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The Newsletter of COTIS
The Confederation of Transcribed Information Services
To promote the provision of information in alternative formats to print
Editor - Linda Pearce, Email:
ontrack@cotis.org.uk .
Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 ODP. Tel: 01829-733351
(Answerphone)
Reg Charity No: 299024 © Issue 48 - October 2004
By Wendy Davies, COTIS Chair
Why have an accreditation scheme?
Service providers currently have to purchase transcription with no guidance to help them find or choose the agency which will best suit their needs and provide a quality service for their print-disabled customers. When commissioning print materials, organisations feel comfortable that they can judge the quality of samples from designers and printers even if there is no quality mark to help make the initial choice. But faced with having to provide information in other formats, people need help both to find and then choose between the various transcription agencies. This is the gap which COTIS is aiming to fill with its accreditation scheme.
Why start with accreditation for audio transcription?
As you know, we have been involved with judging the Talking Newspaper competition for three years, so we already have a system designed and a panel trained to judge weekly Talking Newspapers. This gives us the experience and a springboard from which to launch audio accreditation to a wider field. We will check sample recordings and, if they meet the criteria, we will issue a certificate enabling the transcription agency to advertise itself as "COTIS accredited 2005" - along the lines of restaurants' use of "Egon Ronay 2005" wall plaques. We will also be maintaining a web directory of accredited agencies, enabling service providers to choose "best value" from those following "best practice".
As the last On Track went to press, we were waiting to hear if RNIB's promised £5,000 was still available, which would trigger the release of another £5,000 of matched funding from the Ulverscroft Foundation.
The very good news is that RNIB has made the money available, and we are now busy planning how to spend it. We need to amend the questionnaire used for Talking Newspapers so that we have one suitable for what we are calling "commercial" recordings, and gain a consensus view from the panel on the cut-off point for non-acceptable recordings. By "commercial", we mean recordings made for payment at the request of the information provider. This might be individualised material such as phone or utility bills, or generalised information such as promotional material from a leisure centre or local council. Some service providers have set up their own transcription units, and we hope these too will apply for accreditation to ensure their users get good quality information.
To set up a suitable scheme and to meet your needs as well as those of the service providers and their visually impaired customers, we need your help. Before our AGM this year, which will follow a two-day workshop for our panellists, we are providing you with a chance to respond to the criteria on which your recordings will be judged; and, most importantly, to help choose the descriptive sections into which types of recordings and materials can be divided. For instance, do we need to differentiate between the presentation of recordings of a glossy brochure with a long shelf life and those of a time-limited photocopied sheet? How can an organisation that can produce very accurate, well-indexed information read in a straightforward style be distinguished in a non-judgemental way from one that can produce "glossy" recordings with introductory and interval music and radio-style presentation? How do you manage to convey the various options you can offer? What descriptions have you found work best?
Please, please, give us this input now, if at all possible, by attending the workshop prior to the AGM on Wednesday 24 November 2004 from 11 am - 1 pm at Apollo Hotel, Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Buffet lunch included, if booked in advance. The session and lunch are free to COTIS members, £30 for non members, payable on the day.
If you cannot come, please let us know your opinions - dialogue is probably best, so email me at wendydavies99@hotmail.com suggesting times to ring you and I'll get in touch.
If you are able to attend, let COTIS know by Thursday 15 November.
Please give the names of attendees, your organisation, a contact number and whether you are a member of COTIS or not. Indicate how many will require lunch and give details of any special dietary requirements.
The following article shows how some transcription services think the accreditation scheme will help them. Don't be left out! Hope to see you …
By Marian Davis, Vision Support Trading
Why Vision Support Trading (VST) want an accreditation system
There is a significant problem with consistency in the provision of materials for blind and partially sighted people. This is largely due to the lack of standardisation in this area. The requirement for standardisation is set to have a positive effect on both the consumer and on the industry. With over two million people in the UK having sight problems, the impact on the industry of not being able to provide information such as billing, advertising and consumer information in an accessible format is significant.
VST seeks to work with COTIS and other leading industry bodies in order to develop an industry-accepted Code of Practice for the provision of these materials. Once the standard has been established, organisations such as VST can apply to become accredited, and this in turn, if successful, will become a key selling feature to purchasers of their services. Purchasers of the service, ie banks and utility companies, have little or no knowledge of what is an acceptable standard. They would benefit from being able to turn with confidence to an accredited organisation.
Thoughts from RNIB - Linda Pearce
Like VST, RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) is working with COTIS to produce a Code of Practice for producers of information in accessible formats.
RNIB produces a variety of formats, and within these formats a variety of styles, as the following examples show.
Items such as bank statements and bills are needed quickly, but the information still has to be read clearly and accurately and presented in a logical order so that it makes sense in an audio format.
