Broadcasting funding agency NZ On Air is providing $500,000 to fund a pilot service called audio description that will allow people with impaired vision to follow television programmes more easily.

Audio description refers to a narration track aimed at blind and visually impaired users of visual media, including television, film, dance, opera and visual arts.

In the case of television, a special audio track is built into the broadcast programme that runs alongside the normal soundtrack, in which a narrator describes what is happening on the screen. It will be available through TVNZ’s digital channels in 2011.

Over 75,000 New Zealanders have a sight limitation that cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses and who are unable to clearly see what is happening on screen.

“This service is as important to vision impaired people as captioning services have been to people with hearing impairments,” noted Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman.

The Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand welcomed the announcement. “We’ve been waiting many years for audio description,” said National President Clive Lansink. “Now the technology is finally here, it’s fantastic that NZ On Air and TVNZ have been able to work together to develop this service. Television plays a huge part in people’s lives and now it is possible for the television industry to include us more in their audience.”