Barnes Creative Studios (BCS) has developed a solution to make Matterport ADA compliant virtual tours. ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance means making your service or product accessible to people with disabilities and it was amended to include websites in 2008.

Up until now, there was not a streamlined solution to make Matterport virtual tours compliant. BCS has created a solution. Introducing an embedded player which not only provides AA compliant virtual tours, but also can be used for older virtual tours you already have in your catalog. Also, as an added bonus your search engine optimization will be amplified.

BCS Has an Exclusive Player that Adheres to Accessibility Guidelines

BCS exclusively provides our custom ADA compliant virtual tours that adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG define how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility involves a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning and neurological. Watch the video below for a quick  less than 2 minute feature overview.

BCS offers a solution which directly adheres to the “WCAG 2.0 guidelines 1.2 for time-based media: providing alternatives for time-based media”. This includes “audio and/or video combined with interaction”. The accessible alternative version of our ADA compliant virtual tour contains:

• Alternative Pre-Recorded Video Guided Virtual Tour
• Transcript
• Audio Description (Prerecorded)
• Live Captions

To produce an ADA compliant Matterport virtual tour, we will need a few items from you so we can craft your ADA version of the tour and send you an embed code to implement your tour for your client. Below is a Matterport virtual tour example provided by Oak Creek Homes which has been converted to be ADA Compliant.

Checklist: Items You Will Need to Provide for Your Matterport ADA Compliant Virtual Tour

1. If you don’t already have one, you will need to create a “Highlight Reel” within your Matterport model. This highlight reel should be representative of the entire tour that normal users would experience. Best practice is to show all key areas of the tour with a flow that is linear. This should be setup as a slideshow (not a walkthrough) to progressively move through the space. (how to create a highlight reel)
2. You will need to provide a written description for each different “snapshot view” that is included in your highlight reel. For each snapshot view in your highlight reel, there needs to be a descriptive sentence that describes the scene (7-15 word max). For example, if you have 4 snapshot views in your highlight reel you will need to write 4 sentences to that describe what is being seen in each snapshot view.

What Happens Next?

1. We create the alternative pre-recorded video guided virtual tour by capturing your highlight reel and adding a voice over (you have choice of male or female voice) that comes from your written description.
2. We create a “vtt file” that will add live synchronized closed captions to the above video.
3. We create a separate mp3 file that will serve as the prerecorded audio description.
4. We create a high contrast .txt file that serves as the transcript.
5. We program all of these necessary media items into our proprietary ADA compliant player. The player will deliver the ADA compliant experience serving both your original Matterport tour and an ADA compliant version all within one streamlined player. This player has special programming features that are required from the WCAG 2.0 Guidelines. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that works in concert with screen readers.
6. We deliver you a simple iFrame embed code that you will use to implement this ADA compliant version of your Matterport tour.

What Does The Process Cost?

Production Setup Fee (one time, per tour, non refundable): $299.00

Yearly Server Fee (recurring, cancel anytime): $99.00
You will be invoiced upon successfully submitting your required media items. Work will begin once payment is complete.

STATEMENT REGARDING BARNES CREATIVE STUDIOS, THE ADA, AND WCAG
The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in “places of public accommodation.” 42 U.S.C. § 12182(a). A hot, but somewhat murky current issue centers upon the extent to which company websites fall within the scope of the ADA. Some courts, along with the Department of Justice, have taken the position that company websites are indeed covered by the ADA and must accordingly be accessible to people with various disabilities. Website accessibility can involve a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological. Accessibility issues involves both static website content and interactive or multimedia features and presentations. There are, however, no definitive or comprehensive governmental rules, the compliance with which guarantees an ADA-compliant website. The safest and most prudent course for companies that are otherwise subject to the ADA is the implementation of a web presence that complies with Version 2.0 or higher of the the World Wide Web Consortium’s (“W3C’s”) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”), which have been adopted by the Federal government for its own websites. (See https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/). Especially given the gray and evolving nature of the ADA/website issue, Barnes Creative Studios cannot guarantee the compliance of any particular item of Specified Media or Work Product. Rather, it is Client’s responsibility to make its own determinations and otherwise to ensure the compliance of its online materials. However, to assist clients in this quest for ADA compliance, Producer has developed a special, embedded media player for its “360 Virtual Tours.” This solution is designed to provide alternative accessibility for time-based media pursuant to WCAG 2.0 and includes: (1) an alternative, pre-recorded video-alternative Guided Virtual Tour; (2) a viewable transcript; (3) prerecorded audio description; and (4) live captions. The player allows both the standard interactive virtual tour and the alternative accessibility, allowing the largest universe of website visitors to see the client’s message and helping to minimize the possibility of ADA-related complaints or lawsuits.