Plea to ITV on behalf of the deaf
As ITV cuts back on its signed evening news bulletins, Ann Jones, chair of the Assembly’s Equality of Opportunity Committee, calls on broadcasters not to forget deaf people.
ITV last month decided to cut its signed evening news bulletins in five UK regions, which has dealt a serious blow to all those fighting to improve communication services for deaf people.
Some broadcasters have made efforts to include British Sign Language (BSL) in popular programming and even some specialist shows, such as BBC2’s See Hear.
Wales Online reports: "As signed broadcasting generally remains a relatively low priority, the idea that deaf people are nocturnal is still seemingly present in some sections of the British media.
"The result is that within this innovative and fast-changing sector, a significant section of British society is being left behind. With the digital switchover just around the corner we are already being offered HD Emmerdale and HD Simpsons on a daily basis. However, among this milieu there’s a big gap, leaving deaf people out in the cold."
Read more at Wales Online.
Comments
I covered this on my blog, it is NOT a straightforward case of BSL discrimination at all. Access is also (Within the letter of the law), NOT removed for welsh deaf either. Indeed apart from a few online, rank and file have not noticed any difference, nor, complained about removal of BSL access, this poses the question why ?
The answer again is simply ACCESS is still there in the form of captions, and the very limited time alloted for the old signed access made it pointless anyway, it was seconds in many cases. This is one 'access' battle deaf are going to lose.
Subtitling and captions rendered sign almost pointless in many areas, signed access is in reality, a 'preference' as opposed to captions and titles which are a proven success and need. It is why Ofsted upheld the removal of BSL. There was no-one really being deprived.
I might prefer my TV viewing all in the welsh language despite fully able to follow it in English, I am NOT Going to get that. That is the issue in a nutshell really. Deaf BSL users have NOT proven deprivation of access, nor gained any support for that argument.
Deaf people are NOT left out in the cold if captions are there,there is no proof put forward any significant number of deaf people are 'left out'. I think TV is one area where 'preference' is a losing, indeed lost argument. Let us see the figures, then come back to the issue.
There are those who suggest if ONE BSL using deaf person is deprived then that is reason enough, I don't subscribe to that view. Removing subtitles would deprive millions that's a fact. They are asking for choice in access, they have not proven they are not given any.
Posted by: MM | March 17, 2009 10:56 PM
Sorry I should have typed OfCOM not ofsted...
Posted by: MM | March 18, 2009 04:23 AM