and moved forward to obtain a well composed picture.
But, hey, the next thing I knew was that I fell into the goldfish pond beneath the fountain and came back up absolutely soaking wet – but, thankfully unhurt. Except for my pride of course! My wife could not believe her eyes as I stood there, camera and specs still in my hand – to this day I do not remember going down or coming back up – it all happened so quickly.
Travelling back on the monorail was the first hurdle - a mother and son could not disembark quick enough at the other end - I was dripping water from my trousers onto the compartment floor. Thankfully, there were not many people on the coach and I was able to sneak on board and conceal myself and remain hidden from view until we arrived back at our hotel - one ever knew - until now!
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
IRIS Vision Resource Centre - Members Notice
The IRIS Annual General Meeting will be held at 1.00pm on Monday 24th September at the IRIS Centre. The meeting is open to all subscribing members of The IRIS Vision Resource Centre.
Talking Glucose Meter
The SensoCard Plus is the UK’s only talking glucose meter and is now available free of charge through BBI Healthcare to visually disabled diabetes patients in the UK. Usually priced between £50 and £70 this is the first time a talking meter has been given out free. To receive a free meter, the patient’s healthcare advisor should first contact BBI Healthcare to request a ‘Free Meter Voucher’. Once the voucher has been filled in and returned to BBI Healthcare, a SensoCard Plus meter kit will be sent out. If you would like further information please contact BBI Healthcare on 01792 229333 or email info@bbihealthcare.com .
Message in a Bottle
We now have the new ‘Message in a Bottle’ available. This is a voluntary scheme for anyone who might be assured to know that essential information would be readily available to the Emergency Services should they suffer an accident or sudden illness. Vital information is available to advise of relevant illnesses, allergies, medication and contact addresses. For further information contact Wendy, Joyce or Steph at the IRIS Centre on 250316.
Computer Lessons with Vision Support
We would like to remind members that we hold computer lessons in conjunction with Vision Support here at the centre. The lessons are held on a Wednesday using the Guide operating system. If you would like to surf the web, write letters or just get to grips with new technology contact Wendy, Steph or Joyce at the centre for further information.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs
We still have energy saving light bulbs to give away! There are 4 bulbs in a box: 2 x 100watt and 2 x 40watt. You can do your bit to help the environment and save yourself some money on your electricity bills at the same time!
Phone 250316 for further information.
Membership Fees
Just a little reminder to those of you who would like to be a member of the IRIS Vision Resource Centre that the fee of £5.00 is now due. Being a member entitles you to come along to the Monday Club and/or the Tuesday drop in session (both of which run from 11.00am to 2.30pm), to borrow Talking or Large Print books from our library of over 450 books, the right to vote at the AGM (which is coming up later this year), support from staff and volunteers if needed and to receive a copy of the Newsletter four times a year. Please send us your fee of £5.00, together with your name and address, and we will send you your Membership card for 2007/2008.
What is a Low Vision Assessment?
You may be aware that here at the IRIS Vision Resource Centre we offer a Low Vision Service. Most people who have a problem with their vision will have some useful sight which we can help them to make the most of. During a Low Vision Assessment one of our trained therapists, will ascertain what type of aids may help you to see better to read, write, continue to do your favourite hobby, etc. This may be by using a magnifier or improving the lighting in your home.
The assessments, carried out on a Monday or Wednesday by appointment, last approximately one hour and are non-invasive (we do not examine the eye). You will need to have seen your optician/optometrist or to have been seen by the consultant optometrist at the eye clinic within the last year before we can carry out an assessment.
If you fall within our funded area of Central Cheshire, the assessment will be free of charge and we can ‘lend’ you up to two items; this may be a magnifier, a lamp or a pair of sunshields. These items are then yours for as long as they are useful to you. You will also be given a review appointment as part of the service.
The service is also available to people outside our funded area but at a charge of £40.00 for the consultation and items of equipment have to be purchased.
If you or someone you know would benefit from this service, or you would like further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us at the IRIS Vision Resource Centre.
Cookery Corner
Easy Strawberry Fool
Serves 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 50mins
INGREDIENTS
1 Pack Strawberry Jelly
250g Strawberries, rinsed
75g Caster Sugar
500g Creamy Fromage Frais
METHOD
1. Cut the jelly into squares and place in a saucepan with 150ml water. gently heat until the jelly cubes have dissolved then remove from the heat to cool.
2. Remove the strawberry stems and hull (the green leafy bit and the part where it’s attached to the berry). Roughly chop the strawberries and put in the bowl with half the sugar.
3. Mash the mixture with a potato masher. Stir the jelly into the mashed strawberry mixture and put in the fridge. Leave until its cold and just starting to set about 2 to 3 hours
4. Stir the strawberry mixture well, and then fold in the formage frais and the remaining sugar.
5. Transfer the mixture to a clean serving dish and leave to set for about 2 hours.
Serve with shortbread biscuits if you wish.
KEITHS KORNER
My youngest daughter Gabrielle has just returned from the University of Leeds having completed the final examinations in her three year degree course studying Social Policy. By all accounts she’s enjoyed herself there, although she’s cost us a fortune, has developed a taste for fine lagers and has ended up with a student loan debt for herself of about £10,000 which she’ll be paying off once she starts earning. The Social Policy department at Leeds is famous for its work on disability studies, and I was especially pleased that one of Gabrielle’s final essays was on the subject of visual disability, an issue which otherwise seems to rarely feature in disability research. Her essay involved her
interviewing various members of IRIS about their experiences of work and employment, which she then used to illustrate how the policies and practices of government and other agencies helped or hindered disabled people to enter or remain in the workforce. She did very well and was awarded 76% for this essay, suggesting that she carries her father’s brains as well as his good looks – so thanks to all those at IRIS who helped!. What was interesting, however, was that the actual personal experiences of visually impaired people proved to be so central in the writing of this essay.
