Broadcasting authority refutes it made of offensive remark against deaf

The Cyprus Broadcasting Authority (CBA) on Tuesday denied that one of its representatives made an offensive remark about people with hearing disabilities, following allegations made in local media by the Cyprus Organisation of the Deaf (POK).

“The authority does not know which meeting the Cyprus Organisation of the Deaf is referring to, as there has been no recent encounter with the participation of any representative of the authority,” it said.

The controversy emerged after the organisation for the deaf alleged that a CBA representative had used a derogatory expression regarding deaf people.

But the CBA said it had sent a letter to the president of the organisation requesting further information, including details of the meeting referred to and the identity of the person accused.

The authority has also asked to be provided with the organisation’s original statement in full.

“Regardless of the claims made, we stress that no representative of the authority has ever made such a statement,” the CBA said.

The authority emphasised its continued support for citizens with hearing impairments, stating that it works actively to improve accessibility in television broadcasting.

It monitors and encourages both public broadcaster CyBC and private TV organisations to enhance services for individuals with disabilities.

“The CBA is one of the entities that supports citizens with hearing disabilities, constantly aiming to increase accessibility of television services for all,” it said.

The organisation also recently slammed CyBC for the systematic removal of measures for the deaf and hard of hearing.