A pilot audio description service which gives listeners real-time narration of sporting events has allowed visually impaired people in Hong Kong to enjoy and take part in activities, the non-profit provider has said, while calling for equality regardless of disabilities.
The Hong Kong Blind Union said it had offered the service at 105 sports events over the past 4½ years, including the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament and the Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships, with the number of attendances by users at more than 1,200.
Audio description is a form of narration that provides information surrounding key visual elements in films, television programmes, theatrical performances and sports events for those who are blind and visually impaired.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
The union, which has about 1,800 visually impaired members, said a lack of public awareness and a limited number of service providers meant the service still lacked popularity in the local sports sector.
“In Hong Kong, people are more familiar with audio description in films and entertainment arts as well as dramas,” said Jackie Kwan Cheuk-yin, executive director of the union.
“We are promoting sports audio description as a pilot and pioneer in Hong Kong.”
Kwan said audio description had helped blind people to enjoy football matches in Britain, and the union hoped to bring the service to Hong Kong to benefit locals.
It also wanted to raise public awareness on equality for the visually impaired to enjoy watching sports as well as to promote inclusion.
The Jockey Club Sports Programmes with Audio-description Service, launched by the union in 2020 and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, provides on-the-spot or online description for various events.
The union offered audio description for Paris Paralympic Games broadcasts this year, and also conducted service practices for some events at the Olympics.
It also added audio description to broadcast footage of about 200 matches and posted them on YouTube, which had garnered more than 500,000 views, said Lau Shing-kwan, the service’s project manager.
The service has covered sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, rugby sevens, badminton, tennis, table tennis, squash and baseball.
A survey by the union between May and June of 248 visually impaired members and 448 others with normal vision found that 95 per cent of them agreed that audio description helped people enjoy watching sports barrier-free, and nearly 84 per cent said it helped increase their interest in doing sports.
The findings also showed that 88 per cent of respondents called for the provision of audio description in sports programmes to drive its development and benefit more people.
“Many of our members who are blind do not have a basic sense of direction, and they don’t know how large a football field or basketball court is,” said Ng Ping-tung, general secretary of the union.
Ng, who has amblyopia – loss or lack of development of clear vision in one or both eyes – said it was difficult to explain sports laws such as offside in football to visually impaired people, but audio description had prompted many to grow an interest in sport and take part.
“I have seen that many members who never took part in the union’s activities or left home have joined activities or learned about sports, and gradually become interested in sports such as swimming and running,” he said, adding that the number of sports fans among the members had risen.
The union has also trained more than 60 people to become sports audio descriptors, including about 20 who currently offer the service to members.
They include physical education teachers, social workers and retirees. They receive an allowance of a few hundred dollars for providing each audio description session.
Sports commentator Lau Shun-man, one of the trained audio descriptors, said they were still exploring how to strike a balance between describing details, such as athletes’ appearances and moves, and giving out the latest progress of matches.
“We are like a painter who uses his or her mouth,” he said. “That is, it starts with a blank paper, and each sentence we say within a limited time, such as 90 minutes in a football match, is equivalent to drawing a stroke on the paper.”
Benny Cheung Wai-leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities, said enjoying watching sports was the right of the visually impaired in a more inclusive society, which the city had been developing into.
“People with disabilities should have the right to fully participate in society, whether in employment, education or sports,” he said.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: blind psychologist gives back despite hardship
- Hong Kong budget airline HK Express vows to boost training after blind duo taken off flight
- Hong Kong campaign group demands probe after HK Express pulls 2 blind people from flight
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2024.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
