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Franz-Joseph Huainigg, Commissioner for Accessibility #21 How can ORF assume responsibility digitally? A saying of the disability movement is: "You are not disabled, you become disabled!". Many people with disabilities move more freely and mobilely in the digital world, as numerous new opportunities are offered. ORF, in its responsibility as a public service broadcaster, is also striving to make information and entertainment accessible without barriers through the use of new technologies. The ORF player will play an important role in this. Currently being tested is, for example, the synthetic audio description in the programme "Universum". A synthetic voice (= computer voice) provides explanations of images for blind people.

The voice generally sounds authentic. In addition, speech-to-text technology is developing rapidly from month to month. In a few years, this technology could provide automatically generated subtitling for hearing-impaired and deaf people - and in several languages at that. This would make subtitling even more important and appeal to a wider audience. In Swedish digital television, sign language interpreters can be individually placed, enlarged or reduced in size, or even made semi-transparent.

New attempts are also being made to automatically convert texts into simple language, which would be a great way for people with learning disabilities, older people or people with a migration background to follow the increasingly complex news world. With the ORF Player, ORF will enter a new era. Accessibility has to be rethought and many things that do not seem possible today will be a matter of course in the near future.

ORF Projects on Inclusion & Accessibility 2020

#Development of a "Accessibility" stage plan
#Preparation of the ORF-IN page "Barrier Egginess".
#ORF focus day on Corona and disability
#Induction loops for ORF audience recordings and ORF guided tours
#"Helmi" children's traffic safety programme in Austrian Sign Language
#Press conferences in ÖGS
#Subtitling of "Steiermark heute"
#News in simple language - ORF III
#News in simple language - Radio Wien
#News in simple language - news.ORF.at
#"Universum" with synthetic audio description
#Webinars "Thinking Accessibility Ahead"
#Production of an inclusion video for the ORF centre
#Focus on the occasion of the World Day of Sign Languages
#Further development of the inclusive teaching editorial office
#Development of a media education concept for ORF
#Cooperation between Ö1 and the Democracy Workshop
#Development of a concept to increase the focus on care in November
#Show me your world
#Focus on the occasion of the International Day of
#People with Disabilities on 03.12.2020