Screen Reader Description

Overview

This extension user's screen reading software when to read descriptive comments as the user watches specific videos on YouTube, Disney+, Crunchyroll, or Hidive. When blind or low vision users want to watch visual media like television or movies, they use "audio descriptions". According to The Audio Description Project by the American Council for the Blind, Audio Description (AD) is the descriptive narration of key visual elements of live theatre, television, movies, and other media to enhance their enjoyment by consumers who are blind or have low vision. AD is the insertion of audio explanations and descriptions of the settings, characters, and action taking place in such media, when such information about these visual elements is not offered in the regular audio presentation. That said, not all television or movies come with audio descriptions. The Screen Reader Description project provides the technology for text-based "audio" descriptions to be crowd sourced in a text format, then read by screen reading software that a blind or low vision user already has installed. This extension allows for descriptions to be provided in-line with existing streaming sites. Users will need to already be subscribed to the services, or watch un-described ads, in order to use it.