Netflix continues accessibility push with badges for audio and subtitle descriptions

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Netflix continues accessibility push with badges for audio and subtitle descriptions

Devin Coldewey

Fri, May 20, 2022, 2:30 AM·2 min read

Netflix is expanding its audio descriptions, subtitles and dubbing in dozens of languages, doubling down on an effort that has been both helpful and successful. Shows will now also feature badges so that users can easily see whether those options are available without drilling down into the options.

I chatted with Netflix's director of accessibility, Heather Dowdy, about the company's efforts to make its content more accessible.

"This work started long ago and will continue on. The impact is we're more able to see just how many fans we have with disabilities," she said, noting the company relies on member feedback to guide new features and content. "In the U.S. alone we have at least 500,000 hours of 'Lucifer' watched with audio descriptions. And over 40% of our members watch content with subtitles on — that's more than just our members with disabilities — [so] we can extend these benefits to all our members."

Dowdy, herself a child of deaf adults, said building these features makes sense for the business — but also, "It gives me a good feeling. It's what drives me. I'm a CODA and I've seen technology evolve and seen how people are using it," she said. "It's definitely a collaboration with the disability community in terms of how it drives us on what to prioritize."

The new badges are a small concession like that — reflecting a UI obstacle that many experienced where you had to start watching a show in order to turn on subtitles and search for audio descriptions and so on. Now there are icons, as you see in the image at top.

The volume of content is also increasing, with over 11,000 hours of audio description available now in more than 30 languages. Originally shows only had subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and other extra info available only in their own language, but the localization teams are working on expanding those so a deaf person in Poland can watch a Mexican blockbuster with Polish SDH.