Television in Catalan for All: a study on sensory accessibility services in Catalan-language broadcasters

Abstract

People with disabilities or functional diversity form a significant part of the population (15%) and access to communication is a right recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CDPD) ratified by Spain in 2007. This study aims, on the one hand, to analyse the state of the art of accessibility services that are currently offered in a sample of seven Catalan-language TV stations; and, on the other hand, to put forward some suggestions for improvement based on user needs and demands in order to increase, both in terms of quality and quantity, the accessibility services available. A sample of seven broadcasters (namely, Televisió de Catalunya, Radiotelevisión Española, IB3 TV, betevé, 8tv, El Punt Avui TV and Girona TV) was analysed using different methodological approaches, allowing us to triangulate the data and, therefore, offer an overview of the current situation to identify new paths of work. The main conclusion is that, although Spanish television broadcasters are legally obliged to produce accessible content, this is still a pending topic for those included in our sample. It is hoped that this study will serve to denounce legal irregularities. Yet, it is also hoped that this analysis will pave the way for those in charge of granting equal access to the media, since our results offer a point to depart from for future improvements.