Blog #148: Why Streaming Services Are a Strong Accessibility Tool?
- Jeffrey Snyder
- Dec 29, 2021
- 3 min read
If there is one of several factors that the COVID-19 pandemic made beneficial for us is the fact that we now have streaming services as an option to view our favorite movies and programs. However, for those with limited accessibility or who are neurodiverse/disabled, this is more than a benefit, it’s a necessity in more ways than one.
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Why you may ask is streaming services more of a choice than going to a traditional movie theater? Well, prior to the COVID pandemic, you can only see a new movie at a movie theater and in order to get to that movie theater, you would have to climb mountains to get there such as distance to your nearest movie theater or the fact that you would have to either convince others or yourself to overcome fears of going in the first place.
And I get the fact that some are afraid to go into a movie theater or don’t even like to go into a movie theater to begin with. Being in a dark setting, loud surround sound and being around annoying people can easily more than ruin your movie going experience.
Not to mention also that for those with disabilities, being at the movies can be an ordeal in itself, especially if they are on the autism spectrum where they don’t understand common Courtises and rules of the movie theater.
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For many years, this was the only option for all of us. Now, with the benefits of streaming, those with accessibility issues can have the option to either stay at home and watch old or new content or go to the movie theater.
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Take for example, my sister and her family. They live on a farm in the middle of Southwest Virginia 25 minutes away from their nearest movie theater.
Let’s replace them with a family that has a disabled member. The husband has to run the farm while the mother has to stay home and make a living as a physician.
Both jobs are 24/7 and for the neurodiverse or disabled child, they feel like they are being left out of experiencing what it is like to be at a movie theater.
So, what do the parents do?
They subscribe to a streaming service with the child’s favorite type of programming available and if there is new content such as a movie, then rather than find a set time at a movie theater that would get in the way of content, they can set their own time when it’s convenient for them to watch that program. That way, the neurodiverse or disabled child can be themselves to stim and movie about without the confines of being in a public movie theater.
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Now, if you are going to subscribe to a streaming service, my recommendation would be to select one that is going to benefit not only yourself, but your entire family as well.
Streaming service cost money and it’s important to be wise in your selection process. Consider the content within that streaming service and if it’s something your family will enjoy watching again and again, then it would count as a strong investment.
For example, if you are in a Disney household like a lot of my colleagues in the field of self-advocacy are, then Disney Plus is the one for you. They have plenty of content from various fields such as Disney, Fox, Marvel and National Geographic among other variants.
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We are in a revolutionary time in accessibility for all including how we view movies and television shows in ways we couldn’t have before the pandemic and it’s only the beginning.
However, it does not mean that movie theaters should be abandoned entirely because there is a lot to more to movie theaters than you can realize. This means that people now have a choice to view where to view new content and for those with accessibility issues, streaming may be the best option.
But nevertheless, I urge you to continue supporting your local movie theater. They need support from people like you especially during these difficult and uncertain times.
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Catch you all later!!
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