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National Deaf Television
What is NDTV?The National Deaf TV project was established in 1998 by a Deaf man, Tony Clews. During his travels overseas, Tony was impressed by the availability and quality of national television programs for Deaf people in the UK and Europe. This inspired him to work towards establishing similar TV programs for Deaf Australians.The Project was formally established as an Deaf Australia sub-committee at its Annual General Meeting in 1999. The aim of NDTV is to have a regular Deaf TV program on national television in Australia, with Auslan (Australian Sign Language), captions and voice-overs to make it accessible for everyone. Why NDTV?Sign Language has been in Australia since the Second Fleet (1790), yet there is still no major TV program in Auslan for Deaf Australians, their families and friends, and other interested people.
To access information, hearing people read newspapers and magazines, listen to radio and TV, which are largely in English. Because English is a second language for many Deaf people, the language is either inaccessible or difficult to comprehend. The most equitable way to fully inform Deaf people, at a level equal to hearing people, is to present information visually in Auslan on TV. Information broadcast in Auslan will empower Deaf people, foster the development of identity and self-esteem among young people as well as raise awareness of the Deaf community, its language and culture in the wider community. Parents and families of Deaf children from all over Australia would also find this a valuable resource. Moreover, Australia has one of the most diverse populations in the world. TV programs produced in Australia should reflect this in order to inform, educate and entertain, including programs made by Deaf people. Countries including Denmark, Germany, South Africa, Sweden, UK and USA have TV programs made for Deaf people by Deaf people. Other countries include sign language as part of their news broadcasts. Why not Australia? What will Deaf TV programs include?It is envisaged that Deaf TV programs will be produced infotainment-style in Auslan. Such programs will include:
NDTV Work to dateProposals submitted to SBS and ABC so far have been rejected. Both broadcasters claimed that the cost of producing a Deaf TV program was too high. Here are some facts extracted from SBS’ Annual Report 2000-01:
Likewise, the ABC's Charter states that their "broadcasting programs … contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community" How can the Deaf community gain a sense of national identity and be informed when none of the programs on ABC TV are shown in Auslan to reflect this aspect of the cultural diversity of Australia? Further, ABC's Corporate Plan 2001-2004 Vision: "…enrich the lives of all Australians by offering a greater choice of programs that inform, educate and entertain." The reality is that the Deaf community has no choice where its native language, Auslan is concerned. What next?NDTV will continue to push for a TV program in Auslan for Deaf Australians. Support from individuals and companies would be greatly appreciated – please contact the Deaf Australia office » to find out how you can help. In late 2005, the NDTV sub-committee was offered an opportunity by TVS, the newly re-established Channel 31 community broadcaster. A few extra people joined the team, filling our number up to eight and we began producing 'Signpost', a half hourly magazine program in Auslan. Now in its second series, the award winning show is a proactive move by the committee to demonstrate the informative and entertaining possibilities of Deaf programming. See the SignPost page for more information.
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In Australia, there are at least 16,000 Deaf Australians whose primary language is Auslan. These people have family members and friends who also use Auslan, thereby increasing the number of people who use this language. Deaf Australians do not see themselves as disabled. Rather, they identify themselves as members of a cultural and linguistic minority group known as the Australian Deaf community.