Content For Deaf Audiences On TV May Be Coming—And This Ugandan Station Could Pave The Way

Deaf audiences have access to content that hearing audiences do with many caveats: closed captions are the primary source of how deaf audiences get their information from television. Watching a sitcom or the news yields a similar result—but with the inclusion of sign language interpreters, the information can be communicated and received in a new way.

Closed captions are devoid of tone, which sign language is not, and can more clearly communicate information for interpretation rather than a list of words. And channels without interpreters receive only about 15 percent of the viewership of hard-of-hearing viewers in the United States. Captions just can’t fill the same need as a tonal expression, and with that information in mind, Uganda is developing a new television station to cater to the hard-of-hearing population.

African journalist Eroku Simon, who is a member of the deaf community, founded Signs TV Uganda: a network dedicated to hard-of-hearing and deaf viewers. Other stations, he found, did not put the sign language interpreter in a spot large enough for viewers to be able to interpret the language correctly. "Deaf people in Uganda only access information during the news hours," he said. "As a result, they miss out on relevant information during [other] programs."

Furthermore, oppression against deaf people inspired Simon and co-founder Suzan Mujjawa, in particular the shooting of deaf man Olaya Willies after he was found breaking curfew during COVID-19 lockdowns in the country. "They thought he was disobeying orders after they asked him where he was going and he couldn't respond," she said. Willies would later say he had no idea there was a COVID-19 lockdown due to lack of information available for deaf audiences, which is now what Signs TV Uganda hopes to prevent from happening again. 

Signs TV Uganda, though offering an essential service, is also facing financial challenges for their ultimate goals. “Producing content requires that we access media content from the mainstream journalists, and this also requires money which we currently do not have,” said Simon. “We hope that we will be able to get through this in the months ahead.” The outlet hopes to partner with major organizations to have its message elevated and carried out past just the small community they have built thus far in Uganda. “We…want to have collaboration that can take us to the commercialization level because we now have proof that this is going to be a successful venture if more resources are injected into it,” said Simon.

While similar networks are available, focused journalism and information-based reporting specifically for the deaf community is not yet a popular practice, although Simon hopes that the reach of Signs TV Uganda could change that global picture. “We will then equip them with knowledge of sign language so they can be able to report from their localities and we [will] provide them [with] the platform to broadcast [their stories],” he said. “In fact, we want to be the most inclusive TV channel offering everyone a chance to watch our programming.” All eyes are now on international newsrooms and cable channels to invest in more opportunities to communicate with disabled audiences.