This was also the case with the work recently undertaken by two of our volunteers to interview and collect together the experiences of people who have age-related macular degeneration. This led to some very interesting horror stories of late diagnoses, treatment delays and sparse information being conveyed to patients at this most distressing of times which we have published – keeping all the names confidential of course - to show how health and social care services could and should be improved in the future. The moral of both these stories is that the actual experiences of visually disabled people can be important in informing opinion and changing practices, but they need to be collected, published and publicised. This suggests a new role for IRIS, especially important at a time when great changes are taking place in the way our public services are run and organised. So watch this space, and be ready to share your experiences and ideas……….
Audio Description Update Summer 2007
Introduction
Hello and welcome to the AD Summer 2007 Update.
In this issue you’ll find a list of all the DVDs that have been released with AD since the last Update in November 2006; some changes to TV License rulings affecting people who have sound-only TV; information about some brand new TVs with AD; details of how to get hold of more information about all aspects of digital TV; we need your help with a survey, and there’s some cricket news too – so read on!
All the RNIB contacts referred to in this issue appear at the end in a section entitled “contact details”.
If you have never experienced audio description and you have access to the internet, visit our web pages at www.rnib.org.uk/audiodescription where you can watch a short film clip with audio description. Alternatively, if you do not have
access to the internet, we can send you an audio described clip on CD or DVD; call Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398.
DVD News
The latest Bond movie available on DVD is the first ever Bond DVD to be released with audio description - so go out and buy Casino Royale and find out what all the fuss is about.
Dr Who Series Two Box Set with audio description and talking menus (audio navigation) won the British Video Association Award for the best authored DVD of 2006. Jane Eyre was released in February 2007 also with audio description and audio navigation – Watch this space, as we are asking for more titles to have talking menus!
New DVDs with AD from November 2006 to date
All the Kings Men, Ant Bully, Borat, Cars, Casino Royale, Christmas with the Cranks, Click, A Cock and Bull Story, Deep Water, The Devil Wears Prada, Dr Who Series Two Box Set - with audio description and audio menus, Eragon, Happy Feet, History Boys, Jane Eyre with audio navigation and description, John Tucker Must Die, Just My Luck, Lady in the Water, Little Man, Little Miss Sunshine, Marie Antoinette, Monster House, Must Love Dogs, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Night at the Museum, Open Season, Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest, The Prestige, The Queen, Red Road, A Scanner Darkly, Severance, The Sentinel, Stormbreaker, Stranger than Fiction, Superman Returns, Talladega Nights, Thank You for Smoking, Volver.
Please note: DVDs are not available from RNIB. As new DVDs are added to our list virtually every week now, if you have access to the internet it’s worth you having a look at the list now and again to keep yourself up-to-date. Here’s the link you need: www.rnib.org.uk/dvd. Alternatively you can always give Joan Greening a ring on 020 7391 2322.
News from TV Licensing
New regulations came into force on 1 April 2007 covering the administration of the Blind Concession Licence, which entitles people who are registered blind to a 50% reduction in their TV Licence.
The Government has decided that you will no longer need a TV Licence if you use a digital set top box to listen to digital television, as long as it is not connected to any TV receiving equipment. So if you connect your set top box to your hi-fi system, for example, you will no longer need a licence.
However if you do have a television and you are applying for your blind licence for the first time, please get in touch with TV Licensing on 0845 603 6999 when you receive your TV licence renewal notice. You will be asked to send a photocopy of your blind registration document from the local authority to TV Licensing, Blind Concession Group, Bristol BS98 1TL, which TV Licensing will validate. They will then send you a letter confirming the details and the payment amount, which you can then take to any PayPoint outlet to pay for your licence by cash or debit card.
You can also choose to pay in a number of other ways, including over the phone by debit or credit card, using the website at www.tvlicensing.co.uk or by Direct Debit.
If you are renewing your blind licence, you can choose to make your payment using any one of the methods outlined above.
If you experience any problems, contact Joan Greening on
020 7391 2322.
RNIB TV Survey: we need your help
RNIB is looking for blind and partially sighted people to participate in new research about how they want to navigate digital TV and plan their viewing. Although RNIB has a lot of anecdotal evidence that people with sight problems find it difficult to use digital TV because of the on-screen programme guide, there is no systematic research on this issue. RNIB needs research results that can be used in dealings with government and manufacturers to show that current on-screen programme guides and menus do not allow blind and partially sighted people to use digital TV effectively and easily. We also want to find out what precisely people expect from talking on-screen menus and a talking programme guide.
We are looking for blind and partially sighted people of all ages; people who have used digital TV as well as people who have not; people who watch TV a lot and people who only watch occasionally; people who are very familiar with technology as well as people who do not use technology very often. The questionnaire is currently being prepared and it will be possible to fill it in online or over the phone.
If you would like to help with this research, please e-mail us at
audiodescripion@rnib.org.uk or phone Jill Whitehead on 0207 391 2398, and we will contact you when the research starts. Alternatively, If you prefer to complete the survey online, please go to https://enterprise.rnib.org.uk/Questionnaire.aspx.
Audio description on digital TV
In this section you will find the latest information about how to get audio description on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media. This information is correct at the time of going to press, but the situation is constantly changing, so if you’re in any doubt, please contact Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398.
Freeview
Integrated Digital Televisions With Audio Description
An Integrated Digital Television (known as an IDTV) is a TV with a Freeview set-top box built-in, so instead of having a TV and a set-top box with two remote controls, everything is in one unit with just one remote control.
