Reverse "Hands On" Budget Cut
Published July 23, 2009
To Cathal Goan, Director General, RTÉ
The Irish Deaf Community, along with our family, friends and colleagues, urge you to reverse your decision to cut, by nearly 60%, the budget for Hands On, Ireland's only TV programme for the Deaf Community.
Hands On is of immense importance to us, as the only programme on Irish TV presented in Irish Sign Language (ISL), the first language of the Irish Deaf Community.
Hands On is the only forum where issues affecting the Deaf community can be explored and highlighted. It is also the only way that many Deaf people can access general information, due to the fact that 80% of the community suffer from literacy difficulties. It is for this reason also, that subtitling is not enough and it is vital that programmes in ISL are produced by and for the Deaf community. Hands On is also the only employer of Deaf people in Irish broadcast media.
As the Deaf community are expected to pay our full TV licence, the same as hearing people, it is wholly unfair that we should receive a cut in the, already insufficient, amount of signed programming available on RTÉ.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland Access Codes state that RTÉ should be looking at increasing their signed programming from 1% to 5%, however, RTÉ are already falling way short of achieving the 1% goal. By reducing Hands On to half the number of programmes produced last year, you are completely disregarding these access codes.
We urge you to please reconsider your decision to cut Hands On's budget, and hope to see the series in its entirety back on TV this Autumn.
The Irish Deaf Community, along with our family, friends and colleagues, urge you to reverse your decision to cut, by nearly 60%, the budget for Hands On, Ireland's only TV programme for the Deaf Community.
Hands On is of immense importance to us, as the only programme on Irish TV presented in Irish Sign Language (ISL), the first language of the Irish Deaf Community.
Hands On is the only forum where issues affecting the Deaf community can be explored and highlighted. It is also the only way that many Deaf people can access general information, due to the fact that 80% of the community suffer from literacy difficulties. It is for this reason also, that subtitling is not enough and it is vital that programmes in ISL are produced by and for the Deaf community. Hands On is also the only employer of Deaf people in Irish broadcast media.
As the Deaf community are expected to pay our full TV licence, the same as hearing people, it is wholly unfair that we should receive a cut in the, already insufficient, amount of signed programming available on RTÉ.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland Access Codes state that RTÉ should be looking at increasing their signed programming from 1% to 5%, however, RTÉ are already falling way short of achieving the 1% goal. By reducing Hands On to half the number of programmes produced last year, you are completely disregarding these access codes.
We urge you to please reconsider your decision to cut Hands On's budget, and hope to see the series in its entirety back on TV this Autumn.
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