still life without audio

Please help to increase

the amount of audio

description on TV.

Currently, UK law sets a

target for all main TV

channels to provide

audio description for at

least 10 per cent of

programmes. RNIB

believes this target is too

low.

Ofcom, the organisation

which regulates TV, has

decided to consult

people on this issue. It's

a major opportunity to

improve the accessibility

of TV programmes for

thousands of blind and

partially sighted people.

The consultation is open

until 5pm on 12

November, 2009.

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Options offered by Ofcom

for the future provision of

Audio Description are:

Option 1: No change.

(Currently 58 TV

channels are required to

audio describe at least

10% of their content).

Option 2: Double the

amount of audio

description on TV. (An

increase in audio

description to 20 per

cent for all channels

required to provide

access services).

Option 3. An increase in

audio description to 20

per cent for the ten

statutory Public Service

Broadcasters. The 48

other channels required

to provide audio

description would

continue to be obliged to

audio describe 10 per

cent of their output.

RNIB believes that

Ofcom should implement

option 2: Double the

amount of audio

description on TV,

across all channels.

Please tell Ofcom that

you favour option 2.


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How can I respond?

You can fill in Ofcom's

online form here:
www.ofcom.org.uk/

consult/condocs/access_
services/howtorespond/form

It contains two questions

and your surname and

email address are

required.

The questions are:

1: Which of the three

options do consultees

favour, and why?

2: Do consultees have

any further suggestions

for future access service

provision? If so please

provide the rationale for

these suggestions.


You can also email the

required information to

Ofcom at

2009accessservicesreview@ofcom.org.uk

Or you can post your

response to:
Sara Winter, Ofcom,

Riverside House, 2A

Southwark Bridge Road,

London SE1 9HA.

To respond by email or

post you will need to

print out, complete and

sign the attached cover

sheet (in Microsoft Word

format).

If you would like to write

to Ofcom, RNIB have

created a draft template

letter to Ofcom for you to

use. Please visit the

RNIB website page here:
www.rnib.org.uk/GETINVOLVED/CAMPAIGN/ACCESSTOTV/AUDIODESCRIPTION/Pages/ofcom_access_rview.aspx

RNIB have also produced

a template letter to MP

(Word 32KB) for you to

use to write to your MP

to ask them to respond

to the consultation and

support the call for 20

per cent audio

description across all

channels.

Who is my MP? You can

find out from the 'Write to

them' website here:
www.writetothem.com/

You can also send an

email to your MP through

this website.

Please copy RNIB

campaigns into any

correspondence you

send or receive, to help

them to monitor the

campaign.


If you would like any

further information about

the Ofcom consultation

contact the campaigns

hotline on

campaign@rnib.org.uk or

telephone 0207 391

2123.