Panasonic
Panasonic has now launched a range of IDTVs that can deliver audio description.
Below is the list of model numbers of Panasonic IDTVs with audio description.
Models beginning TH are Plasma screens and models starting TX are LCD models; the first two digits indicate the screen size in inches.
TH-65PZ700B TH-58PZ700B TH-50PZ70B TH-42PZ70B
TH-50PX700B TH-42PX700B TH-50PX70B TH-42PX70B
TH-37PX70B TH-50PX7B TH-42PX7B TH-37PX7B
TX-32LXD700 TX32LXD70 TX-26LXD70 TX-32LMD70
TX-26LMD70 TX-32LXD7 TX-26LXD7
Sony
Sony is also launching a range of IDTVs that will be able to deliver audio description. These will start appearing in shops from June 2007; the list of model numbers below also has the month in brackets when each model is expected to be in shops.
KDL-26S3000U (June) KDL-26S3010U (June)
KDL-32S3000U “ KDL-32S3010U “
KDL-40S3000U “ KDL40S3010U “
KDL-32D3000U “ KDL-40D3000U “
KDL-46S3000U “ KDL-46S3010U “
KDL-46D3000U “ DL-20S3000U (July)
KDL-20S3020U (July) KDL-32T3000U (September)
KDL-40T3000U (September) KDL-40HD1080 “
KDL-46T3000U “ KDL-46HD1080 “
Computer Adapter
Nebula Electronics has a computer adapter (both PCI and USB2.0 versions are available) called DigiTV for viewing television via your computer. It can be ordered directly from Nebula and costs under £100 including VAT and postage. For more information contact Nebula Electronics, telephone 01689 89 70 90 or www.nebula-electronics.com
Portset Devices
Portset Digital Media Centre is a stand-alone device for people who don’t mind not having a TV screen. It offers sound-only Freeview TV access with audio description; access to electronic programme guides; a daisy talking book player; and a recording function.
Portset has also now launched an accessible Freeview Receiver with Personal Video Recorder. For more information about either of these products contact Portset on 01489 893919, send an email to admin@portset.co.uk, or visit their website at ww.portset.co.uk
Sky
Whether you pay a monthly subscription for your Sky service, or use their Freesat (no subscription) service, any Sky customer can get AD by switching it on. Here’s how:
To activate the audio description service you will need to go into “services”, select “System Set-up” and then “Language and Subtitles”. Scroll to “Audio Description” and use the left and right arrow keys to turn description on. Scroll down to “Save new settings” and press “Select”. Now press the “Sky” button to exit the menus.
If you live outside the London area and want to receive audio description you will need to watch:
BBC1 on channel 974 ITV 1 on channel 993
ITV2 on channel 118 Channel 4 on channel 994
Five on channel 105
BBC2 description is available on channel 989 if you live outside England.
Channel 744 for Sky Box Office Movies with audio description.
To subscribe to Sky, call their Accessibility Helpline on 0870 566 3333 ; to get Freesat from Sky, call 0870 606 1111. To find out more about what Sky offers customers with sight problems – including statements in alternative formats and the monthly Sky magazine on CD - contact their Accessibility Helpline on 0870 566 3333 . You can also call this number to find out which programmes are being audio described. Alternatively you can find this information by logging onto Sky's accessibility website at www.sky.com/accessibility/audiodescription, then click on "TV Guide".
Cable: Virgin Media (Formerly NTL or Telewest)
Depending on where you live you may be able to receive your digital TV via cable now provided by Virgin Media. This was previously the service provided by one of the two cable TV companies NTL or Telewest.
To make things easier for customers Virgin Media shows AD on BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five on separate AD channels:
BBC 1 - channel 851 BBC 2 - channel 852
ITV - channel 853
C4 - channel 854 Five - channel 855
There are some regional variations, so not everyone will get AD on the same channels. However once Virgin Media’s systems have been integrated (hopefully by the end of 2007) these variations will cease to exist and everyone will eventually be able to get AD on all channels on which the service is carried.
Do you need more information on Digital TV?
Ricability, an independent national research charity, has tested over 100 digital TV products to help consumers choose the easiest to use for the switch to digital television. The findings are published free on a fully accessible ‘AAA’ website at www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk and are also available on audio tape and CD.
Test reports are available on indoor aerials, set top boxes, PVRs and IDTVs and as well as recommending the easiest to use products, detailed useful information is given for people with sight problems on: ease of use of remote controls and on-screen guides, and audio description availability and access (within detailed test
reports).
Four audio-tape/CD reports are available:
1.Getting started: what to do about digital TV
2.Indoor TV aerials: consumer test report
3.Digital TV recorders and set top boxes: consumer test reports
4.Widescreen iDTVs: consumer test reports
To obtain copies please contact Ricability, 30 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT email mail@ricability.org.uk ; telephone 020 7427 2460
RNIB also has a fact sheet all about choosing digital TV equipment. If you’d like a copy, contact Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398 or go to our website at:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_audiodescription.hcsp#P46_2253.
Sports News
Ball by Ball – Cricket Commentary at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
The “Ball by Ball” project is a new service which has been installed at Lord’s and the MCC. The provision of audio description is provided by a commentator specifically trained in describing events for those unable to see them clearly. This commentary is transmitted to a headset which can be worn by spectators in any area of the ground. It is provided by volunteer, BBC trained, commentators who have been recruited to
provide this service for all games.
Blind and partially sighted spectators are provided with small hand held receivers and headsets which allow them to receive the dedicated commentary throughout the match. The project is proving a huge success and there has been a very good take up of the headsets for every fixture.
