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+--- Thread: Xbmc not working for blind users. (/showthread.php?tid=117199)
Pages: 1 2
Xbmc not working for blind users. - Anders74 - 2011-12-19 00:18
Hi! My name is Anders and i am a blind guy who like to testing a lot of software. I have a friend who was sighted but has become blind. He was very dissapointed when i found that xbmc does not work with his screenreader. It is sadly totally inaccessible. I have installed it here and can't use it at all as a blind person. I don't mean to be rude, i just will suggest that the interfaceis being changed so that blind users can use it. I can't even configure it to use it with a web interface. Thanks.
- natethomas - 2011-12-19 05:25
Well, time for a bit of regrettable honesty. None of the coders on the team are blind. Most of the time, the things the Team codes are things that either Team members or non-Team members who know how to code contribute. Fortunately, this tends to result in a great deal of awesome software. Unfortunately, this means there are occasional gaps in the code. Because we aren't a massively well funded foundation, like Mozilla, or a extremely wealthy company, like Microsoft or Apple, we tend to focus on either items that would benefit the largest number of people, or items that the people who are doing the coding for free want to see integrated into the software.
Unfortunately, to date, no coders have popped up and offered to help make XBMC blind-accessible, and without that kick start, it seems fairly unlikely that the feature will make it into the code. With that said, A: never say never, and B: this is actually a pretty good thread to keep running, because there might be a coder or two out there who will read it and come up with a brilliant way to make XBMC more accessible, which is never a bad thing.
- Ned Scott - 2011-12-19 05:43
It is possible to use some smart phone XBMC remote apps to control most of XBMC. iOS/iPhone/iPod touch devices have text to speech built in, and will work with most of the XBMC iOS remote apps. I'm not sure about Android.
- Banjer - 2011-12-19 18:58
Umm... is it me or does using a program geared to playing visual content for a blind person sound kinda strange?
- jhsrennie - 2011-12-19 19:05
Banjer Wrote:Umm... is it me or does using a program geared to playing visual content for a blind person sound kinda strange?
XBMC plays music as well of course.
Actually a blind friend of mine likes watching TV and films. She reckons she gets a good idea of what is going on just from the audio.
JR
- Anders74 - 2011-12-20 17:54
Banjer Wrote:Umm... is it me or does using a program geared to playing visual content for a blind person sound kinda strange?
Hi! Maybe strange but it works. I normally use vlc but their team as become very nonchalant so i am trying to find something new.
- Anders74 - 2011-12-20 17:55
Ned Scott Wrote:It is possible to use some smart phone XBMC remote apps to control most of XBMC. iOS/iPhone/iPod touch devices have text to speech built in, and will work with most of the XBMC iOS remote apps. I'm not sure about Android.
Hi Scot! I have seen a couple of such app on ap store. But dont you have to do some configuration on the computer first? /A
- Ned Scott - 2011-12-20 19:08
Anders74 Wrote:Hi Scot! I have seen a couple of such app on ap store. But dont you have to do some configuration on the computer first? /A
XBMC would have to be set to allow remote apps to control it (I believe default is off). The initial sources (folders, network drives, etc) would also probably need to be set up through the XBMC GUI at least once (well, technically speaking you can edit sources through an XML file, but that's hardly an elegant solution).
- skybird1980 - 2011-12-21 00:47
i have an idea for them.
activate the webserver - the website including a remote can be read by screenreaders.
RE: Xbmc not working for blind users. - pru1 - 2012-04-07 14:43
The blindplayer script was meant for doing what you need, I think. However someone must configure it first through GUI.