ABSTRACT
We do not watch television anymore – we access it. Quite often we contribute to its meaning with our own producerly productions, second-screen engagements or accessible translations. This offers great opportunities for many, including people with disability. However, it must be acknowledged that disabled people have a different relationship with television cultures of production, consumption and regulation, both pre- and post-digitisation, and with this explosion of television freedom, there is a danger that this group will continue to be marginalised. This chapter focuses on the impact of digitisation on this group. The chapter begins with an introduction to digital television, reflecting on the impacts this has had on both disabled and mainstream audiences and briefly discusses the different ways it was introduced in various countries. Other associated online technologies, such as catch-up television and video-on-demand, user-generated videos and digital recording devices and programme guides are also discussed. This section concludes with a focus on accessibility features present in digital technologies and outlines four major concerns with the switch to digital television for people with disability – the digital divide, remote control accessibility, set-top boxes and usability. The chapter considers both the impacts of the digitisation of television and outlines the opportunity for advanced accessibility features for disabled people.
