Child Friendly Warwickshire

Growing up, many of us enjoyed the wonders of Disney, finding joy and comfort in the visuals and songs, fully immersing ourselves into a whole new world. But what about those who may not be able to fully enjoy themselves in that world just yet?  

We live in a time that is constantly adapting and changing to fit accessibility so that we all have an equal opportunity to enjoy the things we want to. That’s why 17-year-old Mariella Satow, with the help of deaf individuals and volunteer interpreters, spent much of lockdown developing the new free Google Chrome extension, ‘SignUp’, so that deaf children could also experience the joy of films in their childhood.  

Many deaf children who sign find reading challenging, making written captions inaccessible. SignUp provides on-screen sign language alongside children’s films on Disney+, helping deaf children who can’t read or keep up with subtitles to enjoy the magic of Disney.  

Mariella, an American student in her final year of A Levels in Rugby, said: “I wanted to develop SignUp because many young people from the deaf community find written captions nondescriptive, or even worse, completely absent from media sites. 

‘SignUp is a fun way for kids (and adults!) to enjoy mainstream movies – and it’s even a great learning tool for sign language students too.” 

Councillor Jeff Morgan, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, added: “We can sometimes forget about the experiences of others when it’s not directly in front of us. Mariella has opened up a world for so many deaf children across Warwickshire and beyond, and all at the young age of 17. I want to formally thank and congratulate her for helping to create, not only a Child Friendly Warwickshire, but a child friendly world.” 

Child Friendly Warwickshire is about making the county a great place to grow up and learn, where children and young people are seen and heard and have access to exciting experiences and opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their dreams. Mariella, and her development of SignUp, embodies the goals of the programme, to ensure Warwickshire is a place where all children and young people are heard, safe, healthy, skilled and happy. 

To find out more about SignUp, which will be available in the UK very soon, visit: https://www.signupcaptions.com/  

Keep up to date on the new films being added on their Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/signupcaptions/  

To find out more about Child Friendly Warwickshire, visit: https://www.childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk/