Honestly the fact that Crunchyroll intentionally removed all closed captioning options for their tv app should be fucking criminal. You can only get subtitles if you watch the subbed Japanese version. If you watch dubbed anime and you're Deaf or HOH, Crunchyroll intentionally removed all closed captioning support. There is no work around.
I'm not kidding when I say that this should be fucking illegal.
So, I did a bit of research, and from what I can tell this is actually illegal.
Crunchyroll is a streaming service, and closed captions for all video content have been upheld as a requirement of the ADA. The courts determined this back in 2012 with Netflix, when they got sued by NAD and as a result had to add closed captioning for all their programs.
It looks like if people would like to file a complaint about this lack of accessibility, they can do so with the FCC here:
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=36040
There’s an option for “Lack of closed captioning over the internet”, so you would want to select that and then explain the issue.
Fyi if you're filling out this form:
Crunchyroll is headquarted in San Francisco, California. You don't need to include the address or phone number.
Since Crunchyroll is headquartered in the U.S., they can't even argue that they're abiding by the laws of a foreign country (They'd have to abide by U.S. law while operating here, anyway, but they can't even pretend that's a defense)
Original post is from October 2021 but reviewing the notes seems to indicate most videos still lack captions as of February 2023.
got this email today regarding my complaint from the FCC