Recognizing the potential of documentaries in education and as an alternative form of entertainment for both children and adults, and taking into account that documentaries have been largely inaccessible to certain groups of people with disabilities—particularly those with visual impairments—and that rural areas, except for major cities, often lack alternative educational and cultural programs, we have launched an important digital cultural and educational initiative aimed at the student community and people with disabilities.

Technical adaptation of documentaries for children and adults with disabilities.
Dubbing, Audio Description (AD) for blind and visually impaired individuals, and Intralingual Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) individuals.

The loss of vision or hearing should not result in the exclusion of individuals from cultural experiences. Using language that is inclusive, vivid, and imaginative, Audio Description provides a verbal translation of the visual: transforming the visual into the verbal, auditory, and spoken. In this way, images become accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. Audio Description provides the means for this population group to fully and equitably participate in cultural life and gain access to all cultural events.

The process is carried out by specialized professionals in audio description, who create the script for the audio description. The narration of the description is either performed by professional voice actors or by the describers themselves.

To date, very few films have been shown with Audio Description for blind and visually impaired individuals, although the situation is slightly better when it comes to intralingual subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals.

Since 2022, all selected documentaries presented at the Peloponnese International Documentary Festival have been screened with specialized SDH subtitles.

Due to the time-consuming and costly process required for audio description, our goal is to process at least three documentaries annually with audio description, which will be accessible nationwide. The selection of documentaries to be processed and the technical support are done in collaboration with the Department of Translation and Interpreting at Ionian University.

Translation/Subtitling and Dubbing for Primary School Children

Only a few specialized documentaries have been dubbed into Greek in order to be comprehensible to first- and second-grade students, as well as to students with learning differences or mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. This is because they may not be accustomed to reading subtitles quickly, or because they may learn at a slower pace. To date, 10 foreign documentary films suitable for children aged 5 to 7 and for individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities have been dubbed. Our goal is to make 10 new documentaries available annually for this age and social group, enabling educators to use them in the classroom.

Documentation and Digitization of Cultural Materials Accessible Online to the Educational Community and People with Disabilities
More than 60 educational documentaries have been digitized and documented, allowing all students of primary and secondary education, including those in special schools across Greece, to access them. The individuals responsible for the documentation provide educational support materials for each documentary, helping to prepare students before and after viewing. How can educators use documentaries in the classroom? How can they incorporate them into their lessons? They suggest key principles and methods, as well as specific activities that enable educators to create a framework for watching each film, facilitating discussion and reflection either online or in person.

Educational Programs for People with Disabilities (PWDs)
Children with intellectual disabilities, like their peers, need opportunities to develop cognitively, learn, experience success, and socially and emotionally integrate into their surroundings. As part of our educational activities, we have established two workshops specifically designed for primary school children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Animation Workshops for Children
Stop-motion animation workshops using clay figures, designed specifically for primary school children and individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities, led by award-winning director and long-term collaborator of the Peloponnese Documentary Festival, Thomas Künstler. The workshop was piloted at the 12th Primary School of Kalamata, the educational structure "The Garden of Lyssoos" (a special school for individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities), and in Xylokastro. The program’s success and positive reception has led us to plan its expansion over the next three years to all special schools in the Peloponnese.

Environmental Walks
Workshops for primary and secondary school students, as well as for students of special schools and adults with moderate intellectual disabilities, held in the form of nature walks led by instructor Stefania Charitou. These walks serve as an opportunity to discuss ecology, natural resources, energy, and climate change. Audiovisual tools help capture and interpret pieces of reality, raising awareness and informing participants. Using mobile phones, children work in small groups to capture images, video, or sound from the surrounding nature (land, animals, vegetation), and study humanity’s relationship with the environment. In recent years, these "environmental walks" have been successfully held during the Peloponnese International Documentary Festival. In 2022, the walks were held at the Special School of Kalamata, the Special School of Tripoli, and in general primary schools in Kalamata, Tripoli, Filiatra, and Xylokastro. In 2023, as part of the Eleusis 2023 cultural capital initiative, specialized workshops were conducted in Aspropyrgos, Megara, and Elefsina, where more than 50 children and adults with moderate intellectual disabilities participated in the environmental walks.
This initiative will continue to be creatively enriched, with the ultimate goal of expanding to other special schools in the broader region.

Who Are We Addressing?
In Greece today, there are approximately 30,000 individuals who are blind, and over 100,000 who are partially sighted. Individuals with hearing impairments number around 30,000 nationwide, 70% of whom are under 35 years old. However, due to the lack of proper documentation, the number may be as high as 40,000. As for children with intellectual disabilities, there are 24 special schools in the Peloponnese and 470 nationwide, mostly in primary education.

The program "Documentaries for All" is supported by the Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation.