Last Thursday, we had a wonderful turnout for our seminar on Accessible TV. Hosted at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, it was the last session before our summer break, in our series on “Accessibility Resources for People with Visual Impairments.”
Dorrie Rush, our Accessibility Expert at OE Patients, led a discussion about audible TV guides, menus, audio-described programming, and options for navigation by voice commands available from cable providers and streaming services.
Dorrie Rush speaking at “Accessibility TV” Seminar.
Summary
We reviewed accessibility solutions currently available in the NYC area.
For Verizon Fios customers, voice-enabled navigation can be turned on with the remote control and Amazon’s Alexa can be connected for voice commands. Spectrum uses Roku to provide voice output and Optimum’s solution includes Fire TV. The cable options differ by provider, so get in touch with your cable company and find out what they have to offer. For a quick check do a web search using “Accessibility” + the name of your cable provider.
TV watching is no longer confined to a television screen, and setting up accessibility in your personal technology is a whole different story. With the use of Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast, voice-enabled navigation and voice commands are turned on directly in settings and all can be operated with the help of their respective digital assistants and smart speakers.
To help you get these accessibility features activated and working on your own devices, click the button below to download our Accessible TV Handout with the customer service and technical support phone lines you need to know.
“Accessible TV” Seminar Handout
Related Content
For a bit more history about these CVAA accommodations, go to our article “Talking Guide For Your TV“.
