[Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility

Jude DaShiell jdashiel at panix.com
Mon Feb 15 20:57:38 UTC 2016 

Does Time-Warner have the monopoly on where its user lives?  We thought 
when I got cable service for where I now live Service-Electric could 
install it; turns out comcast-xfinity already had the monopoly which 
turned out better for me with my disability than would have been the 
case with Service-Electric.

On Mon, 15 Feb 2016, Pamela Dominguez via Electronics-Talk wrote:

> Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:33:34
> From: Pamela Dominguez via Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>     <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Pamela Dominguez <geodom at optonline.net>
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
> 
> That was two years ago.  In technology, two years is a long time.  Have you 
> tried recently, and pointed out that their competitors have one?  Pam.
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Gerald Levy via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 2:07 PM
> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
> Cc: Gerald Levy
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>
>
> Well, if they do have such plans, they are keeping them a big secret.  Not
> even their top executives seem to know anything about accessible boxes.
> About two years ago, I actually emailed the CEO of Time Warner of New York
> City, Michael Diamond, and asked him when his company would be offering
> accessible cable boxes to its blind customers.  All I received was a canned,
> ambiguous  response, probably concocted by one of his executive assistants,
> that said something like,"Time Warner is constantly striving to improve the
> viewing experience for its disabled customers."
>
> Gerald
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Christopher Chaltain via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 1:19 PM
> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
> Cc: Christopher Chaltain
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>
> How are you so certain Time-Warner has no such plans? Weren't people
> saying the same thing about ComCast and all cable providers not so long ago?
>
> On 15/02/16 06:10, Gerald Levy via Electronics-Talk wrote:
>> 
>> Well, Time Warner Cable certainly has no plans to offer accessible boxes
>> anytime soon.  Their customer service agents as well as their overpaid
>> executives profess total ignorance about the existence of such devices.
>> Who is going to force them to offer accessible boxes, anyway ?  The
>> FCC?  The blindness advocacy groups?  The local police?  LOL!  Except
>> for Comcast, the other cable providers do not seem to be taking this
>> issue very seriously. Why should they?
>> 
>> Gerald
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message----- From: Rob Kaiser via Electronics-Talk
>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 11:18 PM
>> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
>> Cc: Rob Kaiser
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>> 
>> Thank you for that suggestion. First & formost, it would really be great if
>> other cable companies would get on board with Comcast in getting new boxes.
>> 
>> Rob Kaiser
>> Email;
>> rcubfank at sbcglobal.net
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of cheez via Electronics-Talk
>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 8:02 PM
>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: cheez <cheez at cox.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>> 
>> When I had cable, it was with Cox.  If I experienced any trouble, the
>> automated system would send a signal to my box.  If the problem wasn't
>> solved, then a live tech would come on the line and try to fix things.  If
>> that fails, then a service tech was sent to my home.
>> 
>> 
>> Vince
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Rob Kaiser via Electronics-Talk" <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> To: "'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'"
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: "Rob Kaiser" <rcubfank at sbcglobal.net>
>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 1:48 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>> 
>> 
>>> How are you able to set the cable box by phone? I had a problem with my
>>> cable last week. I called Charter (a web site that is not accessible) &
>>> they
>>> like most cable companies asked me what was on the screen. When I told
>>> them
>>> I am totally blind & I cannot see the screen, they wanted to make an
>>> appointment for a tech to come out. There was no way to set the cable box
>>> by
>>> push buttons. Does anyone know when Comcast's audio box for the cable box
>>> will be ready? I have a feeling that once Comcast gets that ready & it is
>>> a
>>> feature one can get, other cable companieswill have to follow suit on
>>> this.
>>> If they don't they will lose many blind people. Of course, Comcast isn't
>>> availablein some areas.
>>> 
>>> I also agree with your idea Gerald as to the factcompanies should return
>>> to
>>> regular buttons that we can use.
>>> 
>>> Rob Kaiser
>>> Email;
>>> rcubfank at sbcglobal.net
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Gerald Levy via Electronics-Talk
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 10:15 AM
>>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Gerald Levy <bwaylimited at verizon.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I have an even better idea.  Forget all this bluetooth and Internet
>>> nonsense.  Why not make appliances with tactile buttons and switches like
>>> in
>>> the good old days?  What a concept!!  The problem is that the design and
>>> manufacture of appliances has largely been taken over by the Chinese who
>>> are
>>> more interested in making cheap products than in making them universally
>>> accessible.  And now that GE has agreed to sell its appliance business to
>>> the Chinese electronics and appliance giant, Haier,appliance
>>> accessibility
>>> is likely to get even worse.
>>> 
>>> Gerald
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message----- From: cheez via Electronics-Talk
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 12:06 PM
>>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>>> Cc: cheez
>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>>> 
>>> Why not bypass bluetooth and make appliances accessible via the Internet.
>>> If one can communicate with a fridge using a computer or smartphone, then
>>> why not make it possible for one to set appliances the same way?
>>> Now it may sound crazy, but if one doesn't have a computer or smartphone,
>>> then they could use a landline like one can do to reset cable boxes and
>>> the
>>> like.
>>> 
>>> Vince
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracy Carcione via
>>> Electronics-Talk" <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: "'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'"
>>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 8:35 AM
>>> Subject: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Many years ago now, the brilliant engineer Tim Cranmer had an idea of
>>>> how
>>>> to
>>>> make appliances accessible.  We would get a law passed requiring
>>>> manufacturers to include a chip which would broadcast menu info to a
>>>> blind
>>>> person's device of choice.  Those days, it was something like a Braille
>>>> 'n
>>>> Speak.  These days, it would probably be a smart phone, with the signal
>>>> via
>>>> Bluetooth.
>>>> 
>>>> Could some version of this idea be workable today?  It wouldn't solve
>>>> the
>>>> problem of a touch screen control, as someone described for some
>>>> dishwashers, but it would help with the problem of one button
>>>> controlling
>>>> different menus and submenus, like some washers I've seen.
>>>> 
>>>> I'm not keen on my appliances being connected to the internet, but I'm
>>>> also
>>>> not happy with the struggle it can be these days to find something I can
>>>> easily use.
>>>> 
>>>> Tracy
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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