@article{discovery10172691, year = {2023}, volume = {3}, number = {2}, title = {Introduction to the Special Section: Film Accessibility for Blind and Low Vision Viewers in China}, month = {June}, pages = {215--220}, journal = {Journal of Chinese Film Studies}, note = {This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.}, publisher = {Walter de Gruyter GmbH}, issn = {2702-2285}, abstract = {The term 'accessibility' refers to the 'ability to access', which has traditionally been associated with designing for people with disabilities. In recent years, research and development on accessibility have shifted the focus from 'disabilities' to 'diverse abilities', emphasising the criticality of equal access for everyone to social, cultural, political, and economic life. This includes physical and digital access to the same tools, services, organisations and facilities. Access is a fundamental necessity for respecting the human dignity of all (World Health Organization 2021). Film accessibility addresses the essential process of making a film fully accessible and inclusive. The conventional methods to achieve film accessibility include audio description (AD) for the blind and visually impaired audience, subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and sign language interpreting (SLI) for the audience with hearing impairments. This special section addresses film accessibility by focusing exclusively on the audio description practice and research in the context of China}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1515/jcfs-2023-0024}, author = {Zhang, Xiaochun} }