RNIB has trained the stewards and officials on how to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, how to provide accessible information and how to guide a blind or partially sighted person.
RNIB is now looking to work with all county clubs and test match grounds to ensure that this service is available to all blind spectators across the country.
For more information about the Ball by Ball service provided by MCC contact them on 020 7616 8500 or visit www.mcc.org.uk
Contact Details in RNIB
Home Video Service: Customer Services, 0845 702 3153
DVDs with Audio Description: Joan Greening, 020 7391 2322
Audio Description in Cinema: Jill Whitehead, 020 7391 2398
Audio Description on Television: Jill Whitehead, 020 7391 2398
Audio Description in Theatre: Anna Jones, 020 7391 2150
Museums, Galleries and Heritage: www.rnib.org.uk/museum
Football, Rugby and Cricket AD: Eleanor Ellison, 01273 262221
General Enquiries: Media & Culture Team on 020 7388 1266
Email enquiries: audiodescription@rnib.org.uk
Email enquiries: audiodescription@rnib.org.uk
If you would like to comment on anything contained in this newsletter, change the format you receive it in, or to be removed from our mailing list, please contact Jill Whitehead or email audiodescription@rnib.org.uk.
Contact address:
Media & Culture Team
RNIB
105 Judd Street
London
WC1H 9NE
Crewe
Cheshire
CW2 7DQ
NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2007
Message from the Chairman.
Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter. May seems to have made up for the very dry April, although we are promised another hot dry spell.
I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Fashion Show such a great success: some of the ‘models’ were a bit more flamboyant than others, but I am sure we all enjoyed the experience!
We have a number of fund raising events coming up soon, starting with a street collection in Nantwich on 9 June. This will be followed by a number of Coffee Mornings. We would appreciate donations to the Tombola and bric-a-brac stalls, at these events.
Can I remind you that this year’s subs were due in April and that the current rate is £5.00.
We have, in the meeting room, a CCTV reader which members may use to enlarge letters, pictures etc, as demonstrated at the members’ meeting. So if you think that it may be of use to you why not drop in and give it a try; give Wendy a call first to make sure that the room is free and that you can be shown how to use it.
All the best.
Cheers,
Bruce
IRIS VISION RESOURCE ROOM
New Products
Magnifying Compact Mirrors
We now have two magnifying mirrors in stock; one magnifies by 5x and the other by 10x. They can help you to see better when applying make-up, eyebrow tweezing and other close up work. Both are made with distortion free glass and are small enough to carry in your handbag.
Prices are £9.85 for the 10x and £10.95 for the 5x
Micro Kettle
The micro kettle allows you to boil up to 500mls of water in your microwave. The lid is fitted with a special ‘Boil-Stick’ which detects when the water has reached boiling point, at which stage the kettle ‘whistles’. The kettle can also be used as a measuring jug and comes with a soft grip handle.
Price £10.94
Large Print Sudoku
Together with the large print crossword and word search books we now have a large print Sudoku book which has 25 puzzles (together with the answers).
Price £2.75
Radio Controlled Talking Watch
This watch has a white face with clear black numbers and a second hand. The watch is able to pick up radio signals in the UK, USA, Germany and Japan. It will automatically set itself and display and speak the local time. The watch can be set manually outside countries with a radio signal. The watch has a black moulded case and strap with a metal buckle. It features an alarm and hourly report function. It is battery operated.
Price £38.44
THE CASE OF THE VANISHING VOLKSWAGEN……
My wife and I were collared - if that is the word - by a policewoman in a little market town (for causing an obstruction with the car). I am only partially sighted, and we therefore carry a Blue Badge, which we use freely, life having few privileges, in all conscience. We had parked in a narrow one-way street, with plenty of room behind us for another car to park. When the driver of a huge lorry decided that there was room enough for his leviathan, (during our absence) and departed the scene for his lunch, chaos descended on that quiet street.
All was well until another lorry came down the street - and could not pass. By the time we returned to our car, the tailback was practically out of the county. It was at this point we were collared by the policewoman and accused of causing an obstruction. I pointed out that we were there first, using the time card we have to display, and that it was therefore the driver of the lorry who had caused the obstruction (“Fifteen Love, I thought”). Unable to dispute the evidence laid before her, she switched tactics by noticing that our Blue Badge was out of date.
“Cheque's in the post,” I said. “Sorry.” (’Thirty Love’)
By this time she was mining what she thought was a richer seam. Having phoned up the office on those radio things they carry, she asked, rather triumphantly, I thought, “Is this your car?” Memories of Max Wall’s interpretation of the same line had me choking to hold back a ripe chuckle that I knew would not help the
situation. I managed to keep a straight face, and assured her that it was indeed my car, though my wife had to do the driving.
“There’s no record of it on the PNC or at the DVLA,” she said, giving us the gist of her radio enquiries. “Are you sure it’s your car?”
“If it’s not on the PNC and it’s not in the DVLA records, we can neither of us be sure of that, can we?” (Forty Love’)
“But it does occur to me,” I continued, “to ask how a car that does not exist can cause an obstruction?”
She gave me a look that said, “Keep going, punk, and you’ll make my day!” (Dirty Harry in a bra.)
“I have owned this car for four years”, I continued hurriedly, sensing thin ice. “I can produce the Bill of Sale and whatever they call the Logbook these days.”
Not to be outdone, she pressed on: “Are those the original registration plates?” she asked.
“No” I said. “These are my own plates - they were swapped over by the garage when I bought the car.”
She disappeared into the depths of her radio again. “Seems your garage slipped up and never notified the DVLA of Change of Ownership. I’ll put the paperwork in hand when I get back to the Station. In the meantime, get that Blue Badge renewed before you use it again.”
