Extensive focus on March 21st on ORF 1, ORF 2 and ORF III
Vienna (OTS) – Since 2006, World Down Syndrome Day has been held annually on March 21st and aims to raise public awareness of the issue of Down Syndrome and to dispel prejudices against people with Down Syndrome. The ORF is also taking on the topic and, as part of a program focus on ORF 1, ORF 2 and ORF III, sheds light on the everyday life of people with Down syndrome, shows their potential and addresses the difficulties and hurdles that those affected still face are.
The program focus at a glance
On ORF 2, “Aktuell nach eins” / “Aktuell nach Fünf” on March 21, 2024 from 1:20 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. will be dedicated to the lack of educational opportunities for children with disabilities in Austria. A portrait of the young Viennese Fiona, who is completing an apprenticeship at the Plachutta restaurant, is also shown. The 27-year-old influencer wants to change the general image of people with Down syndrome. In “Aktuell nach eins” a representative of the “Down Syndrome Vienna” association is a live guest in the studio who talks about the lack of educational opportunities for children with disabilities in Austria and her own son, who is now eleven years old . In the article “Severin – living and working independently with Down syndrome” as part of the “Studio 2” program from 5:30 p.m., the focus is on Severin, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome six weeks after his birth. The article presents Severin’s life, discusses his professional career and his diverse hobbies and interests, as well as his move into a shared apartment. “Guten Morgen Österreich” is also taking on World Down Syndrome Day and has invited chef Simon Couvreur, a representative of the Down Syndrome community, to take part on Wednesday, March 20th from 6:30 a.m Robert Letz will cook live in the studio. Psychologist Karin Lebersorger will be a guest on Thursday, March 21st.
On ORF 1, “ZIB Zack Mini” will report on World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st from 6:00 a.m. What Down Syndrome actually means is explained in a child-friendly way. The children’s news program also examines the question of what the living situation of children with Down syndrome looks like in Austria. Fanny Stapf also speaks to eleven-year-old Fridolin, who talks about his life with Down syndrome.
ORF III will discuss in detail the acceptance of people with Down syndrome in everyday life in an expert discussion in “ORF III Aktuell” from 9:30 a.m. on March 22nd. In addition, on the same broadcast day, “Kultur Today” will present a contribution to the inclusive Ohrenschmaus literary prize, which honors texts by authors with learning disabilities and learning difficulties, and will welcome the Austrian writer and “Ohrenschmaus” jury member Arno Geiger as a guest in the studio.
ORF offers in simple language
People with learning disabilities or learning difficulties should be sufficiently informed about what is happening in Austria and the world in order to participate in democratic life. The ORF supports this with a diverse range of news in simple language.
ORF III has news in simple language as television news from Monday to Friday at 7:25 p.m., and six news blocks (three in the morning, three in the afternoon) are made available in simple language every day on news.ORF.at.
ORF.at brings this news together with the inclusive teaching editorial team. This is a vocational preparation program run by the Vienna Social Fund, in which six people with learning disabilities currently work.
The most important reports of the day are broadcast once a day in simple language on the nine regional radio stations. Radio Vienna broadcasts news in simple language every Sunday in the form of a weekly review both for children in the children’s program “WOW – Wissen oder Was” at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and for adults in the evening at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. You can also listen to and read the weekly review in simple language on wien.ORF.at every Sunday from 8 a.m.
Every Friday at 6:30 p.m., Radio Steiermark brings the most important news of the week as easy-to-understand news reports.
The ORF TELETEXT offers “News that are easy to understand” from page 470 (language level B1). From page 480 onwards there are the same daily reports in “News easier to understand” in shorter sentences and divided into more lines (language level A2).
News in simple language not only helps people with learning disabilities to better understand the world of news, but also many older people and people with little knowledge of German.