Media Guide

This section looks at what is available to inform and entertain you. It also highlights where you can find out about the latest developments in the disability field. This section covers television, radio, the internet, print and recorded media.

Many support organisations, such as Arthritis Care, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Alzheimer's Disease Society, also produce useful publications relevant and accessible to their members' interests.

Television and Radio
The Internet
Print and Recorded Media
Contacts

Television and Radio

The main television and radio channels offer current affairs programmes for disabled people. These programmes are often backed up with dedicated websites providing further information and opportunities to participate in the issues dealt with on programmes. Some examples of current programmes follow.

In Touch is a weekly programme, featuring news, views and information, of interest to people who are blind or partially-sighted. Listeners with a query or personal experience they wish to share with others generate many stories.

See Hear! shown on BBC 2 with subtitles and signing is a magazine programme for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Ceefax and Teletext are text based services available through television services. They provide information on a broad range of subjects including pages on disability issues. Page numbers for Teletext and Ceefax may change from time to time. If you are unable to find the information you are looking for consult the Teletext A-Z index on page 103 or the Ceefax index on page 199.

Read Hear, on pages 640 - 645 BBC 2 Ceefax, has news, events, letters, information, job adverts and course details for deaf and hard of hearing people. Pages 646 - 649 contain listings of programmes with subtitles for BBC and ITV channels.

Ofcom, the communications industry regulator, requires all suppliers, whether, cable, digital or analogue are required to make an increasing proportion of their output accessible. This is done through sub-titling, signing or audio transcription. Refer to the set up information provided with your equipment or the supplier of your services to receive these services, where available, through digital or Freeview systems. On analogue TV press text on your remote control and type teletext page 888 to see subtitles.

You can check for if a programme is subtitled using the BBC What's On website, Ceefax, digital text pages or listings magazines such as the Radio Times. Contacts for all of the major channels and broadcast suppliers are given in the contact list at the end of this section.

The BBC has also developed an audio description speech service for viewers who have a visual impairment. It broadcasts some programmes with enhanced commentary, which describes what is happening on screen and is transmitted in gaps between dialogue.

The British Video Association's website gives detailed subtitling information for many popular DVD releases. You can also contact BVA to complain about DVDs or video tapes that are not subtitled.

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The Internet

The Internet has transformed the availability of information on any subject. Each section of this information guide contains listings of relevant websites providing access to information and communication.

AbilityNet offers practical support and advice on making computers and websites more accessible to use. To find sites that you do not have the address details for you can use search engines, such as Google, Yahoo orAsk Jeeves.

Ouch is a website from the BBC, which aims to reflect the lives of disabled people. It describes itself as a lifestyle site with a sense of humour looking at personal issues, the minutiae of everyday life and issues other sites may be wary of.

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Print and Recorded media

All Together Now aims to provide a quality news and information service for disabled or older people. It is distributed as a free paper in the North West of England and in North Wales . Its content is also available on the internet.

Darlington Talking Newspaper produces weekly news articles on tape. The service is free and covers events, news and magazine articles.

Disability Now is a national monthly newspaper published by Scope, which covers general disability issues. It features a wide range of news, arts reviews, job adverts and an advice column. This is free to those on means tested benefits.

Able is a bi-monthly magazine containing regional and national information on holidays, aids and adaptations, access, education, employment and sports. It is also available on-line.

Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) publishes two periodicals. London Disability News is a regular magazine, providing all the latest news, commentary and information on disability issues across the capital. Disability Update is a fortnightly publication providing extracts from national newspapers and a wide selection of disability newsletters and magazines, together with details of conferences, books and disability issues. Both are available on subscription.

Listening Books provides a postal audio book library service to people who have access issues when reading. It is the only national audio book charity catering for the full range of access requirements and its membership is comprised of people with visual impairments, learning difficulties such as dyslexia and physical impairments that mean a person cannot easily hold a book or turn a page.

RNIB Talking Books Service is a subscription service provided by RNIB. It is a library of professionally recorded audio books, delivered to people's homes. RNIB also produces a wide variety of publications in Braille and Moon.

RADAR produces a monthly information bulletin/newsletter, providing up-to-date information on Parliament, social security, housing, education and training, employment, mobility, new aids and equipment, holidays, access, and sport and leisure. It gives information on courses, conferences, exhibitions and publications, together with news about RADAR's current work.

Talking Newspaper Association of the UK (TNAUK) provides national and local newspapers and magazines on audio CD, audio tape, computer disk, e-mail, internet download and CD-ROM for visually impaired and disabled people.

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Other Sources of Information

Other sections of the Darlington Association on Disability Information Guide may contain further information about the media.

The Equipment section gives information on choosing, buying and borrowing media related equipment

The Language and Interpretation section gives information about language, interpretation and translation services.

There are a number of local and national organisations providing broad information and advice resources. Please refer to this guide's introduction for contact details.

Contact Darlington Association on Disability's Information Service for assistance with searching for information about any subject in this guide or for support in dealing with your information requests.

