The charitable foundation "Fund 03:00" presented the first unified catalog in Ukraine, which compiles information on more than 800 films and series available with Ukrainian audio description. The platform, the launch of which was reported by the publication Wave RBC.UA, is designed to solve one of the key problems faced by blind and visually impaired viewers: before its appearance, information about which streaming service offers an adapted version of a particular film was scattered across multiple platforms, and each search turned into hours of routine.
How the adapted film navigator works
According to Alina Marenko, head of "Fund 03:00," who spoke about the project in a comment to the publication "Detektor Media," the idea of creating the catalog was born from regular appeals from blind viewers who had to sequentially check each streaming platform and separately find out whether a Ukrainian audio description of the desired film existed. The new resource functions as a free navigator: it does not store or distribute the video files themselves, but only helps the user find a film and redirects to the legal service where it can be watched. Among the platforms that the links from the catalog lead to are Netflix, Megogo, Sweet.tv, "Kyivstar TV," "Kanal Dom," and a number of other apps and services.
Search, filters, and interface convenience
The platform features a flexible search system: the user can enter the title of a film or keywords from the description. Additionally, filters are implemented that allow sorting the catalog by genre, country of production, release year, and the specific platform on which the content is available. This approach significantly reduces the time needed for searching and makes the process of choosing a film intuitively understandable even for those who use screen readers and other assistive technologies.
The role of a blind narrator in creating audio descriptions
Particular attention in the project is paid to the process of creating audio descriptions themselves. The voiceover for the new audio descriptions was done by Ihor Khusnir — a blind narrator, musician, and former guide at the "03:00" museum in the dark. His participation underscores the foundation's principled approach: content adapted for people with visual impairments should be created with their direct involvement, in order to accurately convey the visual details that are important specifically for this audience.
What is audio description and why is it needed
Audio description, or audiodescription, is an additional sound track that conveys important visual information in words: the actions of characters, their facial expressions and gestures, appearance, location details, and other elements not available through dialogue and background sounds. Thanks to this accompaniment, people with visual impairments can fully follow the plot and perceive the visual component of a film. The catalog of films and series with Ukrainian audio description can be found on the official website of "Fund 03:00."
