What's New

Reaching out to include

Making media accessible to persons with disabilities serves everyone

Relevance

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Why in the News?

In recent times, advocates like Sarah Sunny and Rahul Bajaj have been at the forefront of a crucial movement, pushing for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the media landscape.

These trailblazers are breaking barriers and challenging the status quo. Sarah Sunny, a deaf advocate, recently made history by using Indian Sign Language (ISL) to present her case in the Supreme Court. Rahul Bajaj, a blind advocate, has been passionately advocating for media accessibility in cinema halls, specifically targeting the entertainment industry to ensure reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

The Need for Media Accessibility

While it may seem like everyone agrees on the necessity of making media accessible to persons with disabilities, the entertainment industry has raised concerns. These concerns primarily revolve around two main issues.

1. First, some argue that media accessibility is meant to cater to a small minority of hearing and visually impaired individuals and might detract from the experience of the majority.
2. Second, they contend that implementing accessibility across various devices and platforms is a complicated and expensive endeavor.

A Broader Perspective: Media Accessibility Benefits All

• Media accessibility isn’t just about accommodating the minority; it has broader benefits for society as a whole.
• Global evidence, exemplified by initiatives like The Billion Readers (BIRD), suggests that features like Same Language Subtitles or Captions (SLS/SLC) enhance the language skills and reading literacy of a vast audience, potentially benefiting over a billion TV viewers. Furthermore, hearing viewers often use SLS in noisy environments, which are common in most households.

Accessibility Features for Everyone

• The BIRD initiative has conducted surveys in rural government schools across several states, revealing that nearly everyone, including children, parents, and teachers, prefers and values entertainment content with SLS.
• The demand for SLS on video-based entertainment is not limited to the minority; it extends to the majority of low-income viewers in India.

A Systems Approach to Accessibility

• The implementation of media accessibility is not as complicated or expensive as the entertainment industry claims, provided we adopt a systems approach.
• The entertainment industry covers content creation, distribution, and consumption in more than 23 Indian languages.
• A systems perspective suggests that accessibility features should become an integral part of all content, just like the visual and audio components.

Digital Content Package (DCP): An Effective Solution

• To make this cost-effective, we propose including accessibility features as separate files in the Digital Content Package (DCP).
• This approach allows for seamless integration of accessibility features across various platforms, channels, and devices.
• Moreover, it enables stakeholders to easily activate or deactivate these features at minimal cost, making compliance with the RPwD Act and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) Accessibility Standards, 2019, a managerial decision.

Government Oversight and Guidelines

• MIB, which has oversight over all entertainment content, can establish guidelines and standards for content creation.
• For example, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) can mandate that SLS/SLC and Audio-Description (AD) files be deposited after certifying a film.
• Subsequently, distribution channels, consumers, and devices can decide whether to activate these accessibility features.

Media Accessibility in Cinemas and Beyond

• Cinema halls can schedule special shows with SLS/SLC or AD, offering an immersive experience for the deaf and blind audiences. This practice should become the new norm for all films.
• Disability rights groups in India are advocating for four key accessibility features to be included as separate files in digital film packages: SLC (implied SLS), AD, translated English captions/subtitles, and ISL video interpretation for picture-in-picture display.
• By doing so, media accessibility becomes a default and a choice in every content distribution and consumption scenario.

Lastly, it’s important to recognize that the need for media accessibility extends to all Indians, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 25 percent of individuals over 60 years of age are affected by disabling hearing loss. As we move forward, it’s clear that making media accessible is not just a matter of legal compliance but a societal imperative that will ultimately benefit all 1.4 billion Indians.

Sources: Indian Express

Mains Question

Highlight important provisions of the rights of persons with disabilities Act, 2016. “Discuss the significance of making media accessible to persons with disabilities and its broader societal impact. What measures can be adopted to ensure media accessibility for all.”