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Contacts

AbilityNet North East
c/o Remploy
Wesley Way
Benton Square Industrial Estate
Newcastle Upon Tyne NE12 9TA
Telephone : 0191 266 6678
Fax : 0191 266 8521
Minicom :
Email : northeast@abilitynet.org.uk
Website : www.abilitynet.org.uk

Able
Craven Publishing Limited
15-39 Durham Street
Kinning Park
Glasgow G41 1BS
Telephone : 0141 419 0044
Fax : 0141 419 0077
Minicom :
E-mail : info@cravenpublishing.co.uk
Website : www.disabilityview.co.uk

All Together Now!
The Bradbury Centre
Youens Way
Liverpool L14 2EP
Telephone : 0151 230 0307
Fax : 0151 220 4446
Minicom :
E-mail : info@alltogethernow.org.uk
Website : www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Ask Jeeves
Website : www.ask.com

BBC Access Services
Room 430a
Design Building
Television Centre
Wood Lane London W12 7RJ
Telephone : 020 8225 6521
Fax : 020 8752 7059
Minicom : 0208 743 9419
E-mail : subtitling@bbc.co.uk
Website : www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Information
PO Box 1922
Glasgow G2 3WT
Telephone : 0870 010 0222
Fax :
Minicom : 0870 010 0212
E-mail :
Website : www.bbc.co.uk

British Video Association
167 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5FD
Telephone : 0207 436 0041
Fax : 0207 436 0043
Minicom :
E-mail : general@bva.org.uk
Websites : www.bva.org.uk

Channel 4
Viewer Enquiries
Channel 4
124 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 2TX
Telephone : 020 7306 8333
Fax : 020 7306 8347
Minicom : 020 7306 8691
E-mail : viewerenquiries@channel4.co.uk
Website : www.channel4.com

Darlington Talking Newspaper
Echo Buildings
Priestgate
Darlington DL1 1NF
Telephone : 01325 465101
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail: darlingtontn@v21.me.uk
Website : www.communigate.co.uk/ne/darlingtontn

Disability Now
6 Market Road
London N7 9PW
Telephone : 020 7619 7323
Fax : 020 7619 7331
Minicom : 020 7619 7332
E-mail: editor@disabilitynow.org.uk
Website : www.disabilitynow.org.uk

Five (Channel 5)
Duty Office
Channel 5
22 Long Acre
London WC2E 9LY
Telephone : 08457 050505
Fax : 020 7550 5678
Minicom : 08457 413787
E-mail : dutyoffice@channel5.co.uk
Website : www.five.tv

Freeview
Broadcast Centre (BC3 D5
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP
Telephone : 08708 80980
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail :
Website : www.freeview.co.uk

Google
Website : www.google.com

Greater London Action on Disability
336 Brixton Road
London SW9 7AA
Telephone : (020) 7346 5800
Fax : (020) 7346 8844
Minicom : (020) 7326 4554
E-mail : info@glad.org.uk
Website : www.glad.org.uk

In Touch
Room 6084
Broadcasting House
London W1A 1AA
Telephone : 0800 044 044 which is Radio 4's Action Line
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail intouch@bbc.co.uk
Website : www.bbc.co.uk

ITV
Duty Office
Gas Street
Birmingham B1 2JT
Telephone : 0870 600 6766
Fax : 0121 634 4898
Minicom : 0870 241 6346
E-mail : dutyoffice@itv.com
Website : www.itv.com

Listening Books
12 Lant St
London SE1 1QH
Telephone : 020 7407 9417
Fax : 020 7403 1377
Minicom :
E-mail : info@listening-books.org.uk
Website : www.listening-books.org.uk

NTL
NTL House
Bartley Wood Business Park
Bartley Way
Hook RG27 9UP
Telephone : 0800 052 2000
Fax :
Minicom: 0800 052 9735
E-mail :
Website : www.home.ntl.com/icat/home

Ofcom
Contact Centre
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
Telephone : 0845 456 3000 or 070 7981 3040
Fax : 0845 456 3333
E-mail : contact@ofcom.org.uk
Website : www.ofcom.org.uk

Ouch!
Room 2318
BBC White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS
Telephone : 020 8752 5444
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail : ouch@bbc.co.uk
Website : www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/news

RNIB Talking Book Service
PO Box 173
Peterborough PE2 6WS
Telephone : 0845 762 6843
Email : cservices@rnib.org.uk
Website : www.rnib.org.uk

See Hear
Room G418
BBC White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS
Telephone : 020 8752 4703
Fax : 020 8752 6535
Minicom : 020 8752 5292
E-mail : seehear@bbc.co.uk
Website : www.bbc.co.uk/seehear

Sky Digital
British Sky Broadcasting
Grant Way
Isleworth TW7 5QD
Telephone : 08705 663 333
Fax :
Minicom : 08702 40 1910
E-mail : disability@sky.com
Website : www.sky.com

The Talking Newspaper Association of the UK
National Recording Centre
Heathfield
East Sussex TN21 8DB
Telephone: 01435 866102
Fax : 01435 865422
Minicom :
E-mail: info@tnauk.org.uk
Website : www.tnauk.org.uk

Top Up TV
PO Box 801
Kirkcaldy
Fife KY2 6WW
Telephone : 08712 712712
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail : enquiries@topuptv.com
Website : www.topuptv.com

Yahoo
Website : www.yahoo.com

You and Yours
Website : www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours

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