For sports fans who are blind or have other disabilities, new technology provides a better way to watch the Winter Olympics from home – or the Super Bowl, if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket.
NBCUniversal has greatly expanded the amount of accessible Olympic programming available during the games. Viewers who watch the network’s coverage on the NBC Network, Peacock and some digital platforms, will be able to add audio description to their experience.
There’s more closed captioning, too, and enhanced web accessibility for viewers using their browsers to watch the games.
A tactile tablet from Seattle startup OneCourt will turn Super Bowl plays into touch, as sensors in the football and in players’ jerseys are converted into vibrations a blind user can feel. A pair of headphones connects the fan to a radio broadcast of the game.
The pilot program is limited to 10 fans, but OneCourt is in negotiations with the NBA and MLB for more.
