{
  "id": 19886718,
  "title": "Apple TV has a new ASL feature, offering a richer language experience beyond captions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/apple-tv-has-a-new-asl-feature-offering-a-richer-language-experience",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-13T22:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91642317/apple-tv-has-a-new-asl-feature-offering-a-richer-language-experience-beyond-captions"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Apple unveiled a new sign language interpretation feature on Friday, coinciding with the debut of the Apple TV movie Being Heumann. The feature, crafted in collaboration with native signers, provides visual representations of individuals on screen. Instead of supplanting captions as an accessibility option, Apple aims to enhance user experience through American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL). The Deaf community has long struggled with captions that fail to convey tone and mood, often leading to a disjointed viewing experience. Inaccurate captions can disrupt entire episodes or movies, and misinterpreted language can skew the understanding of dialogue. The new feature and the film complement each other; Being Heumann, a 2026 biographical drama directed by Sian Heder, is based on the memoir by disability rights activist Judith Heumann and Kristen Joiner. The movie, starring Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O'Brien, and Ruth Madeley as Judy, premiered in select theaters on November 6 and became available for streaming on Apple TV today. Apple has consistently prioritized accessibility in its Originals, including Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Audio Description for blind and low-vision audiences across multiple languages. For this new feature, Apple collaborated with DASL (Directors of Artistic Sign Language) and interpreters in a studio setting to create high-quality sign language interpretations that capture the tone and emotional intensity of each film. Daniel Durant, who appears in the movie and directed the sign language interpretation shared, expressed pride in contributing to Being Heumann and excitement over Apple TV's commitment to improving accessibility for Deaf audiences.",
  "summary": "Apple introduced a new sign language interpretation feature on Friday, alongside the premiere of the Apple TV movie Being Heumann . The feature, designed with native signers, offers a visual of a person on the screen. Rather than replacing captions as an accessibility option, Apple is offering another language experience to improve user experience through American Sign Language and British Sign…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}