ABSTRACT
Blind and partially sighted persons (BPS) have traditionally been considered the main target of audio description. Questioning the concept of BPS as passive recipients of access services, this chapter reinforces the idea that social activism promoted by persons with vision disability has been key to the development of currently applicable acts and treaties which safeguard everyone’s right to partake in all areas of life by promoting the spread and implementation of access services. The chapter provides an overview of the social and human rights-based perspectives on disability, gives an account of steps taken by the major organisations working for the blind and partially sighted worldwide in the fight for equal rights and reports on current legislation regarding media accessibility and visual impairment in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
