Monday, April 13, 2015

Accessible Netflix Petition

Photo of Daredevil character, in black suit with mask over most of face, in front of nighttime NYC skyline
Petitioning Netflix: Make Daredevil Available to The Blind Community ... Change.org.

I rarely post two items in a row on the same topic, but this “Daredevil” accessibility issue with Netflix is the Platonic Ideal of a disability advocacy issue:

- Netflix still won’t provide Audio Description for the blind for its new “Daredevil” series … or any of its other shows for that matter.

- “Daredevil” is a TV adaptation of a Marvel Comics superhero who is blind.

- A CNBC story says that it costs between $1,000 and $5,000 to provide Audio Description, the amount depending on length of a show. That seems like a lot of money for you and me, but for Netflix? Come on.

- Netflix’s non-response response, after almost 3 years of advocacy, suggests that there’s no real opposing view here. It’s just apathy and neglect. That is sadly typical of disability issues, where the most common enemy isn’t opposition, but indifference.

- The issue is important to blind people in a very direct way. It is important to all disabled people as a matter of principal and precedent. Yet, it is not so important or complex that it scares off people who don't like getting involved in advocacy with intense emotions, a steep learning curve, and a lot at stake.

Please sign the Change.org petition, Tweet it, and Facebook it.

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