Learning articles

I have long lamented that radio cannot do subtitles. Still fresh in my memory was the time, many years ago, when I was managing editor of BBC Radio 3 and we tried to make Wagner’s operas more accessible. Using DAB text, we synchronized real-time English translations of Wagner’s never-ending masterpiece, the four-opera cycle, “The Ring of the Nibelung.” What a nightmare. It was such a lot of work!

However, I continue to lament the lack of subtitles for radio, especially since I have witnessed television using them constructively.

For instance, BBC Alba, broadcasting in the Scottish Gaelic language, produces television with English subtitles, meaning that non-Gaelic speakers can enjoy the programming and learn something about life on the Scottish islands without speaking this indigenous language. As a radio guy, I’ve been rather jealous.

This has now potentially changed. Around New Year, I came across radio with “subtitles” and translations, something I believe to be a real game-changer, not in a highly theoretical way, but with real and immediate benefits. Technology is now advanced to the point that this can happen accurately and in real time by building a slight delay into the audio stream.

Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to become the most accessible cinematic release to date, with daily captioned screenings and the first fully-captioned ad reel that includes 29 brands.

Digital Cinema Media (DCM) is delivering the ad reel in support of a nationwide initiative by Paramount Pictures UK, the British Deaf Association and UK cinemas, providing daily captioned screenings of Mission Impossible in all Cineworld, Vue and Showcase theatres from May 21 - 29.

To encourage even greater inclusivity, DCM will continue to provide captioned ads as a free service, removing all budget and time constraints from the production process. The initiative aims to greatly improve accessibility tothe 18 million people registered as Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the UK.

Leveraging its global reach, Diageo is ramping up its work with influencers in a bid to better resonate with consumers who have accessibility needs.

It is the company’s mission to make sure it’s “hiring the most talented and diverse teams” in order to ensure “consumers around the world feel represented”, explained global category director for beer, vodka, liqueurs and convenience, Gráinne Wafer, speaking at Creative Equals’ RISE conference today (15 May).

As a member of ISBA’s Ad Accessibility Network, Diageo has been on an “interesting journey” since 2017 with regards inclusivity. Wafer noted the importance of companies including people with disabilities in their campaigns.

All In is the industry’s initiative to improve inclusion and representation within UK advertising, created by the Advertising Association, the IPA, and ISBA.

First launched in 2021, the All In Census is UK advertising’s only industry-wide survey of its kind, developed with Kantar.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, there are at least 2.2 billion people worldwide who have near or distance vision impairment.

For people who are blind, have low vision, colour blindness, or other vision impairments, much of the web content still remains inaccessible.

This is why it’s necessary to take measures to ensure that your web content is accessible to billions of people with vision impairments, by following the laws set by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and international standards set by Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).