Just wanted to note an interesting trend on the Bravo TV celebrity blogs. Some blogs like that of Top Chef judge Tom Collichio are all text, but some like that of judge Eric Ripert are video blogs. Recently though, Bravo has been adding text transcripts to their blogs.
However, that wasn’t the case a few years ago for Padma Lakshmi’s video blog. As the archives show, it was an embedded video player and nothing else. If you wanted to learn more about Padma’s opinion, you had to listen to the video (and I’m not seeing a caption button either).
I’m curious as to why we are now getting transcripts for Eric Ripert. One could argue that Bravo has had a Section 508 epiphany, but it interesting that the Eric Ripert transcript is right beneath the video, which is unusual for an accessibility measure. I would normally expect a link (probably in small text) – I’ve gotten a little cynical that way.
But maybe…Bravo has realized that transcripts benefit a significant share of their audience besides those without hearing. Others who benefit may include those who aren’t getting the embedded video player to work, or those who prefer to read than watch a video blog or even those who may be having a little difficulty with Ripert’s charming, but not-so-native French accent. Quite a diverse group really – but all able to learn more from Ripert’s culinary wisdom through multiple modes.
This is a great example of universal design in which an “accommodation” is actually available to everyone, not just a small “disabled” community.