[Colorado-talk] Fwd: FW: Talking Guide announcement and preview of Emily's Oz TV spot!

[Dan Burke]

The Colorado Center for the Blind has been invited by Comcast to help
test and improve the Talking Guide system they now offer.  They
mentioned us in their regional and national press release (below) and
generously set us up with a one-year cable TV package (we are already
a business customerr of Comcast), and also purchased a new television.

Read the info below and check out the video about Emily's Oz, which is
a commercial set to air Sunday during the Oscars.

Best,
Dan


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dan Burke <dburke at cocenter.org>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:59:12 +0000
Subject: FW: Talking Guide announcement and preview of Emily's Oz TV spot!
To: CCB Staff <ccbstaff at cocenter.org>, ITP Students <students at cocenter.org>
Cc: "burke.dall at gmail.com" <burke.dall at gmail.com>

Here's the press release from this morning!
Dan


From: Spillane, Mary [mailto:Mary_Spillane at cable.comcast.com]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2015 10:48 AM
To: Dan Burke
Subject: Talking Guide announcement and preview of Emily's Oz TV spot!

Hi Dan,

Posted below is the press release sent today. Thanks very much for your help!

I am excited to share the TV spot with you called "Emily's Oz" that
will air during this Sunday night's Oscars broadcast. It is OK to
share this information and the link to the spot now as a fun preview
if you would like to share with your networks. I will contact you next
week to discuss plans for an event - many thanks again!
Mary


Emily's Oz
This Sunday, Comcast will launch a national campaign during the 2015
Academy Awards called "Emily's Oz"<http://www.comcast.com/emilysoz>
that is intended to spark an even bigger conversation about how people
with disabilities enjoy entertainment.
"Emily's Oz<http://www.comcast.com/emilysoz>" features a
seven-year-old girl who was born blind and highlights her description
of what she sees when she watches her favorite movie, The Wizard of
Oz(tm). Some of Hollywood's top directors, set designers and make-up
artists then went to work to bring her vision to life.  The voice over
for the commercial is provided by two-time Academy Award winner Robert
Redford.


COMCAST BRINGS VOICE GUIDED TELEVISION TO COLORADO

Company Partners with Local Disability Groups Across the Country to
Introduce New Technology to More People

"Talking Guide" Reads Aloud Channel Names, Show Titles and DVR Commands;
National Commercial Set To Air During Academy Awards

DENVER, CO - February 20, 2015 - Comcast today announced it is
partnering with local disability groups across the country - including
the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton - to bring the
company's new voice guidance technology to more people.  The "talking
guide" is a feature on the X1
platform<http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/xfinity-tvs-next-generation-x1-platform-the-future-of-tv>
that reads aloud selections like program titles, network names and
time slots as well as DVR and On Demand settings, giving users the
freedom to independently explore and navigate thousands of shows and
movies.

This Sunday, Comcast will launch a national campaign during the 2015
Academy Awards called "Emily's Oz"<http://www.comcast.com/emilysoz>
that is intended to spark an even bigger conversation about how people
with disabilities enjoy entertainment.



"We want to create opportunities for people who love film and
television, but who might not have the opportunity to experience it to
its fullest," said Tom Wlodkowski, who was hired as Vice President of
Audience in 2012 to focus on the usability of the company's products
and services by people with disabilities.  "By bringing the talking
guide to as many people as possible, we can help to bridge that gap
and make entertainment just as compelling, captivating and fun for
people with a visual disability as it is for anyone else."



"We're very excited about the inclusion of accessibility in the X1
entertainment operating system for Comcast's blind and visually
impaired customers," said Dan Burke, Public Relations Specialist at
Colorado Center for the Blind. "The talking guide means that we can
now have the same information and control with menus, settings and
programming as anyone else.  It makes watching our favorite shows and
movies all about the entertainment, rather than about trying to find
them."

Comcast is working with the following organizations and evaluating
additional groups within the company's service area:



*         Colorado Center for the Blind - Littleton, CO

*         Associated Services for the Blind - Philadelphia, PA

*         Carroll Center for the Blind - Newton, MA

*         Inglis- Philadelphia, PA

*         Miami Lighthouse - Miami, FL

*         Overbrook School for the Blind - Philadelphia, PA

*         Perkins School for the Blind - Watertown, MA



"Emily's Oz<http://www.comcast.com/emilysoz>" features a
seven-year-old girl who was born blind and highlights her description
of what she sees when she watches her favorite movie, The Wizard of
Oz(tm). Some of Hollywood's top directors, set designers and make-up
artists then went to work to bring her vision to life.  The voice over
for the commercial is provided by two-time Academy Award winner Robert
Redford.


The talking guide is the latest in a series of innovations created in
the Comcast Accessibility
Lab<http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/comcast-debuts-new-accessibility-offerings-during-national-disability-awareness-month>.
In addition to voice guidance and one-touch access to closed
captioning, Comcast created an online help and support
resource<http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/accessibility/>
for Xfinity customers looking for information about
accessibility-related topics.

About Comcast Cable:
Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and
phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and
also provides these services to businesses.  Comcast has invested in
technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the
fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video,
communications and home management offerings.  Comcast Corporation
(Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company.
Visit www.comcastcorporation.com<http://www.comcastcorporation.com/>
for more information.
###

Media Contacts:
Steven Restivo
215-286-3507
Steven_Restivo at comcast.com<mailto:Steven_Restivo at comcast.com>


Mary Spillane
720-641-2264
Mary_Spillane at cable.comcast.com<mailto:Mary_Spillane at cable.comcast.com>





________________________________
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com<http://www.avg.com>
Version: 2013.0.3495 / Virus Database: 4257/9134 - Release Date: 02/17/15



-- 
Dan Burke
My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal