In support of the purpose of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Fundamental Communications Act (CRPD) adopted by the United Nations on December 13, 2006 and adhering to principles stipulated in Article 5 of the Fundamental Communications Act, for the first time, NCC will accept applications for subsidies for the production and broadcasting of domestic programs containing “audio description.”

　　“Audio description” is a systemic descriptive video service provided for people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired, in which “narrated descriptions of visual elements in a television program such as a set or scene arrangement, body language of a character, color or shape of an object, settings and visual symbols that are relevant to the scenes and plot framework are inserted during pauses in dialogue or description at opportune times without interfering with the originally recorded segment.”

　　In consideration that currently only a few domestic television programs provide such service, the majority being broadcast on Taiwan Public Television, NCC plans to increase the availability of programs with audio description under limited resources. Beginning this year, NCC will subsidize audio description for three types of programs – domestic dramas, movies (including documentaries), and children’s programs produced by commercial television stations or television program production enterprises with the aim of enhancing both the quality and quantity of domestically produced programs with audio description, cultivating skills in audio description and promoting the development of Taiwan’s film and television industries.

　　For more information on the subsidy program, please refer to the attachments.