SET accessibility group finalizes review of ABNT standards

The SET Group on Good Practices and Accessibility has met in São Paulo to finalize the review of the ABNT public  standards on accessibility and to define when it is to be published, most likely by the end of this year. “Over the last two years, we have collated essential information with the segments involved and we have managed to put together a version that is more appropriate for the current accessibility scenario in broadcasting, which now includes Digital TV”, group coordinator, Edson Moura (SET/ABNT), explained.

The current technical standard was drafted when Digital TV had not yet come into being. “As a result, it was out of date with regard to the usability of closed caption, Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS) and audio description resources”, Moura explained.

The SET Study Group has existed since the second half of 2014, and consists of users who require accessibility resources; the technical side of manufacturers of technology and receivers; government entities (the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the Department of Development and Anatel); members also include the university and academic community, which has contributed with usability proposals, broadcasting companies and SeAC (Conditional Access service companies).

The SET accessibility group’s next step will be to study the quality criteria for evaluating the LIBRAS service. “There are currently different ways of communicating using Brazilian sign language. Our next challenge will be to demarcate a quality parameter within Brazil, so as to facilitate communication between people that use this resource”, he explains.

The next meeting is scheduled for February 2017. Participation is free, but a call notice will be published on the SET site for those interested.

“I am grateful to be a part of the group that is engaged in very important work regarding society as a whole. The people for whom accessibility standards are intended are not usually remembered, so they end up being left behind where technology is concerned. Our role is to include them, which makes out work very gratifying”, says group member Fernando Nero, and engineer with the Rede Globo network.

About the Group

The SET Group on Good Practices and Accessibility was created to discuss and enhance existing standards that benefit social inclusion within the scope of broadcast. “To be part of society, one has to be informed, and when some groups are not informed, exclusion happens. As an institution, SET wants to ensure that everyone has access to this information, not just certain groups”, Edson Moura went on to explain.

Fernando Nero , Edson Moura e Álvaro Almeida

Fernando Nero , Edson Moura e Álvaro Almeida