Comcast launched an eye control feature for its Xfinity X1 cable service that it says makes television more accessible for people with disabilities. According to Quartz, Comcast is the first American entertainment company to offer full eye control capabilities to customers.
The feature works like eye-tracking technology the disabled use for computers. Comcast offers an online remote that connects to a customer’s so-called existing gaze system. Once the customer has connected the remote to their cable box, they can change channels or record shows, among other tasks, using only their eyes.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 1 in 7 adults in the United States lives with a mobility disability.
- While closed-captioning and other services to been required in movie theaters and by broadband providers since 1990, new media services also must offer accessibility features following the 2010 passage of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
- Karma Take: As the media landscape evolves and lawmakers impose rules to boost access for the disabled, media companies must be sure their products and services are useable by all customers, not just the able-bodied ones.
