Great work to my brothers and sisters in ACB!
Netflix to Enhance Access for Customers Who Are Blind
The following information is forwarded to you by the Great Lakes ADA Center (
www.adagreatlakes.org)
for your information:
Netflix to Enhance Access for Customers Who Are Blind
Berkeley, CA – April 14, 2016 – In a first-of-its-kind settlement, advocates
for people who are blind have reached an agreement with Netflix to make
accessible
the movies and videos offered through the Netflix video streaming and DVD
rental subscriptions. The settlement provides that Netflix will make its video
content accessible by adding a new technology called “audio description” as a
feature that blind customers can activate so they can more fully understand
and enjoy the movie and video experience.
The settlement was reached between Netflix and the American Council of the
Blind (ACB). The Massachusetts-based Bay State Council of the Blind (BSCB)
and Robert Baran, an individual who is blind, were also parties to the
settlement. These blind advocacy organizations and Mr. Baran were represented by
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national non-profit legal center.
Netflix provides one of the nation’s most popular online streaming and DVD
rental services, offering convenient and affordable video entertainment,
including
original content, to millions of Americans.
Under the agreement, Netflix will provide audio description for many popular
titles in its streaming and disc rental libraries. Audio description technology
lets blind people know what is happening in scenes without dialogue or scenes
with significant visual elements via an audio description track that contains
narration of the visual elements that is synchronized with the show or movie.
Television and movie studios will create the audio description tracks and
provide them to Netflix. Without audio description, blind individuals do not
know what is happening in scenes without dialogue and can misinterpret the
meaning of other scenes. Under the settlement, Netflix will also provide audio
description for the “Netflix Original” shows that Netflix has begun distributing
such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
Under the agreement, Netflix will also make its website and mobile applications
accessible to individuals who are blind and use screen-reading software
to navigate websites and apps. Screen-reading software is an interface between
people who are blind or low vision and computers and/or mobile applications.
The software creates an audio version of text and images that appear on a
screen that it reads aloud to a user. The user then controls the computer or
mobile device by pressing keys or tapping on a mobile application. With the
changes Netflix is making, users who are blind or low vision will be able to
independently use the Netflix website and mobile applications.
This agreement is the first-of-its-kind to provide screen-reader and audio
access to users who are blind or low vision. These improvements will provide
people who are blind or low vision with unparalleled access to online video
entertainment services currently enjoyed by millions of Americans. Millions
of Americans identify as having a visual disability.
Kim Charlson, President of the American Council of the Blind, commented, “We
applaud Netflix for working with us to enhance access to its services for people
who are blind. Our goal is to expand the availability of Netflix’s services to
the blind community and to increase the availability of audio described
film and television programming. Movies and television are a central pillar of
American culture. As television and movies are increasingly delivered through
streaming and home delivery services, ensuring that the blind community
receives access to this content is critical to ensure that people who are blind
are integrated into modern society.”
Attorney Rebecca Williford of Disability Rights Advocates explains, “This is a
great example of technology promoting greater accessibility and inclusiveness
for people with disabilities. We hope that the outcome of our collaboration
with Netflix will serve as a model for others in the online video entertainment
industry.”
To view the settlement go to:
http://dralegal.org/case/netflix-settlement/
