National Association of the Deaf

Seyfarth Synopsis: Fewer online videos from UC Berkeley will be available to the public as a result of a DOJ demand that the videos have closed captioning.

Starting March 15, 2017, more than 20,000 videos of classroom lectures and podcasts on UC Berkeley’s YouTube and iTunes channels will no longer be available for public viewing, according to a recent statement
Continue Reading UC Berkeley To Remove More Than 20,000 Online Videos From Public Access In Response To DOJ Captioning Demand

Seyfarth Synopsis:  In what has been deemed the first of its kind, Netflix has entered into an agreement with the American Council of the Blind, the Massachusetts-based Bay State Council of the Blind, and a blind individual, to add “audio descriptions” to many of the programs offered on its video streaming and DVD rental service.

“Audio description”  is narration added
Continue Reading Netflix Agrees To Add Audio Description to Many of Its Shows and DVD Rentals

There is more bad news for businesses that thought that they could wait for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue specific regulations before making their websites accessible to individuals with disabilities.  Federal Magistrate Judge Robertson in the District of Massachusetts recently denied motions by Harvard and MIT to dismiss or stay website accessibility class action lawsuits, and recommended that
Continue Reading Lack Of Website Accessibility Regulations Is No Bar To Suit, Another Judge Affirms

By Kristina M. Launey

On Monday, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) announced a settlement agreement between it and VUDU, Inc., a wholly owned streaming entertainment subsidiary of Walmart, in which VUDU has agreed to caption 100% of movies and television programs streamed online through VUDU’s Video on Demand Service.  NAD is a non-profit civil rights advocacy group
Continue Reading VUDU Agrees to Caption or Subtitle All Online Streaming Video Content in Settlement With NAD

By Kristina M. Launey

On October 9, 2012, Netflix entered into a consent decree with National Association of the Deaf (“NAD”), to resolve the Massachusetts District Court case in which NAD and Lee Nettles alleged Netflix violated Title III of the ADA by failing to provide adequate closed captioning on its “Watch Instantly” web only video streaming service.  This consent
Continue Reading Netflix Settles Massachusetts Web Video Captioning Action