In late 2018, with a small grant from a disability rights foundation and a handful of second-hand cameras, COSD launched on YouTube and Facebook. The mission was simple yet profound: “Nothing about us without us.”
As their founder, Srey Leak (a wheelchair user since a childhood polio infection), often says: “We didn’t start this channel to ask for sympathy. We started it to show ability. And now, Cambodia is finally watching.” cosd tv cambodia
COSD TV Cambodia is not just about broadcasting. It is about belonging. In a country where disability has long meant invisibility, this little channel gave millions of Cambodians a mirror—and a window. A mirror to see their own worth, and a window for the rest of society to see them clearly for the first time. In late 2018, with a small grant from
In 2022, COSD TV caught the attention of the Ministry of Information. Impressed by their pandemic work, the Ministry officially recognized them as a legitimate digital media outlet—the first disability-led channel to receive such status. This opened doors for small government advertising contracts and partnerships with major NGOs. And now, Cambodia is finally watching
In the bustling heart of Phnom Penh, where the hum of motorbikes blends with the chatter of street vendors, a small digital media studio began a quiet revolution in 2018. This was the birthplace of COSD TV Cambodia , an online television channel run by the Cambodian Organization for Students with Disabilities (COSD) .
Today, COSD TV Cambodia is still small, still underfunded, and still fighting. But they have become a symbol. Their studio now has a ramp, a hearing loop, and screen-reading software. They train young people with disabilities in journalism, camera work, and digital marketing.
For decades, people with disabilities in Cambodia—whether physical, visual, hearing, or intellectual—remained largely invisible in the country’s media landscape. They were often portrayed as objects of pity or charity cases, not as active, capable citizens. COSD, founded in 2002 by students with disabilities, had spent years advocating for accessibility in education and employment. But they realized a critical gap: no media outlet was by and for people with disabilities.