We also record books that are for "easy listening", where people want to sit back and have an enjoyable listening experience. The reader's voice is therefore very important. The text may have few complexities and the time scale for producing the recording may be relatively flexible.
On the other hand, books for students are usually time critical. Students also want to be able to find particular places in the text, so navigation is included. In analogue, for example, full tone indexing is used and the page numbers read out. If a recording is in a digital format produced to the international DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) standard, navigation can be to an even greater depth. Full text and audio can also be produced. Students often need to know how proper nouns and special terminology are spelt, what the diagrams represent, and so on. The presentation can almost be described as an audio facsimile of the printed page, so it is very different from the "easy listening" style.
RNIB welcomes the opportunity of attending a session organised by COTIS to explore how different styles can be judged. A successful accreditation scheme will help improve the way that information is made accessible for people with sight problems. It will ensure that commissioning customers can find companies which produce work to a high standard which is, most importantly, suitable for the needs of their blind and partially sighted clients.
By Theresa Hodge, User Panellist Co-ordinator
Are you interested in improving the quality of material transcribed into audio?
Would you like to influence the accreditation process? You could do this by becoming a user panellist and judging material submitted for accreditation.
When organisations sign up for their audio transcription service to be accredited, a sample of their work will be sent to two user panellists. These panellists will listen to a section of the material (usually one side of a tape) and then complete a questionnaire. They give their comments on the issues that are essential to ensure good quality audio transcription, ie reading quality, audio quality, the information given (such as the title and who the tape is from), navigation (how easy it is to move from one section to another, etc), plus any other constructive comments. The results will then be analysed and the organisation will or will not be given an accreditation for the coming year.
How much time do I have to commit to this work?
There are no set levels of commitment; you could judge material on a regular basis, or just once or twice a year - it's up to you to decide what time you can offer.
Will there be any payment for this work?
Yes, COTIS is able to offer payment for being a user panellist, but you do need to consider any welfare benefits that you might currently be receiving, and to take into account any issues that may affect these benefits.
Are you interested?
If so, or you would like to discuss this possibility in more detail, then please contact me, Theresa Hodge, by telephone on 01424 421411 or by e-mail at theresa@eaconsultancy.co.uk
Motion to amend Constitution - Background
At our AGM held on 23 January 2001, we proposed a motion to adjust the Constitution to allow us to consider methods of communication other than traditional tape-based techniques. Unfortunately, instead of just asking for permission to "adjust the Constitution accordingly", we listed specific clauses to be changed … and missed one!
Thus, we ask your support in the following motion:
"That the words "recording service" in clause 4a be amended to "transcription service", as follows:
Group Membership shall be available to any organisation engaged in the systematic provision of a [delete "recording"] transcription service as specified in Clause 2.1 (two point one), provided that that organisation is a properly constituted body with powers so to do. Individual members of organisations shall be eligible to become Associate members and as such shall be eligible to attend and speak at General Meetings, but shall not have voting rights."
Motion to increase Subscriptions
After ten years at the same level, the committee have finally given in and propose the following increases:
a) Individual membership to increase from £6 to £10; and
b) Organisational membership to increase from £12 to £20.
NB These subscription changes will not take effect until 2005.
Come along and vote at the AGM or or contact us on the contact details at the foot of this web page.
Please give your name, your organisation, if applicable, and say either:
1. whether you are voting in favour of or against the motion to amend the
constitution
2. whether you are voting in favour of or against the motion to increase the
individual subscription to £10
3. whether you are voting in favour of or against the motion to increase the
organisation subscription to £20
Can you help us with the ongoing training of panellists? Panellists need to be able to assess recordings as objectively as possible, applying the criteria in a standard way. To enable them to practise at the workshops we have set up in November, they need a wide selection of recordings. Do you have recordings from companies that you would be willing to send in for COTIS to use, especially recordings you are unhappy with? For the time being we are looking for recordings which fit on to one cassette only.
If you can help, please send the tapes by 15 November to: Linda Pearce, COTIS Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 0DP
Thank you in advance.
Wednesday 24 November 2004
Apollo Hotel, Hagley Road,
Egbaston, Birmingham
Tel: 0121 455 0271
AGM: 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm
Welcome tea/coffee
2.00 pm
Re-standing: Marian Davis and John Murphy
Close of AGM
(NB Minutes of the last AGM were in the January 2004 issue of On Track.
Please let us know if you need another copy.)
The AGM will be followed immediately by a short committee meeting to allocate roles.
If you would like to nominate someone for the committee, please contact COTIS by 10 November 2004 on the contact details at the foot of this web page.