She seemed genuinely glad to get out of a situation that gave every indication of spiralling out of control by its surrealistic complications, “Game, Set and Match”, I thought as she walked off.
Some time later, we were informed by the DVLA that as we had not submitted a Change of Owner form, we were liable to a fine of £20.00. Was this the Policewoman’s Revenge? I wondered. If it were, her triumph was short-lived. When I asked the wretches at the DVLA how they had managed to issue a valid Ownership document without any Paperwork (that magic word!), ear-splitting
silence descended for upwards of a month - while the culprit was hunted down, perhaps. Then came an abject apology, presumably from the perpetrator of the bloomer: it was entirely their fault, they were terribly sorry and they were taking steps to see that it never happened again. It made the score even better:
‘Game, Set, Match and Series’.
W.L. Wright April 2006
Fundraising
Thank you to all the people involved in raising money for the IRIS Centre – we can’t say often enough how important all our volunteers are to us!
Fashion Show
The fashion show in April turned out to be a really enjoyable night. The ‘models’ excelled themselves – by the end of the night anyone would have thought they were professionals! The Edinburgh Woollen Mill staff worked really hard too and the buffet at the end of the show went down very well. Together with the raffle held on the night we raised £457.50. Thank you again to everyone who supported us.
Morrison's Supermarket Collection
in March raised £301.40 – thanks to all our collectors.
Future Events
9th June Nantwich Street Collection
16th June Wistaston Fete
23rd June Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
27th July Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
29th July Duck race in Macon meadow at 2.30pm
11th August Sainsbury's Supermarket Collection
23rd August Coffee morning in Nantwich Church Hall
Donations
We have received a kind donation from Carillion Rail Projects of £1,000 for which we would like to say a big “thank you”.
We have also received a kind donation of about 30 Talking books (thank you to the lady concerned) which has increased our library to 463 books, They can now be borrowed by members of the IRIS Centre.
We also have two CCTVs, donated by a kind gentleman from Stoke-on-Trent, which will be available for loan once they have been PAT approved. We will update you on the situation in the next newsletter.
For Sale
If anyone out there is interested in an Enhanced Vision Max Colour mouse we have one for sale for £70 (second hand). The ‘mouse’ connects to the back of your TV, via a Scart socket, and when run across a book or newspaper magnifies the print onto the television, enabling you to see it more easily. If you would like further information please phone Wendy, Joyce or Steph on 250316.
MALCOLM’S MUSES
EMBARRASSED? WATER SURPRISE!
Most of us – that’s you and me – like to think that we can take anything that is thrown at us on the chin. What ever it is, we can deal with it – can’t we? Yes of course we can – until we have
an embarrassing moment – then all we can do is hide, get as far away from IT as possible . Yeah! The very idea of being the object of ridicule can cause a nervous tic, or the “sweats”, or the “shakes”. No-one wants to find themselves in an embarrassing situation.
In a well established hotel and restaurant, a party of some forty members of a social club were dining. Of course, during the proceedings numerous people had visited the “facilities” which were sited at the end of a big passage. The lady in question, having paid her visit had to walk through the entire tabled area to return to her seat. Unfortunately, she had tucked her skirt into the back of her underwear and all was exposed to view. It was some time before she felt able to talk about it or look anyone in the eye!
A group of friends, men, were out on a pub crawl and having had a few ended up at their last place of rest! One guy was suffering from an attack of wind as well as feeling rather drunk. However, the moment came when he just had to remove himself and visit the loo – sharpish! His walk was something to watch and it was accompanied by, no, not the Sound of Music, but yes, you’ve guessed it – Trumpet in-Voluntary! He did not re-appear in the bar, he had sneaked out through the back door, taken a taxi home and was not seen for some time by his mates.
And then there is my own moment of embarrassment. While on holiday in Boscombe my wife and I visited Beaulieu Motor Museum with a group from our hotel. Having visited and photographed everything in the museum we took a ride on the monorail to see the house and gardens. Feeling hungry we decided to find a quiet spot to eat our sandwiches and found an ideal spot with seats by a very ornate fountain. Duly fed I prepared to take photos of the fountain and using my new zoom lens I set about it. With specs hooked on my little finger and camera to my good eye, I focused and moved forward to obtain a well composed picture.
But, hey, the next thing I knew was that I fell into the goldfish pond beneath the fountain and came back up absolutely soaking wet – but, thankfully unhurt. Except for my pride of course! My wife could not believe her eyes as I stood there, camera and specs still in my hand – to this day I do not remember going down or coming back up – it all happened so quickly.
Travelling back on the monorail was the first hurdle - a mother and son could not disembark quick enough at the other end - I was dripping water from my trousers onto the compartment floor. Thankfully, there were not many people on the coach and I was able to sneak on board and conceal myself and remain hidden from view until we arrived back at our hotel - one ever knew - until now!
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
IRIS Vision Resource Centre - Members Notice
The IRIS Annual General Meeting will be held at 1.00pm on Monday 24th September at the IRIS Centre. The meeting is open to all subscribing members of The IRIS Vision Resource Centre.
Talking Glucose Meter
The SensoCard Plus is the UK’s only talking glucose meter and is now available free of charge through BBI Healthcare to visually disabled diabetes patients in the UK. Usually priced between £50 and £70 this is the first time a talking meter has been given out free. To receive a free meter, the patient’s healthcare advisor should first contact BBI Healthcare to request a ‘Free Meter Voucher’. Once the voucher has been filled in and returned to BBI Healthcare, a SensoCard Plus meter kit will be sent out. If you would like further information please contact BBI Healthcare on 01792 229333 or email info@bbihealthcare.com .
