Annex: Recommendations for producing adaptations for users who are deaf or hard of hearing

Producing Sign Language Videos

Identify an interpreter that will be selected by the deaf team members of the multidisciplinary team.

Identify a Narrator that will be responsible for transmitting the message in sign language in the video. The Narrator must be deaf/hard of hearing and must have experience in teaching in SL. This member will also participate in the validation and linguistic adaptation of the material. This person needs to transmit the content clearly.

It is highly recommended that the narrator be a deaf person, given that it is not about just transmitting content in a linguistically effective way, but that the content reflects a way of understanding the world and important visual behaviors. This is especially important in places that have no deaf associations or groups of deaf adults that can serve as linguistic role models.

Technical recommendations

Camera format

• The person behind the camera should preferably know sign language
• The camera should be digital, because of it superior ease of use, quality and edition.
• The camera should have at least 8 GB of storage.
• It should be a camera that can film in high definition, HD: The exact quality to be used is decided in post-production, but for editing purpose it is crucial that the filming is as high quality as possible.
• The camera should preferably have manual configuration
• The camera should preferably have a manual lens
• The camera should preferably have automatic or manual White Balance

Sound

• The recording of the voiceover should be in WAV format, which provides the best audio quality
• The recording should take place in a recording studio or in a controlled environment that is acoustically desirable and isolated to reduce background noise.
• The microphone should a high sensitivity digital microphone, preferably unidirectional
• Closed or semi-open headphones
• Microphone stand: this makes the work easier and helps avoid vibrations
• An editing software such as Audacity will be used

Clothing

• The clothing used by the presenter must be one color, either black or white, depending on the skin color of the presenter
• The clothing or the hair must not interfere with the clear understanding of the signs
• The clothing or the hair must not interfere with the editing

Lighting

• When filming, special attention must be paid to the shadows from the screen or from the presenter, which should be kept to a minimum
• There should be enough light to generate contrast between the screen or chroma and the presenter
• It is recommended to make the most of natural light, while paying attention to the shadows that may appear
• It is recommended to use artificial light, to this end there are two different methods:
• 3 point lighting: A main light is positioned about 45 degrees right or left of the subject and 45 degrees downward, pointing to where the face and torso are located. A filler light located behind and opposite to the main light, at the height of the camera, and a rear light that is slightly above the subject, shining back to the screen or chroma.
• Flat lighting: Two lights are positioned behind the camera, in opposite directions, in order to cover the entire surface and eliminate shadows.

Studio and equipment

• Film studio
• Recording studio
• 1 digital professional camera
• 1 tripod
• 1 professional microphone
• 1 set of professional semi-open headphones
• 1 microphone stand
• 1 audio recording studio or other adequate location
• 1 computer
• 1 audio software
• 1 editing software
• 3 lights
• Screen or chroma, green color
• A map of the studio showing the necessary distances between the camera, the presenter, the reflectors, the screen, etc.

Recording and filming

Important aspects:

• The camera should be on eye level to simulate the direct signing to the person who is watching the video.
• The signs should not be cut out by the camera. Consider the use of the space to sign upwards, downwards and to the sides to estimate the necessary distance.
• Do not move the camera, it should be in the same position always.
• Show what space the signer can use.
• Mark on the floor the correct position of the presenter.
• If possible, do not use a digital zoom, as this takes away from the quality of the filming. Either, use a manual zoom, or simply make sure that the camera is in the correct distance.
• Keep in mind the existence of a minimum space between the chroma, the presenter and the camera.
• The presenter must be natural, and should not look towards the assistant or stop signing in the camera.
• Since in some cases the specialist may not be present during filming, it is essential to have practiced the material thoroughly and fully respect the script.
• It is preferable to record small sections, so that the editing becomes easier and more natural.
  
  

Selected tasks:

• Make sure that the studio is clean and available.
• Make sure that the camera is charged or can be plugged in during filming.
• Check that the lights are working and that the necessary cables are available.
• Convene the technical coordinator, the linguistic advisor, the cameraman and the presenter.
• Arrive at the studio one hour before filming starts to prepare the equipment.
• Film short test clips before starting the real shooting.

Post-production:

Recommendations for voice over post-production:

• The video will have voice-over, which can be turned on and off.
• The voice will accompany the sign language, not the text.
• The duration of each film block is calculated and then used to time the voice recording, which should last about the same as the sign language block.
• In the case of literary texts, the voice-over will accompany the written text.
• In the case of storytelling, voice-over accompanies the narrator.
• The team will convene persons to put their voice on the text or story.
• A detailed timeline will be developed by the reader and the sound engineer.
• Each reader will practice reading according to the speed of the sign language narration.
• Recording
• The reader must agree to the use of his or her voice.
• During the recording, an assistant will make sure that the reading of the text, the pronunciation, the intonation and the timing are adequate.
• The sound engineer edits the voices and sends the files to the coordinator, who checks them before sending them to the editor.

Recommendations for subtitles:

• Make subtitles optional for the videos, i.e. that the videos can be watched with or without subtitles.
• Color: Black, large font

Interactive activities:

Often, exercises in the textbooks are not accessible to all students. For example, an exercise that asks to draw a line between an element and a color cannot be done by a blind child; or an activity that has many steps can be very confusing for a child with intellectual disability. When adapting the content, teachers and publishers need to consider offering alternative exercises or to create exercises that are accessible for all. This section suggests some multi-modal adaptations under UDL principles: 

• Provide hints: Provide additional information and description to help provide context. For example, when describing the images, provide more details that can help resolve the exercises, and when adapting the exercises, consider the details of the image description.

• Provide a consistent layout.  When doing exercises, it is important that the layout of the activities is consistent.  For example, having all questions on one side with all possible answer on the other side.

• Give step-by-step instructions. Where possible, exercises should be broken out into single steps that present a single piece of supporting material, a single question and the corresponding required answers. This helps prevent students from being overwhelmed by both information and interactive choices

• Give context for activities. Whenever possible, provide context for the activity by linking the concepts to the book material before and after, and showing images that support the purpose of the activity.

• Use a variety of exercises. Allow students different ways to demonstrate their understanding of content.  For example, only allowing students to conduct sorting activities may exclude many students who are blind/low vision while listening activities may exclude the participation of students who are deaf/hard of hearing.  Allowing for diverse options to facilitate the participation of different types of learners is ideal. Examples of activities that are best suited to be adapted for accessibility are below:

• True or false: deciding if the statement is true of false. No other answer is possible.
• Matching activities: pairing each of a set of stems (e.g., definitions) with one of the choices provided in the question.
• Listening activities: Identifying a sound and match it with an element in the image
• Sorting activities: Putting each element or images into proposed (selected?) categories
• Memory activities: finding the pair of images among the different proposed images
• Spelling activities: Completing the word by choosing between proposed letters
• Short answer: brief prompt that demands a written answer