Mark Pritchard wants better services
February 27th, 2009
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Mark Pritchard MP met visually impaired "Aunt Megan" and Andrew Sachs at a Parliamentary reception calling for increased Audio Description for the 3,000 blind and partially sighted people living in Shropshire. Audio Description (AD) is like a narrator telling a story, an additional commentary describes body language, expressions and movements that someone with sight loss would not be able to see, making the story clear through sound.
AD is available on digital TV, on DVD movies, in cinemas, galleries and museums as well as major sporting venues and exhibition centres. Currently the Communications Act (2003) only requires 10 per cent of television programmes to be audio described, thus limiting access, understanding and enjoyment of television.
RNIB is calling for an increase in the amount of audio description (AD) from 10 to 20 per cent of programme and congratulates one UK broadcaster - Sky - who has already agreed to meet this target.
TV is more than just another activity. For many blind and partially sighted people it's a gateway into the outside world, a source of information and in a many cases a genuine lifeline and companion. TV is a medium that could, if adequately audio described, contribute towards combating the isolation that visually impaired people face everyday.
Mark Pritchard MP commented; "As digital switchover gathers pace, the Government need to seriously commit to making television accessible to the UK's visually impaired population. TV is an important part of all of our lives. In this media-driven age its seems unbelievable that blind and partially sighted people are still excluded from television"
Andrew Sachs, Star of Fawlty Towers lent his support to the campaign and added: "So much of what made Fawlty Towers enjoyable was not what was said, but was the physical comedy and interplay between characters. Audio description lets someone with sight loss really enjoy and appreciate the programme. It is wonderful to have such a creative way of bringing programmes to life for blind and partially sighted people and I support the call for a 20 per cent target."
Aunt Megan said: "Being visually impaired means you miss out on a lot of the silent action on television - whether that's a pickpocket at work in Oliver Twist or the crime scene in a TV "whodunit" - it's really important and makes all the difference".
Currently Audio Description targets are fixed at 10 per cent. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has the power under the Communications Act 2003 to increase these targets.
Not all programmes would require Audio Description. The news or weather, for example, wouldn't need it nor would all game shows or nature programmes. Whether AD is required rests on the format of a given programme i.e. how much activity occurs without any supporting speech or sound.
An Early Day Motion, Number 263, has been laid before Parliament. This is a way for MPs to express their support for an issue or subject. Mark Pritchard MP has signed the EDM.
(PICTURED: Mark Pritchard MP, Steve Winyard, RNIB,and Andrew Sachs)
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