Gabriella Evans sits in a pink lit studio, smiling.

This week, we welcome Gabriella Evans to Able’s communications team, where she is working to raise awareness about media accessibility. Gaby has a BA in Deaf Studies and Psychology from AUT, and is fluent in NZSL. She has previously worked with us as a part of our Impact Stories series, and was interviewed on Newshub for the launch of captions on channel Three. Gaby loves TV (captioned, of course!) writing, videography, and film.

We’re so excited to welcome Gaby to the Able whānau. Here are a few questions to get to know her better.

Kia ora Gaby. Tell us a bit about yourself!

 

Do you have any pets? 

One cat – Louie. He’s about 7 years old and doesn’t live with me but he’s probably the biggest cat I’ve ever seen and has no qualms about literally walking over people like they’re not there. 

Favourite show?

One of my favourite Youtubers to watch is Molly Burke – her content focuses on everyday life and awareness about blindness, fashion and guide dogs. I’ve been watching her content for years. She’s just really engaging which I love. We’re also the same height so I’ve definitely picked up some really useful fashion tips which is hard to come by because not many people are the same height as me. 

What’s your ‘why’ – why do you do what you do?

I’m really passionate about improving the quality of captions and access to captions. Growing up, it wasn’t until later that I discovered them as awareness around how to access them wasn’t as widespread compared to now, particularly with the explosion of the internet and how embedded in our everyday lives simply googling something has been.

What do you think about the media accessibility landscape in Aotearoa? 

There’s definitely still some way to go, but I’m hopeful we’ll be where we need to be someday. We’ve already made so many improvements and come a long way compared to the beginning of this century. During Covid, the incorporation of NZSL interpreters for media stand-ups and press conferences was something that wasn’t really done before in Aotearoa. While there were some early hiccups, such as the cameras being too high or zooming in too much, this has been improved as a result of feedback from the Deaf community and interpreters are now present for most media press conferences, which is great for accessibility.

What can we find you doing after hours?

After hours, I’m probably making some of my favourite meals which tend to range from pretty basic to Asian fusion meals, especially Japanese food. Moving back to Auckland has been fantastic in that JapanMart isn’t such a long drive away anymore! 

Next in the journal:

A young man with blonde hair smiles at the camera. He is sitting by a microphone.

Audio description levels the playing field and brings people together, research shows

Earlier this year, we set out to find out more about audio description in Aotearoa. How many people…

The Earcatch logo, a yellow 'E' on a dark blue background.

On-demand audio description app Earcatch winds up, but will continue to be available in Aotearoa

Able launched Earcatch in Aotearoa a year ago – a New Zealand-based library of audio description (AD) made…

A graphic image of an old-school TV with a scene of Pulp Fiction on it.

Blind people watch TV too

Audio description comes as standard on shows streaming on Netflix and other international services. So, Able Chief Executive…

Dan Buckingham, Jai Waite and Rachale Davis are on a stage together. Dan has brown hair, a white button-up shirt and is using a wheelchair, turned away from the camera. Jai is wearing a blue button-up top, using a wheelchair, and is in the middle of speaking. Rachale has blonde shoulder-length hair and a yellow top, looking over at Jai.

Navigating authentic representation of disability

During the annual SPADA conference this year, our CEO Dan Buckingham facilitated a panel with Jai Waite from…

Picture of Virginia Philp (who was part of AD's inception) smiling. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

Decade of Able: Virginia Philp, team leader, audio describers

Virginia Philp leads our small crew of audio describers. She overseas everything audio description: recruiting, training and managing…

David wears glasses and a hearing aid, and smiles.

Decade of Able: David Kent, trustee

David Kent is a trustee on the Able board. Since 2005, David has chaired the Southern Hearing Charitable…