HOW CAN I HELP?

SIGN OUR PETITION

Audio description allows people who are blind or vision impaired to access television in a way that is equal to sighted people.

Audio description was launched for the first time in Australia in June 2020. Nearly a year on, ABC and SBS are still the only networks who have audio description on free to air TV.

Over the last couple of months we have shared the testimonials of every-day people who have experienced the profound effect that audio description has had on their lives.

Now we need your help.

We think all Australians should have the means to independently access the cultural and social benefits of TV. By signing our petition, you will be telling our free to air TV producers and the Australian government that everyone should have the right to watch TV.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

“It means that I can now participate in discussions with my family and friends about OUR favourite shows – it’s no longer just theirs” – Jane 

SHARE YOUR AD STORY

What do you love about audio description on TV? Let us know!

Now that audio description is available through our national broadcasters, we need to ensure its continuation and expansion.

Send us a video, voice recording, or sentence (or two!) on what you love about audio description on TV, so we can keep this campaign going with as many voices as possible.

We will share your stories here and via social media to promote greater awareness of audio description, and how the broader Australian public can engage with AD.

You don’t have to be blind or vision impaired to submit feedback; perhaps you use AD while cooking dinner, or breastfeeding, or working on a project. Perhaps you find it helps with your learning disability. Perhaps you’re fully sighted and no longer have to read all the on-screen text to your vision impaired loved one. The benefits are limitless.

What are you waiting for? Get filming / recording / writing and send your feedback to: bca@bca.org.au

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EXAMPLE Videos OF AUDIO DESCRIPTION

Audio Description is an additional feature that describes the visual elements happening on screen that sighted people take for granted, such as settings, backgrounds, costumes, and actions. Check out these examples of how AD works when watching a movie. Unfortunately, it is NOT available on all Free-To-Air TV networks in Australia. However, after twenty-five years of campaigning, people who are blind or vision-impaired will finally be able to enjoy television with family and friends via AD programming with Australia’s public broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, which commenced on 28 June 2020. This was due to funding received from the government to implement AD within their scheduled programming, however it is relevant to note there is still no legislated mandate on this delivery.

Who’s, What’s and Why’s of Audio Description

  • What is Audio Description?

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    Audio description is an accessibility feature that describes the visual elements sighted people take for granted, such as settings, backgrounds, costumes, and actions. The feature assists people who are blind, vision impaired, or have print, learning, and physical disabilities enjoy television, film and live performances by describing what is happening as it happens. There are other benefits of audio description, such as how it can help people with autism, by explaining the emotions of characters they see on screen. As with Closed Captions for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, it can be turned on or off as needed. It is also relatively inexpensive to deliver and, in fact, is already integrated into many of the programs that are imported from overseas.

  • What is the current Australian legislation?

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    Currently, there is no legislation in place in Australia that makes it compulsory to have Audio Description available. Funding of $2million each was made available to public broadcasters, ABC and SBS via the federal government for implementation and delivery of audio description commencing June 2020.

    BCA and other blindness organisations have worked closely with both the ABC and SBS to facilitate the rollout of AD. We acknowledge and thank them for their strong commitment to providing a quality service that will meet the needs of Australians who are blind or vision impaired.  Our community looks forward to confirmation that AD will be a permanent fixture on Australian television beyond this current twelve-month funding period.

    We also look forward to AD being enshrined in legislation, in the same way that captioning is for Australians who are Deaf or hard of hearing.  With the support of other blindness organisations, Australians who are blind or vision-impaired and the general public, we will continue to advocate for permanent AD services on all Australian TV outlets.

  • Who does offer Audio Description then?

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    Different services currently offer Audio Description at the movies, online, while travelling by plane, at libraries, on DVDs and while using apps. Find the full list here. In fact Screen Australia has made it a condition as of 2011 that all Australian-made films it funds have to produce an audio description track.

    For more information about the services SBS and the ABC are providing, please visit the audio description sections of their websites where you can access a range of information to assist in enabling audio description on your device, be aware of what programming is available, and how you can contact them with feedback or for further support:

    SBS: sbs.com.au/audiodescription

    ABC: ABC audio description service

  • Do people who are blind or vision impaired actually watch TV though?

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    People who are blind or vision impaired watch almost as much TV as sighted people. According to a study undertaken by Comcast and the American Foundation for the Blind, 96% of adults with a visual impairment watch TV on a regular basis.

  • What are other countries like NZ, the US and UK doing?

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    Audio Description was introduced on New Zealand television in 2011, the US introduced it in 2010, and the UK has the most developed and regulated laws, with AD featuring on both free to air and subscription channels since 2003. Germany, Austria, Ireland, France, Switzerland and other European countries have also had some audio described programming. Even Australian productions such as Neighbours and Home and Away are produced with AD for overseas release but the AD is not a feature available for Australian viewers on commercial TV networks.

  • What exactly needs to happen for this to be available here in Australia?

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    It is clear that the Audio Description service would benefit a huge number of Australians. However, the Federal Government needs to pass legislation for mandatory AD on TV. Free-to-air television broadcasters are already required to caption all news and current affairs programs and any program screened on their primary or main channels between 6am to midnight, unless it’s music-only or not in English. It’s great that people who are deaf or hearing impaired get to watch the shows they love but why are people who are blind or vision impaired excluded? Hence why we created TV4ALL – It’s time to allow everyone the right to watch TV.

  • What can I do to help?

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    Sign Our Petition

    Over the past couple of months, we have shared the power of audio description, through the words of those who value it the most (watch these videos here). Now it is time to tell our free to air TV producers and the Australian government that everyone should have the right to watch TV, permanently. Click here to add your voice to our cause – it takes less than a minute!

    You can also help our campaign by spreading the word and raising awareness around audio description. Share what we’re doing on social media (#TV4All).

    If you want to provide feedback about AD, contact the ABC or SBS, or send your feedback to us as an email, video, or voice recording to bca@bca.org.au. Every story contributes to our submission to government. The power lies with government to make AD happen, but the power lies with us to convince them. Send us your AD story and let’s make this exclusion of blind or vision impaired people a thing of the past

Things to know about AUDIO DESCRIPTION

Young woman smiling sitting on a couch with headphones on

Audio Description is an additional feature that describes the visual elements happening on screen that sighted people take for granted, such as settings, backgrounds, costumes, actions and text. It is not available on all free-to-air TV networks here in Australia – only on ABC and SBS. Free-to-air TV broadcasters are required by law to provide captions for all programs between 6am to midnight, unless it’s music-only or not in English. It’s great that people who are deaf or hearing impaired get to watch the shows they love but why are people who are blind or vision impaired excluded? It’s not just people who are blind or vision impaired who can benefit from Audio Description. There are other benefits, such as how it can help people with autism, by explaining the emotions of characters they see on screen. Or assisting people with print or learning disabilities who are not able to read the subtitles. As with Closed Captions for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, audio description can be turned on or off as needed. It is also relatively inexpensive to deliver and, in fact, is already integrated into many of the programs that are imported from overseas. The current AD service will only be funded until mid 2022, but you can help us tell the government why it should become a permanent feature on more TV networks and viewing platforms – Sign our petition today! You can also tell us why you love AD on TV by sending an email, video, or voice recording to bca@bca.org.au. Alternatively, send your feedback directly to ABC and SBS. To spread the word about Audio Description, post about it on social media using the hashtag #TV4ALL, all the information you need is on this postcard. You can obtain hardcopies of this postcard (which include Braille) from the SBS: audiodescription@sbs.com.au, 1800 500 727 (business hours).