News: Netflix being sued!

[pinkadot89]

The National Association of the Deaf, in a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court, accused Netflix of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by not providing the deaf with equal access to its "watch instantly" digital video.

"While streaming (video) provides more access to entertainment to the general public, it threatens to be yet another barrier to people who are deaf and hard of hearing," the lawsuit said.

Another advocacy group and three individuals filed a separate suit on Wenesday against Time Warner (TWX.N). Both lawsuits seek injunctions requiring the companies to provide closed captions on all streaming video content.

Read more at the source...

Netflix ignoring their customers has been a real trend lately, so I can't say I'm surprised. They need to get their act together, or they're sure to lose even more customers in the near future.

Does the lack of closed captioning effect anyone here on DW?

Comments

[firecat]

I much prefer watching shows with captions on, and my partner needs them. He has a cochlear implant, but it only does so much.

[musyc]

I don't need closed captioning, but I much prefer to have it available. It's been a low-grade aggravation for a while that it isn't available on instant streaming.

[zillah975]

I don't need it, but I much prefer having it. There are times when I can't figure out wth people are saying even if I re-wind and watch a dozen times.

[dydan]

THIS!

[sporky_rat]

Oh god yes. It's almost impossible for me to hear half the things on the Netflix, even when I'm lipreading and I'm only half deaf.

[havocthecat]

It doesn't affect me from a hard of hearing/deaf perspective, but more of a "small child is around and I need captions sometimes to be heard over his babbling" perspective.

I can imagine the lack of subtitles/captions are even worse for people who don't have the option of just waiting til after the kidlet goes to bed.

[spaceoperadiva]

There are movies that I definitely have skipped watching because there was no captioning. I don't have any hearing issues but like others, the captions are great for those of us with kids, dogs, etc. etc. too.

Plus, we should all support reasonable ADA accommodations. This isn't an elevator to the top of Everest, this is a normal service that anyone would expect to be able to use.