Access to the media for people with sensory impairment – Агенција за аудио и аудиовизуелни медиумски услуги

Submission of 2025 Annual Accessibility Action Plan

Skopje, 13 December 2024 – In accordance with the Rulebook on Media Services Accessibility, which entered into force in June this year, the television stations broadcasting programmes at the national level and on-demand services are obliged to continuously and progressively make their programmes accessible to persons with disabilities.

According to the Rulebook, the national television stations and on-demand services are required to submit to the Agency an Annual Accessibility Action Plan for 2025 using a specific form, no later than 31 December 2024, to the dedicated email address: dostapnost@avmu.mk.

The form for the Annual Accessibility Action Plan is available at this link

Rulebook on Media Services Accessibility At its 26^th Session held on June 12, 2024, the Agency Counil adopted a Rulebook on Media Services Accessibility.The need to have such an act stems from the amendments and supplements to the Law on AAVMS of July 2023, which laid down the provision of programmes accessible to persons with disabilities as an obligation for the radio and television stations and the video-on-demand media services. The letter are obligated to abide by this obligation continuously and progressively.Among other things, the document prescribes the obligations for the audiovisual media service providers depending on their resources and audience reach, the manner in which they can make their programmes accessible, the catalogues on demand, i.e. the offer involving delayed viewing, as well as the electronic programme guide, etc.The rulebook is available at the following LINK.

Public Presentation of the Draft-Rulebook on Media Services Accessibility Held

Skopje, 14 March 2024 – Yesterday, a public presentation was held of the Draft-Rulebook on Media Services Accessibility, prepared under the project for “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO- FREX)” in the premises of Europe House, in Skopje.

In his opening address, Director of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services Zoran Trajchevski underlined that the drafting of the act had resulted from the amendments and supplements to the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services of July 2023, which ensure mandatory accessibility to media services for persons with disabilities. “Persons with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments, the elderly, the injured persons, come across obstacles on a daily basis, not only in the physical, but also in the digital world, as well as in the use of media content. We expect this Rulebook to contribute to overcoming some of the obstacles, and we shall remain actively committed to this goal in the future as well,” stressed Trajchevski. Read more.

Booklet on “How to Provide Information for Persons with Sensory…(read more)

For the purpose of explaining, in an easy-to-understand way, how media outlets can ensure easier communication, depending on the type of impairment – hearing, vision, physical or mental disability – by means of subtitled videos, open or closed textual descriptions, sign language or audio descriptions, the Agency has prepared a booklet titled “How to Provide Information for Persons with Sensory Impairments – Approach, Services, Programmes, Materials and Alternative Formats”.

The booklet is printed into the Macedonian, Albanian and English languages. It highlights the needs, ideas and considerations of the severely and less severely sight- or hearing-impaired persons living in the Republic of Macedonia. The brochure is available at the following link

Policy for Ensuring Audiovisual Media Services’ Accessibility for People with Sensory Disabilities

At its 45^th Session held on 17 December 2020, the Agency Council adopted a Policy for Ensuring Audiovisual Media Services’ Accessibility for People with Sensory Disabilities, on which there had been a public debate.The document outlines and indicates the key courses of action for the regulatory body, while the specific activities will depend on the current needs of the target group, i.e. the visually and hearing impaired persons, but also of other persons with disabilities, as well as on the possibilities of the broadcasters and the providers of on-demand audiovisual services, and will be planned annually.

Agency Adopts Report on Implementing the Programme for Ensuring Media Accessibility to Persons with Sensory Impairments (2016-2018)

At its 25^th session, held on 17 June 2019, the Agency council adopted the Report on Implementing the Programme for Ensuring Media Accessibility to Persons with Sensory Impairments, 2016-2018.

The Report covers all activities and researches the regulatory authority carried out, as well as the brochures it published, in line with the two-year Programme, also including the activities that may, in the foreseeable future, contribute to improving access to the programmes for persons with disabilities.

Working Meeting Held on Ensuring Access to Programmes for Persons with Disabilities

As part of its efforts to promote certain activities among the broadcasters so that the latter would make their programmes accessible for persons with vision and hearing impairments, the Agency held a working meeting today with representatives of the national television broadcasters…read more

Research “Access to the Broadcasters’ Programmes for Persons with Vision and Hearing Loss – Offer and Needs”

Israzuvanje med.pismenost The research concerning “Access to the Broadcasters’ Programmes for Persons with Vision and Hearing Loss – Offer and Needs”, envisaged by the three-year Programme for Ensuring Access to Media for Persons with Sensory Impairments, adopted in 2015, was completed in the fourth quarter of 2016. The results of this research were presented at the Fourth Public Meeting of the Agency, which was held on 29 December 2016.

For the needs of this research, a Questionnaire was prepared about the quantity and quality of the offer of television programmes intended for persons with sensory disabilities, and the same was sent to all TV services. Moreover, interviews were conducted with representatives of the organizations representing persons with vision and hearing loss, as well as other relevant organizations.

The presentation and the entire research titled “Access to the Broadcasters’ Programmes for Persons with Vision and Hearing Loss – Offer and Needs” are available at the links given below:

Access to the Broadcasters’ Programmes for Persons with Vision and Hearing Loss, Needs and Offer – (presentation)

Research “Access to the Broadcasters’ Programmes for Persons with Vision and Hearing Loss. Needs and Offer (pdf)

Procedure for Communication with Citizens with Some Form and Degree of Handicap The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services adopted, as part of the project titled “Accessible Administration for the Handicapped”, a Procedure for Communication with Citizens with Some Form of Handicap…read more

Programme for Ensuring Access to the Media for Persons with Sensory Impairments The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services is continuously dedicated to removing the barriers that prevent persons with sensory impairments from accessing information and using the audiovisual services available to the majority of citizens in Macedonia…read more

For communication with citizens with sensory impairments click here