ABSTRACT
So far when it comes to debates about rights in the digital age and about digital and cultural citizenship in general, the experiences and voices of persons with disabilities are minimally considered. The chapter presents the first national German study which surveyed persons with disabilities directly with the aim to answer the following questions: what forms of mass media do disabled persons use and why? What media do they have access to and what barriers do they face in this regard? From an international perspective the United Kingdom has the most developed and regulated market for audio description, subtitling and sign language which appear on television and a long tradition in the regulation for the accessibility and usability of the internet and other kind of media. This goes along with the development of a differentiated knowledge base on the use of media by persons with disabilities relating to accessibility. The data from Germany and the United Kingdom provide the first indications of factors influencing disabled people’s media usage. With impairments come specific access and usability restrictions. People with disabilities, including their subgroups, are heterogeneous. The risk of exclusion depends on factors that have an impact on participation level such as living conditions, barriers to usage and technical and personal support.
