Far too many people take their ability to hear well for granted, and forget about the importance of accommodating those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Luckily some streaming services, such as Netflix, have subtitles; ensuring you can binge-watch your favourite new dramas to your heart’s content whatever type of hearing you may have.
But what about when it comes to adult entertainment? The majority of UK adults indulge in a bit of blue, but this just isn’t something we often discuss in terms of accessibility.
Of course, being British we are much more likely to have a bit of a giggle and a blush, rather than engage in a serious discussion about the right to enjoy porn while deaf.
However, the good people at Pornhub have clocked on to how their content just isn’t as rewarding for many users because they don’t know what the adult actors are saying.
Now the naughty video sharing site has launched a Closed Captioning category. This features a range of raunchy content catered specifically for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
In a press release, Pornhub wrote:
The inaugural collection will include over 1,000 top-viewed videos from the site’s straight, popular with women, gay, bi and transsexual categories.
Each video will display descriptive and interpretive text aimed to help improve the experience for users who are not able to hear the video’s original audio.
This includes helping to distinguish between different people talking and emotional changes in their voice or non-vocal audio that’s relevant to the storyline.
Vice President of Pornhub, Corey Price, has given the following statement:
Here at Pornhub, it’s important that we continue to service all of our users’ needs and make content accessible to every individual,
By integrating our new Closed Captioning category, we are now able to render some of our most popular adult content more enjoyable for our users who are hearing impaired.
We encourage them to check out our newest category and provide feedback, which is especially important as we seek to continue to offer content with the differently-abled user in mind.
Find out about ‘anti’ pornstar Harriet Sugarcookie below:
This isn’t the first time Pornhub have shown themselves to be admirably conscious of the varying needs of their users.
The Descriptive Video category was launched back in 2016, catered towards those who are visually impaired. Here, audio descriptions of popular videos were given, complete with special narrations of the explicit scenes.
People are loving Pornhub’s impressively inclusive attitude, and have taken to social media to sing their praises.
One person tweeted:
Pornhub is adding closed captioning, for it’s hearing impaired viewers. deaf people all over the world will finally be able to read [slapping sounds… suction… moaning] etc.
this is a proud day for humanity.
Another delighted individual said:
As a hearing impaired person, I wholeheartedly say…HUZZAH!!!
Pornhub may be a little dirty, but their caring attitude towards their users is anything but.
A happy ending for everyone indeed.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.