YouDescribe

The YouDescribe app gives blind and visually-impaired viewers convenient mobile access to a rapidly growing collection of YouTube videos with audio description -- an extra soundtrack added by a describer to tell the viewer about text, illustrations, setting, gestures and facial expressions that are otherwise not accessible to blind viewers, or to otherwise aid viewers who benefit from additional description to understand the video content. The YouDescribe app for iOS lets you choose from thousands of YouTube videos described by our global community of contributors. The app also lets you request descriptions for YouTube videos that have not yet been described, and rate descriptions that have already been created.

YouDescribe is free and easy to use from the iOS app or from the desktop. The app has been extensively tested with the VoiceOver screenreader, and the web site works well with a variety of screen reader/browser combinations.

If you are interested in joining the community of volunteer describers to record audio descriptions for others to view on YouDescribe, use a desktop browser and visit us at https://youdescribe.org/ We will be adding the ability to record from the app in an upcoming release.

Who are the describers?

• Teachers of the visually impaired who want to give their students better access to educational videos;
• Sighted friends and family of all ages who want to share their favorite YouTube videos with the blind people in their lives;
• Children and adults who believe in accessibility and want to help make video more accessible for blind or neuro-diverse viewers.

The YouDescribe app can be used to:

• Watch the latest contributions to the YouDescribe collection
• Search for and view described or undescribed YouTube videos
• Rate the quality of any audio description with up to 5 stars
• Make suggestions for how individual describers can improve their AD technique,
• Submit requests for YouTube videos you want described.
• Share links to videos on YouDescribe

Learn more about Smith-Kettlewell at https://www.ski.org/ Send us feedback by e-mailing support@youdescribe.org Learn more about YouDescribe by following us on Twitter and Facebook: http://twitter.com/SKERI_YD http://facebook.com/YouDescribe

The YouDescribe app allows you to sign in with Google Account. For Google Privacy Policy, click https://policies.google.com/privacy This app fetches data from YouTube. For YouTube Terms of Service, click https://www.youtube.com/t/terms

The YouDescribe app was developed by Rupal Khilari as part of her master’s degree under the direction of Dr. Ilmi Yoon of San Francisco State University, and Dr. Joshua Miele of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.