Rethinking Genres and Proportions of Services for Sign Language, Closed Captions and Audio Descriptions in Thai Television Enterprises

Abstract

                   The policy on providing services for the purpose of the television media accessibility of people with disabilities in Thailand started concretely after the enforcement of the Broadcasting Businesses Act B.E. 2551 (2008). Later, the National Broadcastings and Telecommunications Commission, or NBTC issued various notificationsfor promoting and protecting the rights of disabled persons to get access to or acknowledge or gain benefitfrom the television broadcasting service as equal to general population. One mission is to push forward television entrepreneurs to provide sign language, closed captions and audio description in news or informative programs which are useful for the public according the specifiedminimum proportion. However, the determination of genres and proportion for services aiming at providing the accessibility to television programs of the disabled may not conform or be suitable for current situations in which most television entrepreneurs are making losses and reducing their personnel. In addition, those programs that focus particularly on news or informative programs may not meet the demand of disabled viewers as much as expected. This is because people with disabilities would like to watch a variety of television programs like the general population, and the need for provision of services with sign language, closed captions and audio description in each type of programs may be different. For example, talk programs where listening is sufficientfor understanding may not require audio description for those with visual impairment, while documentary programs and dramas are not classifiedas news or informative programs but are more necessary to the visual impaired.
                   Recommendations for the smoother provision of television services for the disabled include pilot service provisions among public broadcasting licensees, motivation to commercial broadcasting licensees by funding, openness to programs of the type “G” (General Audiences) to come into “the basic standard category” of the notificationon the benefitpromoting and protecting the rights of the disabled persons to get access to or acknowledge or to gain benefitfrom the programs of the Broadcasting Service that can extend the diversity of programs according the demand of the disabled viewers better, and the flexibilityof the proportions and genres provided depending on the capability of each channel and its program schedule available.