The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) publishes new Access Rules on Subtitling, Sign Language and Audio Description
The BAI recently published (14th May 2012) new rules to govern the level of subtitling, sign language and audio description that Irish television broadcasters must offer to the public. The new rules will update the current Access Rules in place since 2005.
The BAI Access Rules aim to make television more enjoyable and accessible for people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, partially sighted or blind. The new rules have been developed taking into account a review of existing rules, submissions received as part of a public consultation, changes in broadcasting schedules and developments in technology.
The new rules have been adopted by the BAI following an extensive consultation process during which a range of facilities were put in place to enable people who are deaf, hard of hearing, partially sighted or blind to offer their feedback. The BAI also arranged a number of briefing meetings with stakeholders from user groups and broadcasters.
Speaking about the launch of the Access Rules, the Chairperson of the BAI, Bob Collins, said: “The BAI is pleased to launch the new Access Rules which have been reviewed and revamped to be more appropriate for these times and to reflect both the needs of viewers and the changing schedules of broadcasters”.
