Last week I attended the 30th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. It’s the premier annual event in the United States that wholly focuses on improving the lives of people who have sensory, cognitive and/or physical disabilities, through the application of technology solutions and techniques. The solutions are sometimes in the form of inventions, such as in the case of screen readers or sensor-based devices, but often in the application of best practices as in the case of ensuring websites are fully navigable without the use of a mouse.
To provide an idea of the scope and breadth of the conference, over a period of three days there are between 15 and 20 sessions per hour hosted by experts in a particular field, or showcasing a specific technology solution. More than 4,000 attendees from around the world attended while a separate exhibit floor hosts over 100 exhibitors. Comcast was an event sponsor, providing all of the assisted listening systems for attendees. Other sponsors included Google, Adobe, Amazon, IBM, AT&T, Toyota and Oracle.
Some of the technologies on display and discussed included a sensor and WiFi based system for navigating indoor public spaces, an optical character reader capable of instantly identifying and speaking text from nearly any source through the use of an iPhone’s built-in camera, and the Comcast Xfinity X1 cloud based talking guide and voice activated remote.
The Xfinity X1 talking guide and voice remote had a lot of traction and prompted a lot of buzz on the exhibit floor. The ability for someone to hear voice prompts from the program guide, as well as to speak voice commands such as “show me all documentaries on HBO” or “what should I watch?” is a significant advancement in access to entertainment for anyone who is blind or has a visual impairment. Something as fundamental as checking out the video on demand offerings, programming your DVR or searching for genre based programs is now possible through the use of audible prompts and commands.
Of course the new navigation features aren’t just for people with disabilities, but are great features for anyone wishing to have an alternate, or perhaps easier method of sifting through the huge range of available content.
To learn more about the Xfinity X1 talking guide and voice activated remote, check out this link. Systems like this not only make cable better, it’s simply the right thing to do.