Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) this May and Audio Description Awareness Day (16th April), freelance writer Ellie May Forrester – whose family member lives with hearing loss – explores the urgent need for better accessible media services. Drawing on personal experience and expert voices, she highlights how the lack of inclusive access continues to isolate millions from cultural connection and everyday conversation.
The social impact of inaccessible content
We are living through a period of huge media expansion and with it the ability to access content anywhere at any time and on a range of devices. The birth of on-demand and streaming services has resulted in unequal media access. This has created a perfect storm with acute implications for people who are deaf or living with sight loss in the UK who rely on subtitles, British Sign Language, and audio description. This has resulted in, accessible services, technology, and government policy playing catch up.
Growing up with a parent who is profoundly deaf I only know too well the frustrations, which are presented in a world that is universally designed for people who do not have hearing loss. Especially when it comes to accessing media and the disappointment it brings when subtitles are not provided.
Clare Boulder an RNID Campaigner, who has heredity hearing loss, explains, how this can affect someone socially,
“If somebody said, did you watch so and so last night? Oh no, I couldn’t watch that because it didn’t have subtitles. I feel quite isolated and left out.”
Sonali Rai, Media Culture and Immersive Technology Manager from the RNIB agreed: “The absence of accessible media doesn’t just rob blind and partially sighted people of entertainment – it deepens the feeling of isolation, cutting them off from the cultural and social conversations that bring people together.”
Furthermore, Tom Lichy, Head of Policy at the British Deaf Association, stated:
“When we surveyed deaf people about their preferences, they say they prefer to see signers in the programme. But not through in vision or provided as a translator back in the programme. Let’s say a program with a deaf person or hearing person who is a fluent signer. The important thing is the ability to sign in the programme, not as an add-on to its main media broadcasters.”
Streaming services vs linear broadcasters
In 2024, the previous government aimed to readdress this issue by introducing the Media Bill, which replaced the Communication Act of 2003. The bill seeks to ensure that major broadcasters of linear television such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5, and Sky require them to provide 80% subtitles, 10% audio descriptions, and 5% British Sign Language over the next five years for various devices including television, computer, tablet, or mobile.
Yet the emergence of streaming services are leaping ahead in providing audio descriptions on several devices.
Sonali said: “In the streaming landscape, platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video are making significant strides by audio describing all of their original English-language content and acquiring audio description files wherever possible.”
Compared to their linear broadcasters’ online content in this area, Sonali added:
“A programme may have an audio description available on Channel 4’s iOS app, but not for Android [or Smart TVs]. This inconsistency extends across most public broadcasters. Sky, for instance, does not offer any audio description on its online channels.”
Some broadcasters like Sky and ITV provide subtitles, BSL, and audio descriptions in-house. But others may use a third-party company. The BBC works in partnership with Red Bee Media to enable them to offer these accessible services.
However, Head of Access at Red Bee Media, Tom Wootton, said these companies have no control over the accessibility of the streaming services: “We are responsible for producing the actual accessibility and how it is distributed, where it is distributed. But we at Red Bee are not responsible for solving any specific issues with specific apps, platforms, or devices.”
The decision of how the accessible content is used is at the broadcaster’s discretion. Thus, creating a divided media landscape when accessing content on several devices. This has for instance presented issues for viewers of online media channels.
“I highlighted this exact issue when the BBC decided to stop manually captioning its content on Instagram last year and instead rely on the platform’s inaccurate and unreliable automatic captions… … This is a public-owned broadcaster that regularly discusses the importance of equality”, said Liam O’Dell, Deaf Freelance Journalist and campaigner.
He added: “Disabled people are paying to access the same service as non-disabled people, so they must have the same viewer experience – if not, and there’s a differentiation there, then that, by definition, isn’t access.”
This fragmentation of inaccessible services in the media landscape is due to several factors including technical difficulties broadcasters face when getting their content with subtitles on third-party platforms such as websites and apps. Their main concern currently focuses on pictures and sound editing does not apply the same editing priorities for subtitles and other accessible services.
