When the Barbie movie was released in the summer of 2023, it generated endless social media buzz and sparked a cultural phenomenon. But some viewers couldn't fully share in the experience.
While movie theaters occasionally offer screenings with closed captioning, American Sign Language (ASL) is the preferred language for many deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the US and parts of Canada. So when HBO Max released a version of Barbie with an ASL interpreter later that year, it marked a major step forward.
Some viewers caught on to jokes they'd missed at the movie theater. Family members were grateful they didn't have to stand in front of the TV and sign the entire film for their kids. Instead, everyone could sit back and watch together. HBO Max has since added more ASL titles to its platform, including The Last of Us, Superman and One Battle After Another.
"It created this amazing dialogue," especially online, says Naomi Waibel, who leads HBO Max's accessibility team, which gathers customer feedback from these initiatives. "People were asking some of the same questions, like, 'Why is closed captioning not enough?'"
That question shines a light on both the significance and the lack of sign language options in streaming and traditional TV and film programming. Closed captioning -- which began as an accessibility measure and is now a staple for viewers across the board -- can help some deaf and hard-of-hearing people better understand what's happening on screen, but it's not a replacement for the emotion and expression conveyed through sign languages like ASL.
"For the deaf community, our first language is ASL," says Nakia Smith, a fifth-generation deaf storyteller and one of four interpreters for the HBO Max series It: Welcome to Derry.
Nakia Smith is one of four sign language interpreters for the HBO Max series IT: Welcome to Derry. HBO Max
From accessibility to inclusivity
Around 430 million people have some form of hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. Tech companies have increasingly rolled out accessibility features, such as real-time captioning tools on iPhones, Android phones and smart speakers, as well as smartwatch and mobile alerts for critical sounds like sirens or car horns. On the streaming front, Prime Video and Apple TV 4K use AI to enhance dialogue that's difficult to hear over background music and sound effects -- a feature that, like other accessibility offerings, many people can benefit from.
While closed captioning is nearly ubiquitous across television and streaming, ASL content is harder to come by. Sign language interpretation requires skilled human professionals who can capture the context and nuances of the language, which can take more time and resources.
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