Message in a Bottle
We now have the new ‘Message in a Bottle’ available. This is a voluntary scheme for anyone who might be assured to know that essential information would be readily available to the Emergency Services should they suffer an accident or sudden illness. Vital information is available to advise of relevant illnesses, allergies, medication and contact addresses. For further information contact Wendy, Joyce or Steph at the IRIS Centre on 250316.
Computer Lessons with Vision Support
We would like to remind members that we hold computer lessons in conjunction with Vision Support here at the centre. The lessons are held on a Wednesday using the Guide operating system. If you would like to surf the web, write letters or just get to grips with new technology contact Wendy, Steph or Joyce at the centre for further information.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs
We still have energy saving light bulbs to give away! There are 4 bulbs in a box: 2 x 100watt and 2 x 40watt. You can do your bit to help the environment and save yourself some money on your electricity bills at the same time!
Phone 250316 for further information.
Membership Fees
Just a little reminder to those of you who would like to be a member of the IRIS Vision Resource Centre that the fee of £5.00 is now due. Being a member entitles you to come along to the Monday Club and/or the Tuesday drop in session (both of which run from 11.00am to 2.30pm), to borrow Talking or Large Print books from our library of over 450 books, the right to vote at the AGM (which is coming up later this year), support from staff and volunteers if needed and to receive a copy of the Newsletter four times a year. Please send us your fee of £5.00, together with your name and address, and we will send you your Membership card for 2007/2008.
What is a Low Vision Assessment?
You may be aware that here at the IRIS Vision Resource Centre we offer a Low Vision Service. Most people who have a problem with their vision will have some useful sight which we can help them to make the most of. During a Low Vision Assessment one of our trained therapists, will ascertain what type of aids may help you to see better to read, write, continue to do your favourite hobby, etc. This may be by using a magnifier or improving the lighting in your home.
The assessments, carried out on a Monday or Wednesday by appointment, last approximately one hour and are non-invasive (we do not examine the eye). You will need to have seen your optician/optometrist or to have been seen by the consultant optometrist at the eye clinic within the last year before we can carry out an assessment.
If you fall within our funded area of Central Cheshire, the assessment will be free of charge and we can ‘lend’ you up to two items; this may be a magnifier, a lamp or a pair of sunshields. These items are then yours for as long as they are useful to you. You will also be given a review appointment as part of the service.
The service is also available to people outside our funded area but at a charge of £40.00 for the consultation and items of equipment have to be purchased.
If you or someone you know would benefit from this service, or you would like further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us at the IRIS Vision Resource Centre.
Cookery Corner
Easy Strawberry Fool
Serves 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 50mins
INGREDIENTS
1 Pack Strawberry Jelly
250g Strawberries, rinsed
75g Caster Sugar
500g Creamy Fromage Frais
METHOD
1. Cut the jelly into squares and place in a saucepan with 150ml water. gently heat until the jelly cubes have dissolved then remove from the heat to cool.
2. Remove the strawberry stems and hull (the green leafy bit and the part where it’s attached to the berry). Roughly chop the strawberries and put in the bowl with half the sugar.
3. Mash the mixture with a potato masher. Stir the jelly into the mashed strawberry mixture and put in the fridge. Leave until its cold and just starting to set about 2 to 3 hours
4. Stir the strawberry mixture well, and then fold in the formage frais and the remaining sugar.
5. Transfer the mixture to a clean serving dish and leave to set for about 2 hours.
Serve with shortbread biscuits if you wish.
KEITHS KORNER
My youngest daughter Gabrielle has just returned from the University of Leeds having completed the final examinations in her three year degree course studying Social Policy. By all accounts she’s enjoyed herself there, although she’s cost us a fortune, has developed a taste for fine lagers and has ended up with a student loan debt for herself of about £10,000 which she’ll be paying off once she starts earning. The Social Policy department at Leeds is famous for its work on disability studies, and I was especially pleased that one of Gabrielle’s final essays was on the subject of visual disability, an issue which otherwise seems to rarely feature in disability research. Her essay involved her
interviewing various members of IRIS about their experiences of work and employment, which she then used to illustrate how the policies and practices of government and other agencies helped or hindered disabled people to enter or remain in the workforce. She did very well and was awarded 76% for this essay, suggesting that she carries her father’s brains as well as his good looks – so thanks to all those at IRIS who helped!. What was interesting, however, was that the actual personal experiences of visually impaired people proved to be so central in the writing of this essay.
This was also the case with the work recently undertaken by two of our volunteers to interview and collect together the experiences of people who have age-related macular degeneration. This led to some very interesting horror stories of late diagnoses, treatment delays and sparse information being conveyed to patients at this most distressing of times which we have published – keeping all the names confidential of course - to show how health and social care services could and should be improved in the future. The moral of both these stories is that the actual experiences of visually disabled people can be important in informing opinion and changing practices, but they need to be collected, published and publicised. This suggests a new role for IRIS, especially important at a time when great changes are taking place in the way our public services are run and organised. So watch this space, and be ready to share your experiences and ideas……….
Audio Description Update Summer 2007
Introduction
Hello and welcome to the AD Summer 2007 Update.
In this issue you’ll find a list of all the DVDs that have been released with AD since the last Update in November 2006; some changes to TV License rulings affecting people who have sound-only TV; information about some brand new TVs with AD; details of how to get hold of more information about all aspects of digital TV; we need your help with a survey, and there’s some cricket news too – so read on!
All the RNIB contacts referred to in this issue appear at the end in a section entitled “contact details”.
