The limited series adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See is an innovative achievement in inclusivity. 

In addition to making the groundbreaking decision to cast actors who are blind and low vision (Aria Maria Loberti and Nell Sutton) in the role of the lead blind character, the show’s producers embraced every opportunity to make the production as accessible as possible for those working on it. International casting announcements and scripts were formatted for people with different levels of sightedness and reading techniques and, once production began, enhancements (such as braille signage) were made on set. In post production, the team also wanted to ensure that the series would be accessible for a blind or low vision/partially sighted audience, so each episode is accompanied by vivid audio descriptions. Before diving into the series, fans can listen to a separate audio introduction above recorded by star Loberti.

Loberti narrates the featurette, which is designed to serve as a supplement for audience members who are blind and low vision. Over the course of 11 minutes, the actor describes the characters’ appearances, wardrobes, and movement styles, along with settings, locations, and other visual information in the series.

“Having audio description on streaming networks, television, and film provides equality,” the show’s associate producer Joe Strechay, a blnellindness and accessibility consultant, tells Tudum. “I want to have the same experience that everyone else has while watching a show or film. Audio description provides that equality. It shouldn’t be a bonus, it should be the norm. I remember going to theaters before audio description and falling asleep, because there wasn’t much dialogue at times. I would have no clue what was happening, but audio description provides that information that keeps me informed and part of the conversation. We all want to be part of society.”

Associate Producer, Blindness and Accessibility Consultant Joe Strechay.

Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix

Strechay — who’s previously consulted on Marvel’s Daredevil, The OA, and Apple TV+’s See — was invaluable when it came to the series’ accessible elements during production. This series marks the first time that Strechay was able to work with lead actors who are blind in real life.

“I work with productions on creating accessible workplaces,” he says. “It’s no different than creating a workplace for anyone else. I’m blind. I was low vision back in the day, legally blind at 19, and lost my vision over time. [For] the last decade, I’ve been blind. Everyone comes through the workplace with different needs. On [All the Light We Cannot See], I worked with the casting teams to help them figure out how to make the process accessible to people who are blind or low vision, and then also made sure that we were able to create an accessible and respectful work environment for any person that shows up, and especially those who are blind or low vision or with disabilities.”

Although Strechay has worked with lots of actors who are blind over the years, this was his first time working with actors who are blind playing lead roles. Loberti and Sutton are both blind and low vision play the older and younger versions of Marie-Laure. 

Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix

“Authentic casting is the goal,” says Strechay of his advocacy over the years. “To have a lead actually portrayed by someone who is blind is the ultimate success. It’s groundbreaking.” 

After casting was finalized, Strechay turned his focus to accessibility on set.

“I created a guide [for everyone on set] about language, how we interact with people, talk about people, what’s appropriate, what’s not appropriate,” he explains. “We talk about it in a way that makes everyone feel comfortable and so you’re not afraid to use the word blind, because people get scared to say blind.” 

Strechay made sure Loberti and Sutton’s scripts were provided in their preferred formats. Loberti would primarily memorize the script by listening to it, while Sutton memorized her lines through a combination of listening and reading on a refreshable braille screen. Signage in braille was also placed throughout the sets at two different heights — one for Loberti’s height and one for Sutton’s. Cast and crew names were also etched in braille on the backs of their chairs. 

Timea Saghy/Netflix

Loberti’s guide dog, Ingrid, accompanied her everywhere and was on set most days, save for the filming of a few emotionally charged scenes. Everyone on set was informed that when Ingrid wore her harness, it meant that she was working and was not to be disturbed. When she was not wearing her harness, hugs, pets, and extra treats were allowed.  

Because All the Light We Cannot See is set during World War II, Strechay was able to immerse himself in the unique history of blind and low vision people of that time and make sure they were properly represented on-screen. He was particularly intrigued by Helen Keller’s contribution to cane design.

