Netflix Making Kids’ Shows More Accessible

Through a new arrangement, Netflix will make hundreds of hours of programing for kids and families more accessible to those with disabilities.

Starting this week, the streaming service will add overlays with Deaf performers interpreting in American Sign Language to 73 titles.

The collection includes television shows and movies ranging from “The Magic School Bus Rides Again,” to “Pokémon Horizons” and “Pinocchio.”

“At Netflix, we believe great storytelling should be accessible to everyone, and this partnership is a meaningful continuation of that commitment,” said Elisa Beniero, senior manager of strategy and innovation at Netflix. “With ASL now joining subtitles, Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH), dubbing and Audio Description (AD) as another way members can enjoy our content, we’re ensuring our Deaf and hard-of-hearing members have more ways to experience the stories they love.”

The streaming service worked with SignUp Media, which provides sign-language interpretation for entertainment, to add the overlays. The company said that the offering is especially meaningful for Deaf children who aren’t yet reading well enough to rely on captions and who often must depend on a parent to interpret on-screen dialogue.

“When I started SignUp Media, I believed the Deaf community deserved access to entertainment in their language at the same scale everyone else takes for granted,” said Mariella Satow, founder of SignUp Media. “Partnering with Netflix to deliver 200 hours of kids and family content is that vision made real and it’s just the beginning. Hollywood is starting to understand that sign language isn’t an accommodation, it’s a language, and we’re building the infrastructure to deliver it.”

SignUp Media also provides ASL interpretation for select titles on Disney+, Peacock and YouTube.

The ASL interpreter overlays can be accessed by using the SignUp Chrome extension.