'Wonder' is first live-action U.S. film to get American Sign Language interpretation

For years, film studios have made movies accessible to viewers with visual or hearing disabilities through audio tracks and closed captioning. Now, for the first time, U.S. audiences will be able to watch a live-action film with American Sign Language interpretation.

On Tuesday, the entertainment company Lionsgate announced its partnership with the mobile application Actiview and Deaf activist and actor Nyle DiMarco to create an ASL interpretation of Wonder. That family-friendly film, which debuted in November 2017 as a Lionsgate movie, tells the story of a young boy with facial differences caused by a genetic syndrome who is bullied when he begins attending mainstream school in the fifth grade. The 2012 home release of the animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift also included ASL interpretation.

"I hope that [the interpretation] shows Deaf/[hard of hearing] viewers that there could be more options for enjoying movies and television," DiMarco wrote in an email. "Mostly I hope that studios and networks reflect on how accessible their content is and look at ways that they can improve. It would be amazing if in the not-too-distant future all viewable content had an ASL option."

The ASL interpretation of Wonder is available via Actiview, an iOS app that includes accessibility features for people who are blind or have low vision as well as those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Users sync their app to the content they're watching on a TV, laptop, or theater screen, and choose from accessibility options like audio descriptions, captions, and amplified audio. Their mobile device becomes a second screen that provides additional content to improve the movie-watching experience.

The ASL interpretation of Wonder features DiMarco signing every line of dialogue. His facial expressions, which are a critical part of sign language, remain visible throughout his interpretation.

Film studios are required by federal law to make movies accessible in theaters and on TV through closed captions and audio tracks. Actiview founder Alex Koren says American studios haven't produced ASL interpretations because they're unaware of the need and because doing so is costly.

While captions can make films accessible for deaf adult viewers, they're of no help to deaf children who can't yet read. Both Koren and DiMarco also say some viewers who can read captions may still feel more comfortable watching an ASL interpretation, particularly when it's their native language.

Koren says the ASL interpretation of Wonder can be a "valuable tool" for hearing parents of deaf children who can use the film to connect their kids while further developing their own ASL skills. He is hopeful that Actiview's partnership with DiMarco and Lionsgate will provide an example for other film studios to follow.

"With the technology we have," says Koren, "no one should ever be left out."

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Wonder as the first U.S. film to get ASL interpretation, based on information from Lionsgate and Actiview. However, the 2012 home release of Ice Age: Continental Drift includes ASL interpretation.