Subsequently, this has resulted in on-demand and streaming services providing mixed results for subtitles, and audio descriptions. As Natasha Robinson, Inclusion Policy Advisor and Subtitle It Campaign lead at the RNID, explained:
“You might not have access to subtitles especially if you are paying for a digital box like Virgin or Sky. That should come with the access services that you would get online so we hope the Media Bill will iron out any of those technician difficulties as it puts owe’ ness on the providers.”
Sonali added: “They [BBC] were also the first media organisation to introduce audio description on their on-demand platform, BBC iPlayer. However, there are many ongoing issues. For instance, the BBC iPlayer app is not fully accessible for screen reader users across many platforms, making it difficult for blind people who rely on assistive technology to find content independently.”
One of the main setbacks of the Media Bill is that accessible services will only be incorporated into tier-one services, which are considered the major players in the on-demand market, such as the BBC, Sky and ITV X, both channels four and five.
Natasha stated: “There may be smaller on-demand services that are not covered for various technical reasons, productions, or costs.”
This also presents challenges for the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust which commissions TV programmes in BSL for its channel the BSL Zone, which is available online and on Sky.
The BSL Zone was established in 2008 by Ofcom and major broadcasters contribute funding towards the channel, therefore meeting their targets of providing five per cent BSL. It also enables D/deaf and disabled talent to enter the media industry.
However, Tom Lichy, said: “Streaming services like Netflix don’t contribute to this arrangement. We hope that in the future they will and that would increase the provision.”
Are accessible media services moving in the right direction?
At present, accessible media services have made a considerable leap forward in the last 20 years. For instance, Tom described the British Deaf Association’s latest work:
“We are involved in a project with a major broadcaster creating computer file format for sign language interpreter.”
“Ofcom access service report showed, for example, last year’s subtitle provision went from 66.1% in 2021 to 71.7% in 2022”, said Natasha.
Sonali added: “On linear TV, public broadcasters such as ITV, BBC, Channel 4, and Sky consistently exceed the required 20% minimum threshold for the audio description”
UK government refuses to provide accessible information
Despite these massive improvements in accessible media, tier-one channels, streaming, and on-demand services mustn’t become complacent. Broadcasters and streaming services must be held accountable for their actions when vital services like subtitles, BSL, and audio descriptions are not provided.
Yet how can we do this when our government refuses to work with BSL interpreters for public announcements, what does that say about us as a country?
When the election results were announced the BDA and RNID in a joint campaign brought a fully paid BSL interpreter to Downing Street.
Tom Lichy explained what happened next: “The same day as the election results were announced we brought a qualified interpreter with us and offered that service to Sir Keir Starmer… Labour’s first public speech after getting into power, they didn’t accept that offer.”
Yet the Prime Minister was willing to accept expenses on designer clothes and glasses rather than considering the accessible communication needs of deaf people. Showing that vanity exceeds equality.
Over time, this exclusion diminishes their enthusiasm for participating in such gatherings and reinforces feelings of social detachment, compelling them to retreat from activities they once enjoyed. The absence of accessible media is not merely an inconvenience – it’s a force that slowly cuts people off from the wider society.
Campaigning for audio description on all pre-recorded media content
As today is Audio Description Awareness Day, we’d also like to bring your attention to the campaign work our editor Emma Purcell has been doing over the years – campaigning for audio description on all pre-recorded media content.
As a visually impaired person herself, she truly understands the benefits of audio description on all TV shows, films and streaming services. In addition, she is fighting for better accessible screen reader features when navigating streaming service menus on different devices.
Since 2019, she launched an online petition asking for more audio descriptions to be available on all platforms and wrote many blog posts raising awareness of the benefits of accessible media services and the personal challenges she has faced in accessing certain content.
You can read some of her blogs at Rock For Disability:
- 5 reasons audio description is important to people with sight loss
- 8 TV programmes that should have audio description
- Accessibility features on TV streaming services in 2023
- 10 best TV shows with audio description
- My thoughts of audio description on Naked Attraction
What has the quality of accessible media services been like for you and what would you like to see available? Let us know in the comments box, on social media or contact us to share your personal story.