Accessible TV

TV is now more accessible to deaf children than ever before with 100% of the BBC's output on all of its seven main TV channels now subtitled, with Channel 4 soon to follow.

These are fantastic achievements by the BBC and Channel 4, and follows sustained campaigning by NDCS and many other deaf organisations and charities. But there is still a long way to go.

8 June 2010 
Channel 4 has announced it will follow in the BBC's footsteps and provide 100% subtitles on its main channels.
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27 November 2008
A parliamentary petition (known as an early day motion) tabled by NDCS and RNID has now been signed by 136 MPs. This petition congratulates the BBC on their 100% subtitling achievement and calls on other broadcasters to follow suit.

14 August 2008
NDCS has responded to a BBC consultation on children's services, highlighting how BBC Children's can make TV more accessible for deaf children and young people.

NDCS response to BBC consultation on children's services and content (87 kb)

7 May 2008
NDCS, along with RNID and the BBC, held a reception in the House of Commons to celebrate the BBC's 100% subtitling achievement, attended by deaf children and the BBC Director General, Mark Thompson.
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• More subtitles. We want all broadcasters to commit to subtitling all programmes that are aimed or enjoyed by children or young people.
• Better quality subtitles. Too many mistakes are made on subtitling. Broadcasters need to do more to keep mistakes to a minimum.
• Subtitles on online media content. Many channels now show programmes online, like BBC's iPlayer - but technology has been slow to provide subtitles. New technology needs to be fully accessible as soon as possible.
• More positive deaf role models. Deaf children or young people rarely see deaf people on TV like themselves, leading normal lives. We want this to change.
• More sign language programming, with signing at the heart of the programme and not just through interpretation in the corner of the screen.  

Complain directly to broadcasters if you come across examples where there are no subtitles or the subtitles are of poor quality - and let us know how you get on!

Get in touch and let us know what you think about access to TV for deaf children. Contact us at campaigns@ndcs.org.uk or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

• NDCS response to BBC consultation on children's services and content (87 kb)
• NDCS speech at House of Commons reception (7 May 2008) (24 kb)  
• In 2005, NDCS carried out some research into young deaf people's views of television and what changes they would like to see.
  In their own words: young deaf people's access to television. A NDCS report. (348 kb)
• We have worked with CBBC to produce a guide for TV producers on how to become more inclusive.Deaf children and television: Becoming more inclusive - a guide to producers (216 kb)
• Ofcom decides how much content on TV must be subtitled and signed for each channel. Read their Code on Television Services for more information on how they do this.
  
• Find out how your favourite channel is doing on subtitled or subtitled content by looking at Ofcom's Access Services Reports.  

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