Video Description Research and Development Center

photo of A bridge with text: "be descriptive be brief be part of the solution"

The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) investigates innovative technologies and techniques for making online video more accessible to blind and visually-impaired students and consumers. Through collaboration with a broad array of partners and stakeholders in the Description Leadership Network, we are developing advanced video annotation methods for use in a wide variety of educational settings, as well as helping educators and other description providers make better use of the tools already available.

External Links:

External Link: http://www.youdescribe.org

Projects

  • Inactive
Inactive

Visual-Impairment Research Agenda for Description (VIRAD)

A systematic road map charting gaps in the quantitative evidence about how description can and should be used to improve video usability for the blind. The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center is proud to be working with the WGBH NCAM to develop the Visual-Impairment Research Agenda for Description (VIRAD). While many focus groups, advisory panels, and expert practitioners have contributed to the accumulation of anecdotal evidence to guide the creation and delivery of description, there remains a surprising dearth of evidence-based best practices in this field…
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Inactive

Remote Real-Time Description (RRTD)

Remote real-time description (RRTD) is a simple technique that will allow a describer anywhere in the world to provide real-time description for a video stream being viewed by a visually-impaired student at home, in the classroom, or on the go. In RRTD, a video feed is streamed to the describer who passes the audio (and optionally the video) to the student, along with the added live description.
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Labs

  • Coughlan Lab
    Coughlan Lab
    Principal Investigator:
    The goal of our laboratory is to develop and test assistive technology for blind and visually impaired persons that is enabled by computer vision and other sensor technologies.
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People

Fundings

Collaborators

News

  • Joshua Miele is a 2021 MacArthur Fellow
    Joshua Miele is a 2021 MacArthur Fellow
    Smith-Kettlewell is proud and honored to announce that one of our alumni, Dr. Joshua Miele, has received a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship for his work in developing devices to enable blind...
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  • Relaunch of YouDescribe
    Relaunch of YouDescribe
    On May 18, 2017, in honor of the sixth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Smith-Kettlewell relaunched the award- winning YouDescribe with new features, expanded capabilities, and exciting possibilities for the...
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  • DescribeAthon 17 ‘Marathon’
    DescribeAthon 17 ‘Marathon’
    On January 26, 2017, in San Francisco, the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute’s Rehabilitation and Engineering Research Center (RERC) hosted DescribeAthon 17 -- an event that used the Institute’s YouDescribe technology,...
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Events

  • YouDescribe Science! Using Audio Description in the STEM Classroom
    YouDescribe Science! Using Audio Description in the STEM Classroom

    Saturday, August 19th, 2017 – 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

    A free learning opportunity offered by The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and Northern California Chapter of Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.  The Format: Part lecture, part tutorial and part open discussion, the class is designed especially to highlight the importance of audio description in STEM classrooms....

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  • A State of the Science Conference On Rehabilitation Technology & Methods For a Changing Population
    A State of the Science Conference On Rehabilitation Technology & Methods For a Changing Population

    Friday, December 4th, 2015 – 8:45 AM to 6:00 PM

    The goal of this invitation-only conference is to identify needs for future research in rehabilitation technology, methods for the blind and visually impaired population, and those with dual sensory loss. This conference will be held at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco CA 94115.   Link...

    Conference

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Get Involved

If you are interested in vision science or want to learn more about low vision and blindness, there are many opportunities to get involved at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.

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