Accessibility in Media Must Lead India’s Digital Future, Say WAVES 2025 Experts

Opening the session, Prof. Brij Kothari of IIT Delhi drew attention to India's growing leadership in global conversations on inclusive design.

A compelling and timely panel discussion on “Accessibility Standards in the Media & Entertainment Sector” captivated audiences at WAVES 2025 today, reinforcing the vital role that inclusive media practices must play in India’s digital transformation. With insights spanning law, journalism, academia, technology, and public policy, the session brought together prominent voices who challenged traditional perceptions of accessibility and offered a roadmap for embedding inclusion across content ecosystems.

Setting the Context: India as a Global Accessibility Leader

Opening the session, Prof. Brij Kothari of IIT Delhi drew attention to India's growing leadership in global conversations on inclusive design. “India is not just catching up; in many ways, we are leading the conversation on inclusive design,” he remarked. Highlighting the intersection of accessibility with scale and linguistic diversity, he emphasized that designing content for the hearing or visually impaired is only a part of the puzzle. “Accessibility should now be viewed as a universal design philosophy that enhances usability for over 1.4 billion people—not just a minority,” he stated.

Kothari also pointed to India’s unique positioning in terms of mobile-first content consumption and regional content boom, which necessitates inclusive practices across varied demographics and socio-economic backgrounds.

Global Standards and Local Realities

Adding an international viewpoint, Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion for EMEA at Google, shared lessons from developed markets. He noted that countries like the United States have robust legislation like the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but enforcement often lags behind intentions. In contrast, the European Accessibility Act, set to be implemented widely by 2025, offers a more integrative framework that could reshape compliance and practice globally.

“We are laying the groundwork for systemic change—moving beyond accessibility as an optional feature to making it a fundamental standard in all stages of content development and delivery,” Patnoe emphasized. He called the coming decade a “transformative period” for how accessibility will evolve, particularly through innovation and regulation.

The Creative Lens: Balancing Accessibility with Artistic Vision

Ashay Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, CEO of Kintel, underscored the often-overlooked creative dimensions of accessibility in media production. “Films, series, and digital content are extensions of a creator’s artistic vision. Our goal should be to make content accessible without flattening its emotional or creative essence,” he said.

He warned against overreliance on generic, automated solutions that may compromise the tone or narrative structure of the original content. Instead, he advocated for tailored accessibility practices—like customized audio descriptions and thoughtful subtitling—that preserve the director’s intention while expanding reach to audiences with disabilities.

Innovation in Action: Tech-Driven Accessibility

Priti Salian, a journalist and accessibility advocate, showcased how emerging technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are accelerating inclusive media in India. “We recently launched an AI-based channel that uses sign language interpreter avatars. This wouldn’t have been feasible a few years ago,” she said. She highlighted advancements in audio description, noting that what once took weeks can now be done in less than two days.

However, Salian warned against complacency: “Technology alone is not the silver bullet. We need robust government backing, public-private partnerships, and smart procurement mechanisms to make accessibility scalable and sustainable across platforms.” Her comments echoed growing calls for institutional support to complement innovation.

Legal Foundations and Industry Collaboration

Representing the legal sector, Rahul Bajaj, a lawyer and leading accessibility advocate, stressed the urgent need for comprehensive legal mandates. “While India has laws that reference accessibility, enforcement mechanisms are weak, and industry standards are often absent or poorly defined,” he said. Bajaj called for binding guidelines across OTT platforms, cinema halls, and television broadcasters, backed by penalties and incentives to drive compliance.

He also advocated for establishing certification mechanisms to rate the accessibility quotient of media platforms—akin to energy or safety ratings in other sectors.

Voices from the Ground: Representation and Policy Inclusion

Bringing lived experience to the panel, Danish Mahajan, Founder of Radio Udaan and a prominent disability rights activist, spoke passionately about representation. “Accessibility shouldn’t be a retrofitted afterthought. It must be embedded into the policymaking process from day one,” he asserted.

Mahajan emphasized that meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in regulatory bodies, content creation, and advisory roles is the only way to ensure genuine progress. “When people with disabilities are part of the system, accessibility becomes inherent, not imposed,” he added.

The Call to Action: Accessibility as a Strategic Imperative

The session concluded with a powerful consensus: accessibility in media and entertainment must be reframed not just as a compliance checkbox, but as a creative, ethical, and strategic necessity. From scriptwriting to streaming, every phase of the content lifecycle must integrate inclusive design practices.

As India stands on the brink of a media explosion—driven by digital adoption, regional content proliferation, and a young, diverse audience—the need for accessible content is no longer niche. It is mainstream. And with collaborative action, policy vision, and technological innovation, India can lead the world in making entertainment truly inclusive for all.