If you have never experienced audio description and you have access to the internet, visit our web pages at www.rnib.org.uk/audiodescription where you can watch a short film clip with audio description. Alternatively, if you do not have
access to the internet, we can send you an audio described clip on CD or DVD; call Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398.
DVD News
The latest Bond movie available on DVD is the first ever Bond DVD to be released with audio description - so go out and buy Casino Royale and find out what all the fuss is about.
Dr Who Series Two Box Set with audio description and talking menus (audio navigation) won the British Video Association Award for the best authored DVD of 2006. Jane Eyre was released in February 2007 also with audio description and audio navigation – Watch this space, as we are asking for more titles to have talking menus!
New DVDs with AD from November 2006 to date
All the Kings Men, Ant Bully, Borat, Cars, Casino Royale, Christmas with the Cranks, Click, A Cock and Bull Story, Deep Water, The Devil Wears Prada, Dr Who Series Two Box Set - with audio description and audio menus, Eragon, Happy Feet, History Boys, Jane Eyre with audio navigation and description, John Tucker Must Die, Just My Luck, Lady in the Water, Little Man, Little Miss Sunshine, Marie Antoinette, Monster House, Must Love Dogs, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Night at the Museum, Open Season, Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest, The Prestige, The Queen, Red Road, A Scanner Darkly, Severance, The Sentinel, Stormbreaker, Stranger than Fiction, Superman Returns, Talladega Nights, Thank You for Smoking, Volver.
Please note: DVDs are not available from RNIB. As new DVDs are added to our list virtually every week now, if you have access to the internet it’s worth you having a look at the list now and again to keep yourself up-to-date. Here’s the link you need: www.rnib.org.uk/dvd. Alternatively you can always give Joan Greening a ring on 020 7391 2322.
News from TV Licensing
New regulations came into force on 1 April 2007 covering the administration of the Blind Concession Licence, which entitles people who are registered blind to a 50% reduction in their TV Licence.
The Government has decided that you will no longer need a TV Licence if you use a digital set top box to listen to digital television, as long as it is not connected to any TV receiving equipment. So if you connect your set top box to your hi-fi system, for example, you will no longer need a licence.
However if you do have a television and you are applying for your blind licence for the first time, please get in touch with TV Licensing on 0845 603 6999 when you receive your TV licence renewal notice. You will be asked to send a photocopy of your blind registration document from the local authority to TV Licensing, Blind Concession Group, Bristol BS98 1TL, which TV Licensing will validate. They will then send you a letter confirming the details and the payment amount, which you can then take to any PayPoint outlet to pay for your licence by cash or debit card.
You can also choose to pay in a number of other ways, including over the phone by debit or credit card, using the website at www.tvlicensing.co.uk or by Direct Debit.
If you are renewing your blind licence, you can choose to make your payment using any one of the methods outlined above.
If you experience any problems, contact Joan Greening on
020 7391 2322.
RNIB TV Survey: we need your help
RNIB is looking for blind and partially sighted people to participate in new research about how they want to navigate digital TV and plan their viewing. Although RNIB has a lot of anecdotal evidence that people with sight problems find it difficult to use digital TV because of the on-screen programme guide, there is no systematic research on this issue. RNIB needs research results that can be used in dealings with government and manufacturers to show that current on-screen programme guides and menus do not allow blind and partially sighted people to use digital TV effectively and easily. We also want to find out what precisely people expect from talking on-screen menus and a talking programme guide.
We are looking for blind and partially sighted people of all ages; people who have used digital TV as well as people who have not; people who watch TV a lot and people who only watch occasionally; people who are very familiar with technology as well as people who do not use technology very often. The questionnaire is currently being prepared and it will be possible to fill it in online or over the phone.
If you would like to help with this research, please e-mail us at
audiodescripion@rnib.org.uk or phone Jill Whitehead on 0207 391 2398, and we will contact you when the research starts. Alternatively, If you prefer to complete the survey online, please go to https://enterprise.rnib.org.uk/Questionnaire.aspx.
Audio description on digital TV
In this section you will find the latest information about how to get audio description on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media. This information is correct at the time of going to press, but the situation is constantly changing, so if you’re in any doubt, please contact Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398.
Freeview
Integrated Digital Televisions With Audio Description
An Integrated Digital Television (known as an IDTV) is a TV with a Freeview set-top box built-in, so instead of having a TV and a set-top box with two remote controls, everything is in one unit with just one remote control.
Panasonic
Panasonic has now launched a range of IDTVs that can deliver audio description.
Below is the list of model numbers of Panasonic IDTVs with audio description.
Models beginning TH are Plasma screens and models starting TX are LCD models; the first two digits indicate the screen size in inches.
TH-65PZ700B TH-58PZ700B TH-50PZ70B TH-42PZ70B
TH-50PX700B TH-42PX700B TH-50PX70B TH-42PX70B
TH-37PX70B TH-50PX7B TH-42PX7B TH-37PX7B
TX-32LXD700 TX32LXD70 TX-26LXD70 TX-32LMD70
TX-26LMD70 TX-32LXD7 TX-26LXD7
Sony
Sony is also launching a range of IDTVs that will be able to deliver audio description. These will start appearing in shops from June 2007; the list of model numbers below also has the month in brackets when each model is expected to be in shops.
