AUSTRIAN FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTEDRaimund Lunzer, Austrian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted“Audio description in Austria: There is still much to do!”Conference “Accessibility of audiovisual works to people with visual impairment: The means oftheir social inclusion and knowledgeability”21 June 2012, Bratislava“There is still much to do!” With this sentence we can describe the situation auf audiodescription in Austria. But we can also add: in recent years much has happened already!On 20 February 2004 the Austrian national public service broadcaster ORF aired the first filmwith audio description: The episode “Contract for a murder” from the TV series “The old man”.The ORF promised to provide four self- or co-produced films with audio description annuallyfor the 318,000 blind and partially sighted people in our country. I repeat: Four films a yearonly!1When I started my work for our association, it was very important for me as a trainedcommunication scientist to issue a press release 2009 with the headline: “Audio descriptedfilms at the ORF: Good bye, Austria!” with the subheading: “Who lost his sight in Austria, mustbe a confirmed fan of the television detective Matula.” Matula is the main character in the TVseries “One case for two” which was one of the very few series with audio descriptionAlthough my former boss said: “I need no audio description, I already have my wife whodescribes me what happens in the TV”, we started a lobbying campaign, aiming at the statesecretariat for media, the public service broadcasting, the media authority RTR and the filminstitute among others. You must imagine: Audio description was not even embedded in thebroadcasting law – in contrast to subtitles!Back then, the times could not be more favorable: The legislator had to convert the“Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS)”. The new regulations commit the state inHOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTEDarticle 7 to accessibility, for blind and partially sighted people in form of audio description,particularly the public service broadcasting.The evaluation draft of the government only stated, “that the broadcasts for hearing-impairedand visually impaired must be gradually increased each year by appropriate activities, with 31December 2009 being the baseline date”. That was not enough!I wrote a statement on behalf of our association: This part of the new law is formulated in avery unclear way and does not constitute any actual obligation for the ORF: “The AustrianFederation of the Blind and Partially Sighted therefore calls on the legislature to provide aphased plan of accessibility and to make it legally binding - with the final result to equip allprogrammes of its public service mission with audio description within the next decade, by 31December 2020 the latest. () By entering into force of this law this accessibility provisionalso must have validity for all new (co-)produced TV films and documentations by the ORFalso including the entertainment sector.”I justified this clarification also with the “United Nations Convention on the Rights of Personswith Disabilities”, ratified by Austria. We were partially successful! In paragraph 5 of the newORF law it is codified: “The television information programmes will be – in accordance with thetechnical development and economic feasibility – designed to make it hearing- and visuallyimpaired people easier to follow programmes. In addition, making sure that the respectiveshares of accessible programmes for the hearing and visually impaired (sic!) with appropriatemeasures is continuously raised compared to the level of 31 December 2009. For thispurpose, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation must conduct hearings for representativeorganisations of hearing and visually impaired (!) and by 31 December 2010 present a plan forfurther expansion of accessible programmes () and its online services, including measuresfor phased implementation. The plan shall be annually reviewed and adjusted if necessary. Inthe medium term the ORF must subtitle all its TV broadcasts with speech content.”2So, a well-defined target for the group of hearing impaired people is not a problem, for blindand visually impaired people, however, this is not possible? Who would understand thisHOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTEDunequal treatment? But I have bored you enough with uninspiring legislative texts – let usrather take a look at their practical implementation!Every year again comes not only Santa Claus, but also the time for a meeting with the ORF asit is required by law. The department at the ORF responsible for our concerns is the one onhumanitarian broadcasting which is linked directly to the Directorate General. The first meetingat the end of 2010 we already had to insist on. Back then the finished planning stages werealready with the Board of Trustees. We were not asked for our ideas, which obviously isagainst the law!Of course, when we take the year 2004 as the baseline date, the increase is enormous. In2004 the ORF aired 68 hours with audio description, in 2011 it was ten times the amount, 676hours.3Credit: ORFOn closer viewing, more than half of the current 676 hours are not films, but audiocommentaries of sports events as football (like the current European championship for whichthe Austrian team did not qualify), grand prix or skiing; but also royal weddings and funerals orthe programme “Dancing Stars”. Only 42 percent are films with audio description, 58 percentare audio commented live events.HOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTEDCredit: ORFIt is about time for a scientific study: How many of the 318,000 blind and partially sightedpeople in Austria know of the audio description offers? How many of them make use of them?What kind of broadcasts do they consume? Such a scientific study we are now initiating incooperation with the institute for scientific communications at the University of Vienna.Before coming to the end of my presentation, I would like to inform you about a few key pointsrelated to the audio description in Austria:4Segment channels and internetThe previous versions of the law concerned only the main channels ORF one and ORF 2.Segment channels of the public broadcasting service like ORF III and ORF SPORT + are notaccessible, also the ORF TVarchive on the internet is only partly accessible.Movie promotionIn our country there are basically three major funding agencies, which support the accessibilityof films financially: The Austrian Film Institute, the Television Fund Austria and the filmpromotion funds of the Austrian federal state, of which the biggest one is the Vienna FilmFund.HOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTED• Austrian Film Institute: each DVD or similar media of supported films must beaccessible, this part of the production costs are reimbursed.• Television Fund Austria: The production of TV films for hearing or visually impairedpeople is financed with 80 percent of the actual and documented costs, the maximumamount is 10,000 Euros.• Vienna Film Fund: The beneficiaries of funding must produce each DVD or similarmedia in an accessible format.CostsTo make a film accessible for blind and partially sighted people, you need to pay between6,000 and 7,000 Euros.Conclusion / Demands5• Every film sponsored with public money shall be accessible, shall have audiodescription, also every new ORF film.• The public broadcasting service shall audio descript also segment channels,documentations and the latest news.• Blind and partially sighted people shall benefit from a reduction of the tax which fundsthe ORF, independent of their income, because they cannot make use of the wholeprogram.• We need a hotline with information on accessible program for blind and partiallysighted for those people cannot use a computer, for example elderly people.HOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at

AUSTRIAN FEDERATIONOF THE BLINDAND PARTIALLY SIGHTED• Blind and partially sighted people shall be included in the production process of audiodescripted films, we want to introduce a special training for this.• Austria is a film country, think of Christoph Walz or Stefan Ruzowitzky. We need todonate an own award for accessible films, similar to the award in Germany, the“Hörfilmpreis”.• Last but not least: We need accessible cinemas!6HOUSE OF VISION, A-1130 Vienna, Hietzinger Kai 85, Phone +43 1 982 75 84 – 202 or +43 664 140 11 77presse@blindenverband.at www.blindenverband.at