Accessible Interactive Multimedia
Yesterday came the announcement of a new standard for authoring multimedia presentations using sound, video, images and text. The Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, known as SMIL 3.0 (and pronounced “smile”) offers users a suite of functionality options that do not require scripting.
SMIL 3.0 is a recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and provides such features as timed captions, pan-zoom animation control and embedded Semantic Web metadata. Presentations can be built to support platforms that integrate via XML applications, aligning closely with the Web Standards movement.
Of critical interest is the improved accessibility of SMIL 3.0. The DAISY Consortium (an organization dedicated to providing equal print access to people with disabilities) requested that features be integrated to benefit users with disabilities, and the organization uses SMIL 3.0 for its Talking Books format to extend the functionality to rich media products. SMIL 3.0 also uses such attributes as alt, longdesc, CDATA text strings and readIndex to accommodate assistive devices.
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