Hello!
My name is Stephanie Poruchnyk-Butler, and I’m the Digital Programming Intern at VUCAVU. Part of my work in this role has involved researching different tools and frameworks to support digital accessibility in the film, video and media arts sector. During my research, I have discovered plenty of fantastic projects that have inspired me to help meet access needs in fresh, creative and relevant ways. I want to share some of my findings with the larger VUCAVU community in hopes that they inspire you as well!
Feel free to reach out to us at digital@vucavu.com with any questions or comments.
Alt Text as Poetry
https://alt-text-as-poetry.net/
Alt text is a written description of an image posted online or embedded in digital documents. Alt text allows visual content to be accessible to people who are blind, low vision, or have certain cognitive disabilities. It may also display as a placeholder if an image fails to load.
Alt Text as Poetry is a collaboration between artists Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan, supported by Eyebeam and the Disability Visibility Project.
“We are both disabled artists and activists. Shannon is sighted and Bojana lives with low vision. We met in New York City through mutual friends. We realized there was a lot of overlap between our interests and decided to jump into this collaborative project.
Both of us are interested in how communities can move towards better and more nuanced approaches to access. Instead of focusing on compliance and doing the minimum, what if we approach access creatively and generously, centering disability culture? How do we make spaces and experiences that disabled people not only can access but want to access?”
- Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan, ABOUT: https://alt-text-as-poetry.net/
Alt Text as Poetry has created a fantastic workbook, which is available in English and Spanish, in a variety of formats. The workbook consists of:
- Written introduction about alt text and alt text as poetry.
- A series of writing exercises.
All digital formats of the workbook are free and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. They accept donations on their website.
ID: A blue background with light pink jellyfish and a few colourful flower icons. White text reads 'Alt-Text as Poetry'.
https://alt-text-as-poetry.net/
Disability Visibility Project
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/
The Disability Visibility Project (DVP) is an online community founded by the disability activist Alice Wong in 2014 that is dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. The DVP platform consists mainly of blog posts and podcast episodes and the creation of disabled media from collected oral histories in the form of tweets, radio stories, audio clips, images, etc.
There are a number of articles and podcasts investigating accessibility in film, video and media arts on the DVP, including:
ID: Yellow background with black text that reads "Disability Visibility Project".
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/
Reid My Mind Radio with Thomas Reid
http://reidmymind.com/
Reid My Mind Radio is a podcast featuring compelling people impacted by all degrees of blindness and disability. Produced and hosted by Thomas Reid, himself a man who became Blind as an adult, who extracts valuable experiences from conversations with his guests.
Flipping the Script on Audio Description is a series on Reid My Mind Radio that explores the importance of audio description in contemporary, diverse and compelling ways. Notable episodes include:
Subscribe to Reid My Mind Radio wherever you get podcasts! Transcripts & more at ReidMyMind.com, and follow @tsreid on Twitter.
ID: A green radio sits atop a wooden table, text on the left side and below reads “Reid My Mind Radio”.
http://reidmymind.com/
Christine Sun Kim
Christine Sun Kim is an American sound artist based in Berlin. Working predominantly in drawing, performance, and video, Kim's practice considers how sound operates in society. Musical notation, written language, American Sign Language, and the use of the body are all recurring elements in her work.
"Berlin-based artist Christine Sun Kim thinks about closed captions a lot. And she let us in on a not-so-well-kept secret: they suck. Christine shows us what closed captions could be, in a new story featuring original footage she captured and captioned herself."
![A burgundy graphic with orange and yellow text that reads “[CLOSER CAPTIONS], By Christine Sun Kim, Music by Minna Choi”. There are a few orange squiggly lines surrounding the larger graphic.](/getmedia/ed798a78-6a27-441a-bd63-4363c73597b1/CloserCaptionsScreenshot_christinesunkim.png?width=500&height=277)
A still from “Artist Christine Sun Kim Rewrites Closed Captions” | Pop-Up Magazine
ID: A burgundy graphic with orange and yellow text that reads “[CLOSER CAPTIONS], By Christine Sun Kim, Music by Minna Choi”. There are a few orange squiggly lines surrounding the larger graphic.
"Artist Christine Sun Kim was born deaf, and she was taught to believe that sound wasn't a part of her life, that it was a hearing person's thing. Through her art, she discovered similarities between American Sign Language and music, and she realized that sound doesn't have to be known solely through the ears — it can be felt, seen and experienced as an idea. In this endearing talk, she invites us to open our eyes and ears and participate in the rich treasure of visual language."
A still from “The enchanting music of sign language” | Christine Sun Kim.
ID: A woman is signing ASL on the left side of the screen. On the right side is a drawing of four royal blue lines, some are curved and some have more movement.
Christine Sun Kim is on Instagram and Twitter @chrisunkim.
Last updated: December 21, 2022