Operations of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) for Making Television Contents Accessible to People with Impairments

Abstract

           The purposes of this research were 1. to study the operations under the Thai PBS’s policy relating to the accessibility for people with visual and/or hearing impairments, and 2. to study the Thai PBS’s procedures and obstacles for providing services for those audiences. Data used in this qualitative research were collected through document analysis and in-depth interview with key informants.

            The study revealed that the operations of the Thai PBS to provide services for people with impairments were conducted according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, B.E. 2551 (2008); the Notification of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission on Licensing Criteria and Procedures for Radio or Television Broadcasting Services, B.E. 2555 (2012); and the Notification of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission on Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Access and Benefit from Television Contents. Services for people with impairments provided by the Thai PBS include sign language, closed captions and audio description. Obstacles founded in the procedures to implement services for people with impairments consisted of human resource management, technical issues, time limitation on program production, funding and budget, and the NBTC broadcasting regulations. The Thai PBS should take these obstacles into account in order to improve their services for people with impairments.