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Signing or subtitles – which do you prefer? The debate rages as terrestrial, satellite and digital TV increases its signed output under Independent Television Commission (ITC) regulations.

These regulations state that channels regulated by the ITC must provide sign language on 1% of their programmes from November 1999, increasing to 2% from November 2001. The target is to have 5% of all output signed by 2008.

Independent companies provide this sign-language service for a range of digital terrestrial broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and OnDigital. Jeff Wilson, a trainee interpreter from Signpost, joined viewers Frankie McLean and Scott Campbell in a VEE-TV café discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of signed and subtitled TV.

Frankie preferred subtitles to signers, as he felt some of the signers needed to improve their skills. He was frustrated at not having the option to switch off the signer when watching OnDigital. Scott preferred signers to subtitles, as BSL is his first language. However, he also referred to subtitles if he felt the signing needed clarification.

VEE-TV also asked young people at Glasgow’s Deaf Connections their views on the subject. Some felt that late-night transmission times and in-vision signers covering only one-sixth of the screen reflected the lack of priority placed on the regulations by many broadcasters. But in general, subtitles were preferred to signing, which many people found distracting.

Frustratingly, broadcasters, not deaf viewers, choose which programmes are signed. If you want to get involved, check out the organisations and websites listed below.

You could also start or join in a discussion on the VEE-TV message board.

LINKS

BSL InfoWeb
www.bsl-infoweb.org.uk/tv.htm
Lists British and American TV programmes and films which have featured BSL and ASL.

Deaf Broadcasting Council
www.deafbroadcastingcouncil.org.uk
As well as information about the council's work, this website has links to all the major TV broadcasters.

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC)
www.drc-gb.org/drc
Outlines the DRC's advice to the British government on the status of BSL and a response to the review of the statutory requirements for the provision of subtitling and sign-language services on digital terrestrial television.

Equal Access
www.ea.nl/EU-SL/accessto.htm
European Union website with details and findings of the EU Sign Languages Project of 1997, which studies access to television for deaf people.

Hansard
www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ ld199900/ldhansrd/vo991206/text/91206-13.htm
Hansard report on a House of Lords debate (1999) on the impact of the digital broadcasting revolution on deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.

The Independent Television Commission
www.itc.org.uk
Contains downloadable versions of the ITC Guidelines on Standards for Sign Language and the ITC Code on Subtitling and Signing on Digital Terrestrial Television.

Ministry of Culture and Sport
www.culture.gov.uk/creative/subtitling.html
Government website containing responses, in PDF format, from consumer groups, broadcasters, platform providers and individuals, to a consultation paper on subtitling.

PostScript
www.rnid.org.uk/html/news_arts_film.htm
A postal video hire service which allows RNID members to borrow any title from the National Subtitling Library for Deaf People. These tapes can be used with a standard domestic video recorder – no decoder is required.

Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)
www.rnid.org.uk/html/news_arts_signpost.htm
The RNID's 'Signpost' service provides listings of BSL-interpreted programmes. Also offers details of the RNID's and the British films industry's initiative to increase provision for subtitling in mainstream screenings.

Signing Books for the Deaf
www.signingbooks.org
European Union project website includes guidelines and information on technological developments for including sign language to mainstream television broadcasts.

Your Local Cinema
www.yourlocalcinema.com
Campaigns for subtitled mainstream screenings and is currently organising a national online petition for the provision of subtitling in all cinemas.

ORGANISATIONS

Deaf Broadcasting Council
70 Blacketts Wood Drive
Chorleywood
Rickmansworth
Herts WD3 5QQ
Fax: 01923 283 127
Textphone: 01923 284538
E-mail: rmyers@waitrose.com
Website: www.deafbroadcastingcouncil.org.uk
Monitors deaf access to television and video and responds to government and industry discussion papers on behalf of deaf viewers. Contact with your views to ensure broadcasters are aware of the needs of deaf people.

Deafwise
Voice: 0845 270 25 25
Fax: 0845 270 26 26
E-mail: info@deafwise.com
Website: www.deafwise.com
Offers a range of more than 1,500 educational and entertainment closed-captioned videos available to buy online. Delivery is free. Closed captions are encoded within video signals and need a decoder to appear on television screens.

Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)
19-23 Featherstone Street
London EC1Y 8SL
Tel: 020 7296 8248
Textphone: 020 7296 8248
E-mail: campaigns@rnid.org.uk
Website: www.rnid.org.uk/html/support_us_campaigns_dcms2.htm
Contact for information about the RNID campaign to raise subtitling targets for terrestrial, cable and satellite television in the Governments Communications White Paper.

The Independent Television Commission (ITC)
33 Foley Street
London W1W 7TH
Voice: 020 7255 3000
Fax: 020 7306 7800
Textphone: 020 7306 7753
Website: www.itc.org.uk
The body responsible for regulating commercial television channels in the UK. Contact for a range of publications on subtitling and sign language for the small screen.

Scottish Sensory Centre
Moray House Institute of Education
University of Edinburgh
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
Voice: 0131 651 6501
Textphone: 0131 651 6067
Fax: 0131 651 6502
Website: www.ssc.mhie.ac.uk
Centre offers courses to teachers of deaf children. Website contains an extensive online catalogue of captioned videos and books, including BSL teaching guides. Subscriptions available for a fee of £3-£15. Also offers a comprehensive sensory information service of contacts throughout the UK.

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