APEX Joins DOT’s ACCESS Advisory Committee to Improve IFE Accessibility
Share
APEX Insight: APEX has joined a US Department of Transportation committee tasked with improving in-flight entertainment for passengers with visual and auditory disabilities. Michael Childers, an association board member and chair of the Closed Caption Working Group, and Russ Lemieux, APEX’s executive director, represented APEX at the Accessible Air Transportation (ACCESS) Advisory Committee’s first meeting on May 17-18 in Washington, DC.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) has joined a US Department of Transportation (DOT) committee tasked with establishing a set of rules to improve in-flight entertainment (IFE) for passengers with disabilities including visual and auditory impairments.
The Accessible Air Transportation (ACCESS) Advisory Committee, which is comprised of representatives from the passenger experience industry and disability rights groups, was created to provide input on the DOT’s regulations concerning closed captions and descriptive audio services used within in-flight entertainment. Its aim is to reach consensus and propose amendments to existing disability regulations under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The new rules would apply to aircraft flying in and out of the United States.
Michael Childers, an association board member and chair of the Closed Caption Working Group, and Russ Lemieux, APEX’s executive director, represented APEX at the committee’s first meeting on May 17-18 in Washington, DC. “With more than a decade of engagement with the DOT on the issue of accessible IFE, the APEX Technology Committee and Closed Caption Working Group have earned a reputation for their expert and credible knowledge, which now allows us the opportunity to influence regulations and get fair hearings on this important issue,” Childers says.
“We’re confident our recommendations will provide for even greater progress while not placing an undue burden on the industry.” €” Michael Childers, APEX
Childers explains that because most IFE systems span three generations of technology, content providers need to be able to deliver captions and subtitles in a format that allows content integrators to perform a single conversion across all systems. “It is essential that our industry determine its own specification for closed captions… We’re confident our recommendations will provide for even greater progress while not placing an undue burden on the industry,” he says.
Lemieux adds that the APEX association members are uniquely qualified to address the technical intricacies. “The members of APEX are the best-equipped anywhere to find solutions to the complex challenges in this area and to assure that, should any regulations come forward, they are reasonable and achievable for the industry.” Member companies that have experience with developing and employing accessible IFE technology, such as Air Canada, Global Eagle Entertainment and Panasonic Avionics, will be able to contribute valuable insight.
“The members of APEX are the best-equipped anywhere to find solutions to the complex challenges in this area.” €”Russ Lemieux, APEX
On June 8-9 in Los Angeles, APEX TECH attendees will be given updates on APEX’s engagement with the DOT and where the industry stands with regard to its ability to provide accessible media. A new APEX specification for the provision of closed captions in IFE, based on the Internet Media Subtitles and Captions (IMSC) standard, will be also be reviewed and placed for approval.