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The Accessible Netflix Project
Transcript
18 August 2013
Roberta: Journalist Robert Kingett, who is also blind, is leading a campaign to make the services on video streaming website Netflix accessible. Called the Accessible Netflix Project, the small team behind it hope that Netflix makes their audio-described DVDs easier to find, as well as make the website accessible by screen readers. And here to tell us more about the campaign is Media Access Australia’s Clarizza Fernandez. Welcome, Clarizza.
Clarizza: Hi, Roberta.
Roberta: Now, what is the Accessible Netflix Project all about?
Clarizza: So, Netflix is a video on demand and DVD rental service. So essentially you can watch movies and TV shows online, as well as rent DVDs. At the moment it’s hard for a person who is blind or someone who uses a screen reader to access the website. But also there is no easy way for someone to find any audio-described DVDs on the website. So the Accessible Netflix Project is all about making the service and its website more accessible to people with disabilities.
Roberta: Well, that’s great. So how did the project start?
Clarizza: Well, it actually started out of sheer frustration. Robert Kingett, a journalist who is blind, as you mentioned, and other blind Netflix subscribers tried to contact Netflix about their inaccessible website and the difficulty of finding audio-described DVDs. After nothing was done after their repeated requests, Kingett and a few others set up the website, the Accessible Netflix Project, in order to gain support from others in the same boat, and also to raise awareness about using accessible best practice.
Roberta: And, Clarizza, what are some of the aims of the project?
Clarizza: As I mentioned, the project aims to raise awareness about using accessible best practice wherever possible, so things like ensuring there are captions on videos, that people who are deaf have access to it, and providing audio description on videos so that blind and vision impaired people can follow what is happening on the screen. The project also aims to make sure Netflix provide a list of audio-described DVDs available on their site, or make it easier to find, so the subscribers who are blind are able to identify which movies are accessible to them. And lastly, they hope Netflix improves their website so it’s accessible via a screen reader and easier to use with screen magnification.
Roberta: So, the big question, what can people do to help with the project?
Clarizza: Well, unfortunately Netflix is available in other countries aside from Australia, but you can go to the website, and it’s the Accessible Netflix Project website, and fill out a form that essentially allows you to provide feedback on your experience of accessing Netflix. Now because the service isn’t available here, Australians might not be able to be involved in that process. But the feedback form will help the team behind the project get an idea of the kinds of barriers people with disabilities are experiencing, so they can take this information and send it to Netflix to help improve their site and their services, or at least bring awareness of these issues to the wider community. You can also donate money to the project just via their website, or sign up to receive updates.
Roberta: Well, that’s all very well. So I hope that people will do that. And I’m sure that they can find more information on the Media Access Australia website. I’ve been speaking today with Clarizza Fernandez. Thank you, Clarizza.
Clarizza: Thanks, Roberta.
Roberta: And who is talking today about Accessible Netflix Project. And as I said, for more information you can visit the project’s website at Netflix. Or of course you can go to Media Access Australia. And this is pretty important if you do want to get that accessible Netflix project ahead, and as Clarizza said, it will give you a much better idea of what is available, DVDs, audio-described, and it will make it easier to find as well, and it will make the website accessible by screen readers. So please do that, go to the Netflix Project website. Or you can get more information from Media Access Australia. And this segment has been brought to you by Media Access Australia.