[Trainer-Talk] Comcast Launches Eye-Control For The Television

Wed Jun 19 13:03:45 UTC 2019

Hello.

I'd like to leave some comments regarding some of the messages on this topic. I will say that, in the interest of full disclosure, I work for Comcast as a member of their accessibility team. However, my presence on this list, as well as any of my responses to any of the list messages, are not meant to represent Comcast. I initially joined this list several years ago as I was working as an assistive technology trainer, like many of you on this list. When I became a member of Comcast's accessibility team I decided to remain on this list as I will always have a passion for assisting and empowering others in the use of assistive technology as I see the difference it has made in so many lives, mine included.

I will also say that I am not a lawyer. I cannot speak on behalf of other video providers and their practices regarding accessibility and, once again, I am not on this list as an official representative of Comcast, although I am familiar with their products and their accessibility. Having gotten that out of the way I will say that Comcast does not charge fees for accessibility of their products. As an example, any customer who has an X1 set-top box has access to Voice Guidance, which audibly reads things such as menus, the program guide, your DVR, etc. This, along with other accessibility services, has always been free and, to my knowledge, there has never been a charge for any updates. In fact, X1 is often updated, including accessibility-specific improvements, and these updates are delivered to your set-top box, via the cloud, at no charge.

Someone on this list mentioned that they were paying $200.00 per month for their Comcast services. I am not writing to dispute this but I can tell you that accessibility is not the reason for that cost. It might be helpful to contact Comcast to determine what services are being paid for as there may be ways of altering your plan to lower the cost of your bill.

In addition, Internet Essentials is a program which provides high speed Internet at a much lower cost for low income families, seniors and veterans. To see if you are eligible for the program and to apply, visit Comcast's Internet Essentials Web site at

https://www.internetessentials.com/

Finally, I realize that some who are reading this may understandably wish to contact me off of the list with further questions. I would respectfully ask that you not do this but instead contact Comcast through official channels with any questions. During the week I don't often have the time to respond to personal or one on one emails and I'm also on several lists. This means that your message may be lost in a sea of messages and it could be some time before I can respond. These factors could give people the impression that I don't respond to emails and this is not an impression that I wish to give. I also am not a support representative of Comcast and some questions are better answered by someone in a support role. Therefore, if any of you do have questions may I suggest that you use the following channels to contact Comcast.

Comcast's Accessibility Support Center for Customers with Disabilities

855-270-0379

between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 AM Eastern time, seven days a week

You can use this link <https://www.xfinity.com/support/schedule-callback?selectedIntent=ACCESSIBILITY&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xfinity.com%2Fsupport%2Faccessibility> to schedule a call back from one of our accessibility specialists.

The following link will take you to our accessible chat service.<https://support.xfinity.com/accessibility>

Finally, you can email any questions to accessibility at comcast.com<mailto:accessibility at comcast.com>.

I hope this information was helpful.

David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist WWW.David-Goldfield.Com<http://WWW.David-Goldfield.Com>
On 6/18/2019 8:52 AM, Nancy Coffman via Trainer-Talk wrote:

I have had similar conversations about dish. My question is, is it legal for these companies to charge more because you need an accessible device.

Some small cable companies are moving to having people use a fire stick. They offer no support in getting this thing hooked up to use their services. Whether it is accessible or not, the user cannot get what he or she wants with it.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 17, 2019, at 5:25 PM, laotab ~ via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org><mailto:trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

This sounds great.  but at what cost?  I have been dealing with comcast for the past two months.  I am on disability and my mother on SS.  And they want over $200 and that is no paid or special channels or packages.  I like the idea to help those who cannot use the tv as others.  voice control and now eye control.  But can people on disability afford it?

-----Original Message-----
From: Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org><mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of David Goldfield via Trainer-Talk
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2019 5:27 PM
To: trainer-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: David Goldfield <david.goldfield at outlook.com><mailto:david.goldfield at outlook.com>
Subject: [Trainer-Talk] Comcast Launches Eye-Control For The Television

Comcast RSS Feed - Monday, June 17, 2019 at 4:36 PM

Comcast Launches Eye-Control For The Television

[https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcorporate.comcast.com%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2F1000w%2F2019%2F06%2Fcorporate_eye-control-social-final.jpg&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557944830&sdata=lcS3AJx63Psj8q08PwnASOeQLrgc6GYq25XcJLzNyYM%3D&reserved=0]

Comcast today launched a feature that gives people with physical disabilities like spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) the ability to navigate their television using only their eyes. Xfinity X1 eye control is a web-based remote for tablets and computers that pairs with an existing eye gaze system and allows viewers to change the channel, set a recording, search for a show and more, all with a glance.

In the U.S., more than 48 million<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.census.gov%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2FCensus%2Flibrary%2Fpublications%2F2018%2Fdemo%2Fp70-152.pdf&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557954838&sdata=fURb45USfCgFNsJOVxHhvBot74EGghIjVTLxJoNVrJg%3D&reserved=0><https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.census.gov%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2FCensus%2Flibrary%2Fpublications%2F2018%2Fdemo%2Fp70-152.pdf&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557954838&sdata=fURb45USfCgFNsJOVxHhvBot74EGghIjVTLxJoNVrJg%3D&reserved=0> people live with physical or mobility disabilities and every day about 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. These disabilities can often make seemingly everyday tasks more difficult.

“Changing the channel on a TV is something most of us take for granted but until now, it was a near-impossible task for millions of viewers,” said Tom Wlodkowski, Vice President Accessibility at Comcast. “When you make a product more inclusive you create a better experience for everyone and we’re hoping our new X1 feature makes a real difference in the lives of our customers.”

Philadelphia resident Jimmy Curran has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a condition that affects the part of the nervous system that controls muscle movement, and was among the first customers to get the new X1 eye control technology. You can watch his story here<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FN2Mit1iQ9Qw&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557954838&sdata=YpBhvhwNgl6UV0kctoPaobzU%2BO17i12ZEF8L9lAg9M0%3D&reserved=0><https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FN2Mit1iQ9Qw&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557954838&sdata=YpBhvhwNgl6UV0kctoPaobzU%2BO17i12ZEF8L9lAg9M0%3D&reserved=0>.

https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcorporate.comcast.com%2Fpress%2Freleases%2Fcomcast-launches-eye-control-for-television&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6a7ea3f397f54267aaba08d6f3ec1182%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636964592557954838&sdata=vS3MSnj%2FHKmeTw%2BBiqg9bEm7OQYd%2Bdw7kGF2sM0kBto%3D&reserved=0

    David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist

Feel free to visit my Web site
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