“We’re showing real blindness out in the world during a very interesting time,” he says. “We get to see the realities of how these individuals went through life during World War II and show blindness not just as a gimmick; it shows that they’re real people.” As part of his research, Strechay visited the museum at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, and learned key details about blindness throughout history. “The white cane, which is in our series, started to be a thing in 1931, distributed by the Lions Club [an international service organization], which they did because they met with Helen Keller in 1926,” he says. Previously, blind people had used canes, but not white ones, which are more easily visible to motorists. In the show, Marie-Laure uses a white cane but also has a black one for traveling at night. “And the cane, if you look really closely, you can tell it was hand-painted by her father to make sure it was black so she wouldn’t be picked up at night [in Nazi-occupied France],” says Strechay. 

Katalin Vermes/Netflix

Strechay also discussed with Loberti the differences in how she reads braille and how Marie-Laure would have during that time. “Nowadays, we’re trained in braille and how to use a white cane at an early age, whereas someone in Marie-Laure’s position wouldn’t have had the same opportunities,” Loberti told Netflix during production. “Her braille technique would have some flaws, so I added a few of my own bad habits in the close-ups. It’s those little bits and pieces that you just cannot capture if you are a sighted person trying to put yourself into this position. Blindness isn’t a skill you can learn. It’s a culture.”

A key ingredient to Strechay’s success is that he has a sighted assistant, Cara Lee Hrdlitschka — who’s also a choreographer and therefore well versed in describing movement. She provides detailed descriptions of everything that is being filmed and prepped. 

“Every take of the show is audio described to me by my assistant on set, Cara Lee,” he says. “We outline every scene, the movements and the actions, to make sure that the camera is picking up the techniques around blindness, things that Aria’s using in her everyday life, but also things that for people who are blind, maybe the camera’s not catching. Aria and I would talk about what techniques could possibly be picked up by the camera, or I would talk with Shawn [Levy], and Shawn might decide to use a different camera angle to catch it.”

Timea Saghy/Netflix

For director Shawn Levy, having Strechay, Loberti, and Sutton involved in the production was “incalculably valuable.”

“I didn’t approach the cast in this way because it was the right thing to do on paper,” Levy says. “It was the only way to tell the best version of this story on-screen. To have Marie-Laure played by someone who understands what it’s like to walk that road — that’s an X factor, an incalculably valuable detail and nuance that impacts and informs every frame of this series. And Aria and Nell stepped up and delivered on that beautifully.”

Levy says he learned something new from Loberti, Sutton, and Strechay every day.

“It was a constant, everyday, mutual education,” he says. “I’d certainly never worked with a young rookie actor who was blind before. Aria would say to me, ‘What do I do? Are you going to tell me, because I have no idea what to do.’ And I would say, ‘I will do that for you. But what you need to do for me in return is tell me all the things I don’t even know to ask about. Things like, how do you get from your trailer to the set? How do you walk forward and land on a mark?’

Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix

“We developed a very respectful and unembarrassed candid dialogue, a partnership, and then we developed techniques that worked best for her,” he continues. While some associations for the blind will place a little piece of rope under the marking tape so the actor can feel the mark with their toes, on All the Light We Cannot See, Loberti very quickly realized that would be a tripping hazard for her. Loberti echolocates, meaning she’d be able to tell where the camera was if the camera operator snapped their fingers next to the camera. She’d also count her steps and memorize where things were instantly, so if Levy walked her from position 1 to position 2, she’d remember. “She didn’t need a mark,” he says. “Her savant-level genius was an incredible tool.”

Strechay is immensely proud of the entire cast and crew for the work they put into making All the Light We Cannot See as accessible as possible. He’s hopeful about more doors being opened in Hollywood for actors from all backgrounds and abilities.

“Most actors who are blind or low vision never saw acting as an employment outcome or opportunity, and definitely weren’t encouraged to [pursue] it,” he says. “If you never allow people that opportunity, there aren’t going to be those outcomes. We’re making that stride forward with Nell and Aria. They’re doing the work they’re meant to do.” 

He continues: “Aria is a person who’s blind, but she’s an artist, a passionate, intelligent person who wants to express herself in a different way, and she will. She’s going to be playing parts that aren’t written as blind in the script in the future. She’s going to change the game. And Nell just lights up the screen. She’s so adorable and engaging, and you just can’t help but fall in love with her.”

All the Light We Cannot See is now streaming.