KDL-26S3000U (June) KDL-26S3010U (June)
KDL-32S3000U “ KDL-32S3010U “
KDL-40S3000U “ KDL40S3010U “
KDL-32D3000U “ KDL-40D3000U “
KDL-46S3000U “ KDL-46S3010U “
KDL-46D3000U “ DL-20S3000U (July)
KDL-20S3020U (July) KDL-32T3000U (September)
KDL-40T3000U (September) KDL-40HD1080 “
KDL-46T3000U “ KDL-46HD1080 “
Computer Adapter
Nebula Electronics has a computer adapter (both PCI and USB2.0 versions are available) called DigiTV for viewing television via your computer. It can be ordered directly from Nebula and costs under £100 including VAT and postage. For more information contact Nebula Electronics, telephone 01689 89 70 90 or www.nebula-electronics.com
Portset Devices
Portset Digital Media Centre is a stand-alone device for people who don’t mind not having a TV screen. It offers sound-only Freeview TV access with audio description; access to electronic programme guides; a daisy talking book player; and a recording function.
Portset has also now launched an accessible Freeview Receiver with Personal Video Recorder. For more information about either of these products contact Portset on 01489 893919, send an email to admin@portset.co.uk, or visit their website at ww.portset.co.uk
Sky
Whether you pay a monthly subscription for your Sky service, or use their Freesat (no subscription) service, any Sky customer can get AD by switching it on. Here’s how:
To activate the audio description service you will need to go into “services”, select “System Set-up” and then “Language and Subtitles”. Scroll to “Audio Description” and use the left and right arrow keys to turn description on. Scroll down to “Save new settings” and press “Select”. Now press the “Sky” button to exit the menus.
If you live outside the London area and want to receive audio description you will need to watch:
BBC1 on channel 974 ITV 1 on channel 993
ITV2 on channel 118 Channel 4 on channel 994
Five on channel 105
BBC2 description is available on channel 989 if you live outside England.
Channel 744 for Sky Box Office Movies with audio description.
To subscribe to Sky, call their Accessibility Helpline on 0870 566 3333 ; to get Freesat from Sky, call 0870 606 1111. To find out more about what Sky offers customers with sight problems – including statements in alternative formats and the monthly Sky magazine on CD - contact their Accessibility Helpline on 0870 566 3333 . You can also call this number to find out which programmes are being audio described. Alternatively you can find this information by logging onto Sky's accessibility website at www.sky.com/accessibility/audiodescription, then click on "TV Guide".
Cable: Virgin Media (Formerly NTL or Telewest)
Depending on where you live you may be able to receive your digital TV via cable now provided by Virgin Media. This was previously the service provided by one of the two cable TV companies NTL or Telewest.
To make things easier for customers Virgin Media shows AD on BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five on separate AD channels:
BBC 1 - channel 851 BBC 2 - channel 852
ITV - channel 853
C4 - channel 854 Five - channel 855
There are some regional variations, so not everyone will get AD on the same channels. However once Virgin Media’s systems have been integrated (hopefully by the end of 2007) these variations will cease to exist and everyone will eventually be able to get AD on all channels on which the service is carried.
Do you need more information on Digital TV?
Ricability, an independent national research charity, has tested over 100 digital TV products to help consumers choose the easiest to use for the switch to digital television. The findings are published free on a fully accessible ‘AAA’ website at www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk and are also available on audio tape and CD.
Test reports are available on indoor aerials, set top boxes, PVRs and IDTVs and as well as recommending the easiest to use products, detailed useful information is given for people with sight problems on: ease of use of remote controls and on-screen guides, and audio description availability and access (within detailed test
reports).
Four audio-tape/CD reports are available:
1.Getting started: what to do about digital TV
2.Indoor TV aerials: consumer test report
3.Digital TV recorders and set top boxes: consumer test reports
4.Widescreen iDTVs: consumer test reports
To obtain copies please contact Ricability, 30 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PT email mail@ricability.org.uk ; telephone 020 7427 2460
RNIB also has a fact sheet all about choosing digital TV equipment. If you’d like a copy, contact Jill Whitehead on 020 7391 2398 or go to our website at:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_audiodescription.hcsp#P46_2253.
Sports News
Ball by Ball – Cricket Commentary at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
The “Ball by Ball” project is a new service which has been installed at Lord’s and the MCC. The provision of audio description is provided by a commentator specifically trained in describing events for those unable to see them clearly. This commentary is transmitted to a headset which can be worn by spectators in any area of the ground. It is provided by volunteer, BBC trained, commentators who have been recruited to
provide this service for all games.
Blind and partially sighted spectators are provided with small hand held receivers and headsets which allow them to receive the dedicated commentary throughout the match. The project is proving a huge success and there has been a very good take up of the headsets for every fixture.
RNIB has trained the stewards and officials on how to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, how to provide accessible information and how to guide a blind or partially sighted person.
RNIB is now looking to work with all county clubs and test match grounds to ensure that this service is available to all blind spectators across the country.
For more information about the Ball by Ball service provided by MCC contact them on 020 7616 8500 or visit www.mcc.org.uk
Contact Details in RNIB
Home Video Service: Customer Services, 0845 702 3153
DVDs with Audio Description: Joan Greening, 020 7391 2322
Audio Description in Cinema: Jill Whitehead, 020 7391 2398
Audio Description on Television: Jill Whitehead, 020 7391 2398
Audio Description in Theatre: Anna Jones, 020 7391 2150
Museums, Galleries and Heritage: www.rnib.org.uk/museum
Football, Rugby and Cricket AD: Eleanor Ellison, 01273 262221
General Enquiries: Media & Culture Team on 020 7388 1266
Email enquiries: audiodescription@rnib.org.uk
Email enquiries: audiodescription@rnib.org.uk
If you would like to comment on anything contained in this newsletter, change the format you receive it in, or to be removed from our mailing list, please contact Jill Whitehead or email audiodescription@rnib.org.uk.
Contact address:
Media & Culture Team
RNIB
105 Judd Street
London
WC1H 9NE
# posted by iriscentre : 2:28 PM
