[NJTechDiv] Accessible cable TV

Mon May 18 19:37:44 UTC 2026

Hi Lori, I had to set it up through settings. I don{t think I could do it with the button. Actually the cable guy set it up for me. I told Tracey she has to be persistent. How was Janie{s book club today_ I couldn{t go due to work. 
Warm Regards, 
Beatrice Oliveti 
National Federation Of The Blind 
Of NJ. Northeast Chapter 
Vice-President 
National Federation Of The Blind Of NJ. Braille Group Co-Facilitator 
Bayonne, NJ.  Lions Club Administrator 
Cell: 2019838124 
Email: beatrice.oliveti at gmail.com 

> On May 18, 2026, at 3:13 PM, Lori Falk via NJTechDiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Yes, if you can also find the microphone button on the remote you can simply speak turn on voice guidance.
> 
>> On May 18, 2026, at 2:43 PM, Tracy Carcione via NJTechDiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Bea says to go to Settings, then Accessibility, then turn on either Voice Guidance or Talkback, whichever it says.  Then she says it will say everything.
>> We have an appointment for Wednesday morning, so we'll see. But Bea says that worked in March, so it should be good.
>> Tracy
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NJTechDiv <njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mario Brusco via NJTechDiv
>> Sent: Monday, May 18, 2026 1:55 PM
>> To: Tracy Carcione via NJTechDiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Mario Brusco <mrb620 at hotmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NJTechDiv] Accessible cable TV
>> 
>> Tracy, could you share what you told the cable guy to do in order to turn on accessibility? After it's on, what exactly can be spoken?
>> 
>> 
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> From: Tracy Carcione via NJTechDiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, May 18, 2026 at 1:06 PM EDT
>> To: 'New Jersey Technology Division List' <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: carcione at access.net
>> Subject: RE: [NJTechDiv] Accessible cable TV
>> 
>> I talked to Bea, and she says the Optimum box is accessible; the workers
>> just have no clue.  She told me exactly what to tell the cable guy to do
>> to turn on accessibility, so we made an appointment to try again.
>> 
>> NJTech comes through again!
>> 
>> Tracy
>> 
>> *From:*NJTechDiv <njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Beatrice
>> Oliveti via NJTechDiv
>> *Sent:* Monday, May 18, 2026 9:53 AM
>> *To:* njtechdiv at nfbnet.org
>> *Cc:* Beatrice Oliveti <beatrice.oliveti at gmail.com>
>> *Subject:* Re: [NJTechDiv] Accessible cable TV
>> 
>> Hi Tracey. I remember you and I used to talk about this all the time! I
>> can{t believe Optimum took away their accessibility options. I
>> disconnected cable to save money. I do cable and an airial antenna now.
>> But it was only a few months ago that I had cable. And I had a streaming
>> box and it had the accessibility. Is your box a streaming box_ If you
>> buy a smart TV it{s only going to read you the channels on the TV not
>> the cable box. But you can use optimum through the optimum tv app on
>> your phone. That will allow you to use your phone as a control and the
>> voiceover will talk back to you. You can also watch your dvred
>> programming on your TV. You might also consider switching to Hulu with
>> live TV, Youtube TV, or Directtv. They{re very accessible on your phone
>> and IPad. Hope this helps.
>> 
>> Warm Regards,
>> 
>> Beatrice Oliveti
>> 
>> National Federation Of The Blind
>> 
>> Of NJ. Northeast Chapter
>> 
>> Vice-President
>> 
>> National Federation Of The Blind Of NJ. Braille Group Co-Facilitator
>> 
>> Bayonne, NJ.  Lions Club Administrator
>> 
>> Cell: 2019838124
>> 
>> Email: beatrice.oliveti at gmail.com <mailto:beatrice.oliveti at gmail.com>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>    On May 18, 2026, at 9:17 AM, Tracy Carcione via NJTechDiv
>>    <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>> 
>>    
>> 
>>    For a long time, we had software on our Optimum cable box that would
>>    announce the channel and what was playing, and I could also use it
>>    to access the DVR.
>> 
>>    Optimum doesn’t support it anymore, and their new cable box doesn’t
>>    have any accessibility at all.
>> 
>>    They think that maybe a smart TV would have it, but I don’t know.
>> 
>>    If I buy a smart TV, and turn on Talkback or whatever it has, will
>>    it tell me what’s playing on a channel and have ways to access the DVR?
>> 
>>    For instance, I was able to move through the shows on a channel
>>    until I found the one I wanted to record, then hit record.  Later, I
>>    could go into the DVR, scroll through the recordings, find the one I
>>    wanted, watch it, then go through the menu to either keep it or
>>    delete it.  Imagine that.  Can I get those same features on a smart TV?
>> 
>>    I have 0 interest in using Alexa.
>> 
>>    It’s extremely annoying that Optimum had accessibility, and then
>>    just ditched it completely.
>> 
>>    Tracy
>> 
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