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Aug 2, 2024, 7:23:31 AM8/2/24

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We celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the top of the month, showed our moms some love on Mother's Day in the middle, and we're about to close out the month with Memorial Day. Aside from holidays, this May we also welcomed a new royal baby to the world, resurrected the Deflate Gate debate and bid farewell to Mad Men.

It's been a month, folks. However, before we can put May 2015 to bed completely, we've got some work to do in the form of streaming movies and TV shows on Netflix that will be going bye-bye starting June 1.

However, it especially hurts to see the list of titles leaving Netflix Instant Streaming in June. These include critically acclaimed classics (Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, Rain Man), beloved chick flicks (Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Practical Magic, Steel Magnolias) and cult favorites (The Triplets of Belleville, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, Snatch). Truly, no genre is safe.

Netflix is an online streaming service with a huge amount of content, much of it with audio description. Netflix produces its own content, such as "The Queen's Gambit,""Stranger Things," and "Bridgerton." They have their own movies, stand-up comedy specials, and documentaries. Netflix also streams TV shows and movies from other sources.

Netflix was the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Helen Keller Achievement award from the American Foundation for the Blind, which is given to those who have made extraordinary contributions to improving the quality of life of people with vision loss.

Netflix does not have a dedicated page for audio-described content. Tech support suggested putting the words "audio description" in the search form, but that still did not give me a complete list. The American Council of the Blind has an extensive list of audio-described Netflix content at their Audio Description Project.

Netflix requires a subscription and an Internet connection. Many devices can play Netflix, , including Apple, Android and Windows phones and tablets, Mac and Windows computers, and portable players like Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV.

You can also connect your device to your TV via Bluetooth or cable. For example, I can play Netflix on my TV by connecting my iOS device with a Lightning to HDMI cable. Netflix tech support can help you with this. Some carriers, such as Verizon, offer Netflix directly on your TV. You still must have a Netflix subscription and an Internet connection. You may need to activate text-to-speech on your TV to hear menus and controls.

The Basic plan costs $8.99 per month. Only one device can be used at a time and only one device can download content in addition to streaming it. Content can only be played in standard definition with this plan.

The Standard plan costs $13.99 per month. Two devices can be used at a time and two devices can download content in addition to streaming it. In addition, content is available in high definition with this plan.

At the bottom of the next screen are four tabs: Home, Coming Soon, Search, and Downloads. The Coming Soon tab has a list of TV shows and movies that will be on Netflix. Each listing has the name and date available. Since Netflix releases all episodes for a season at the same time, the season number will be listed. Flicking up or down on any listing offers options including Full Description, Remind Me, and More Info.

The Search form is self-explanatory. Any content that you have downloaded is accessed via the Downloads tab. The advantage of downloading content is that you don't need an Internet connection to watch it. Netflix has a feature called Smart Downloads. If you start watching a series, episodes you have already played will be removed automatically and Netflix will download upcoming episodes. Turn Smart Downloads on or off in the Downloads tab.

At the top of the screen are four buttons: Home, Target Selector, Account Settings, and Filter Bar. The Home button brings you back to the Home screen. The Target Selector button does not work. At this time, Apple Airplay does not work with Netflix.

The next button is Account Settings. The first part of this screen has a list of profiles on your account, followed by options to add or manage profiles. Next is a My List button. As you explore Netflix and get suggestions from Netflix, you can add content to your list. The list is a convenient way to keep shows and movies you are interested in watching in one place. The next option is App Settings. This section contains information about downloads such as whether to allow them only on Wi-Fi.

The final control is labeled Filter Bar. Flick up or down on it. There are three sorting choices: Movies, TV Shows, and Categories. Selecting Categories brings up more sorting options including Audio Description. VoiceOver will say "Audio Description button." When you select this option, a list of content with audio description will be on the screen.

Once you have found a title you want, double tap on it. The next screen will contain information about your choice including description, buttons to download or play, an option to add it to your list, number of seasons (if applicable) and much more.

Once content is playing, flick right until you hear the controls to play/pause, rewind 10 seconds, and fast-forward 10 seconds. Flick right a few more times to Audio and Subtitle Options. If audio description is available, it will be in this section. Controls on the screen disappear quickly. When you navigate the screen and controls are not available, VoiceOver says, "Show Controls." Double tap and controls will be on the screen.

Once the app loads, choose a profile. Flicking down on the Apple TV remote brings up various options including Search, Home, TV Shows, and My List. Be aware that the remote is extremely sensitive to touch. The categories filter in this version of Netflix has audio description as number 24 of 24. Once audio description is selected for any one program, it will be activated for other programs if it's available.

Flick around the screen to get an idea of how the app is arranged. For example, if you select the Home option, flicking right brings you to a list header. Flicking right again moves you into the list for that header. Flicking up or down in the headers list moves through the names of the lists. When you find one you want to explore, flick right to learn what content is available. Items within a list are numbered. As with the iOS app, the Apple TV version has lists of popular and trending shows and movies.

Netflix on Fire TV does not use the Fire TV screen reader, VoiceView, but uses its own screen reader. I find that this means that it lags considerably, which makes for a painfully slow experience when trying to navigate. That being said, you can always launch shows using the Alexa function of the Fire's remote, and everything I have tried in the app is accessible. In addition, Netflix will give you context for every screen you are on, with detailed layout information. This is useful as the layouts of screens can change. Note, to turn on audio description on supported titles, pause the program, press "Up" to open the options menu, navigate to the audio options, and select "English, Audio Description."

There isn't much to say about the Fire OS and Android versions of Netflix. From a quick look, the apps seem fully accessible on Fire OS with VoiceView and on Android with TalkBack. The apps have the same features as the iOS version, though the layouts are somewhat different with the various aspects rearranged. Overall, they should not be any less accessible or usable for someone using one of these other mobile platforms. The only access issue I noticed is that the log-in fields aren't labeled on the Fire OS version of the app. As usual, going into subtitles and audio will allow you to select audio description. When you select it for a show, it seems to persist when you then go to watch that show on another device. It seemed like the video player aspect of these apps was the closest to the iOS app in layout. Note that on Android it is possible to move by other elements, e.g., headings, when available.

If you are looking for an accessible streaming app with a great deal of audio-described content, Netflix is an excellent choice. Netflix includes audio description in their original programming and often offers audio description on content from other sources. All their platforms are accessible. In the last few months, I have watched a great deal of content from Netflix.

Long answer: The Netflix End User License Agreement or Terms of Use, which you agreed to when you created an account, specifies that the account is "only for your personal, non-commercial use." Netflix is not alone here; Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other personal streaming vendors do not grant rights for institutional or educational use.

This is important because licenses overrule copyright exemptions. Showing your personal DVD during class is covered by a specific copyright exemption (Section 110), and showing clips can be covered by fair use (Section 107). However, streaming videos from personal subscription vendors in your classroom when the license prohibits such viewings? There is no copyright exemption for that and the situation is problematic.

As of 5/1/2024 (previous check 12/2023) the following titles are available for a one-time educational screening. You must have a personal Netflix account in order to show these titles in the classroom during a face-to-face traditional setting. Always double-check the details page for each title, before showing, to ensure that the Grant of Permission is still applicable. Films added after 2021 now have a link that says "Before screening this title, read the Educational Screening Permission (ESP)."

There is no easy way to search Netflix for a list of documentaries so unless you have a specific Netflix-owned title that you want to search, it can be difficult to browse media.netflix.com. That is why the list below is checked at least once a year. You might also find the supplied Google search to be helpful.