The Nationalist Party said that programmes on the national television stations should carry sub-titles to enable the hearing impaired to follow. There is EU funding specifically for this, and it is as yet untapped by Malta, the PN said.
While the function is now a mainstay on Netflix, Disney and a growing portion of European national TV stations, subtitles on screen in Malta remain an elusive promise, the PN said. The party contends there is an increasing demand among Maltese viewers, especially those with hearing impairment. The Malta Deaf and Hard of Hearing Association has been insisting for the last years on the need for an inclusive subtitling experience in the local media.
According to the last Government 2011 census on people with disabilities, there are 5,673 locals who are deaf or have partial hearing loss. ‘The Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act’ notes that every individual with a disability shall have the right to freedom of expression, opinion, and association, including ‘the right to seek, receive, and transmit information and ideas on an equal footing with others and through any means of communication that he or she chooses’.
Until this day however, no local platform is supported with subtitling. Out of 102 programmes on National TV station, only two programmes were subtitled over the last year, the PN said.
The issue took on a European dimension since 28 June 2022 was the deadline for Member States to transpose the European Accessibility Act into national law. The European Directive was adopted precisely to secure wider access to information and consumer services through better accessibility on various products and services including audiovisual media.
As yet, however, no action is foreseen to gradually produce subtitled programmes on national TV in Malta, the PN said.
Graziella Galea, PN spokesperson for Persons with Disabilities, insists that a serious and professional plan is needed to put Maltese and European committments into action as soon as possible, to gradually provide subtitles for a growing amount of productions on national TV and eventually support also private TV stations who want to secure a wider accessibiity to their programmes.
Peter Agius, PN spokesperson and EU expert, highlights the European opportunity linked to subtitling. Agius points out that the Creative Europe Media programme foresees specific project support for TV stations to ensure wider accessibility of their content through subtitles.
“We must grasp EU opportunities like these to help Malta achieve a truly inclusive society. For the hearing impaired, the possibility of subtitles on TV, current affairs or entertainment programmes changes a lot and mark the difference between being an important part of society or feeling sidelined and excluded. Let us use the European tools to help our people locally,” Peter Agius said.
The two PN representatives say that the recent initiative by government to raise awareness on hearing impairment is a good step forward. They add however that public authority should move from words of sympathy to concrete actions to effectively secure wider accessibility for the hearing imparied.