| Abstract [eng] |
In every society, there are individuals with different needs and abilities. This makes every society unique and distinctive. In order to ensure that social groups with different abilities are fully integrated into public life, a wide range of accessibility issues are relevant. Media accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing people is one of them. After the Soviet occupation, when the Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - regained their status as independent states, the distorted public perception of people with disabilities, their adaptation possibilities, and a widespread frame of mind for their social life still face the relics of the Soviet occupation regime - a certain stigmatisation of these social groups. Nonetheless, with changes in the legislative framework, modern foreign practices and encouraging examples, this flawed attitude towards people with disabilities is gradually changing. This paper aims to present the needs and expectations of Lithuanian hearing-impaired people and discuss perspectives on media accessibility for this particular audience in Lithuania. Firstly, statistical information about the Lithuanian target group will be provided, then the principles of media adaptation for the Lithuanian deaf and hard of hearing will be discussed and finally, the needs of the target group in terms of media accessibility will be considered. The data presented in this paper includes results from the research project “Inclusive Culture: the Study on Accessibility of Audiovisual Products for the Visually and Hearing Impaired” (KlaRega), which was conducted between 2021 and 2023. |