1. Give the name of the person nominated and the name of the organisation represented, if applicable.
2. Give the names of the proposer and seconder.
3. Confirm that the nominee has given his or her verbal or written agreement to be nominated.
Charity: COTIS - Confederation of Transcribed Information Services Charity Commission Reference Number: 299024 |
|||
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Opening balances: | |||
| Bank accounts | 1,772.59 | ||
| Building Society account | 4,039.24 | ||
| Petty cash | 42.37 | ||
| 5,854.20 | |||
| Income: | |||
| Subscriptions | 912.00 | ||
| Sale of Guidelines | 368.30 | ||
| Sale of Self-help tapes | 152.00 | ||
| Postage | 30.25 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 3.10 | ||
| Bank interest | 5.48 | ||
| Building Society interest | 99.90 | ||
| 1,571.03 | |||
| Expenditure: | |||
| Committee members travel/ Subsistence/room bookings | 1,036.65 | ||
| Telephone conferences | 437.18 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 15.18 | ||
| Contract work | 358.20 | ||
| TNAUK competition prizes | 205.00 | ||
| Petty Cash | 9.38 | ||
| 2,061.59 | |||
| Deficit | (490.56) | ||
| Closing balances: | |||
| Bank accounts | 1,191.51 | ||
| Building Society account | 4,139.14 | ||
| Petty cash | 32.99 | ||
| 5,363.64 | |||
| Prepared by Linda Pearce Treasurer | |||
| Checked by L J Wilson FCCA | |||
Subscriptions are now due for the year 1 September 2004 to 31 August 2005. They are still £6 for an individual and £12 for an organisation. If you have not yet paid for this current year, please send a cheque made out to COTIS for the appropriate amount, unless we have a separate address for a treasurer as an invoice has been sent directly to your treasurer. Please continue to support the work of COTIS through your membership and with your expertise.
It is being proposed at the AGM in November that we increase the subscription fees to £10 for an individual and £20 for an organisation. If this is agreed it will be the first increase since 1994. Not many prices have remained static for so long!
However, current members renewing their subscriptions for 2004-05 will NOT be affected by any change in rates agreed at this year's AGM.
By Linda Pearce, COTIS Committee
Another year and another successful competition. On this occasion there were no monetary prizes, but rather the honour of winning the competitions and the opportunity to be awarded the RAINMARK, if your entry met the following quality standards:
TNAUK and COTIS were delighted this year that the panellists commented on the overall high standard of the entries, indicated by the large increase in RAINMARK awards from 20 last year to 47 this time. Very well done indeed to all who participated.
This year there were also new winners of the competitions:
Very close behind and
Highly Commended - Taunton Deane Audio News.
Runner up and Highly Commended - Wymondham and Attleborough TN.
Talking Newspapers
Borders TN , Chichester Area TN, Eastbourne TNA, Elmbridge & Runnymede TN, Fareport Talking News, Havant Borough TN, Jewish Care "Jewish Chronicle", Lewisham TN, Lothiansound, Mansfield & Ashfield Echo, Neston & Ellesmere Port TN, Northern Jewish TN, North Norfolk TNA "The Mardler", Plymouth & West Devon TN, Redbridge TNA, Rocktalk, Southampton Area Talking Echo Slough TN, South Lakes TNA, Spelthorne Talking News, Swansea & Gower TM, Talk Lochaba, Taunton Deane Audio News, West Shropshire TN, Whitney TN, Wymondham & Attleborough .
Talking Magazines
Chester & Flintshire TN, Chichester Area TN, Congleton TN "Congletape", Eastbourne TNA, Fareport Talking News, Havant Borough TN, Hull & District Talking Magazine, Jewish Care "Sounds Jewish", Rocktalk TN, Kenilworth TN Magazine, Lewisham TN "Today's World", Mersea Island Lions Club, North Norfolk TNA "The Mardler Magazine", South Lakes TNA, The Talking Banfie, The TNA of Bishops Stortford, Wandsworth TM, Waveney TNA, Wymondham & Attleborough
CONGRATULATIONS and very well done to ALL.
by Linda Pearce, Editor
On Track brings to your attention details about equipment, materials and services that COTIS feels will be of interest to you. Please note that this is for your information only. COTIS is not endorsing them or making any recommendations. Equally, reviews are personal comments by the writers of the articles.
Please remember - if you would like to submit an article or send details of any forthcoming events which may be of interest to COTIS members, the latest dates by which material should reach the editor are:
6 January for January's issue and
3 May for May's issue.
5 October for October's issue.
© Written permission to use any On Track article or other COTIS
material to be obtained from
The COTIS Secretary, Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley,
Cheshire, CW6 0DP, tel: 01829-733351 (answerphone), or Email:
ontrack@cotis.org.uk .
or from the On Track editor.
COTIS, Project Office, 67 High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 0DP, United Kingdom.
Telephone: +44 (0)1829 733351
Email: administrator@cotis.org.uk
COTIS President: Sir John A. Wall - Charity Number 299024
COTIS Web Site last updated 24th June 2005