The discount airline failed to make changes to its website after the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK recommended a specific set of modifications in a report that was commissioned by BMI Baby.
“I know this new service will be very valuable to the Deaf and hearing impaired - while it is a niche audience, it's a step towards more equal access and we are delighted to offer it," said SKY’s Chief Executive, John Fellet.
Captioning on New Zealand free-to-air channels including TV1, TV2 and TV3 are funded by New Zealand on Air, which is in turn funded by the New Zealand government. SKY initially sought funding for from New Zealand on Air for its captioning service.
The Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Jan McLucas, launched the new Remote Hearing and Vision Services for Children Initiative yesterday.
The initiative aims to improve health care services for children with hearing and vision impairment living in regional and remote areas in Australia. It is often difficult for families with children who need specialist treatment to travel the distance to access essential services.
In 2005, The Christian Angler Outdoors Television Show applied to the FCC for a caption exemption which was granted on the basis that it was a non-commercial program which did not attract any revenue. Following the so-called Anglers Order, a further 300 organisations were granted exemption from national captioning rules.
Deaf and hearing impaired advocacy groups objected strongly to this, arguing that the FCC had created a new category of exempted programming, and that all an organisation had to do to be eligible for an exemption was to state it was not-for-profit.
