Amazon has announced Text Banner for Fire TV, a new assistive technology designed for customers with a narrow field of vision, including eye conditions like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa.
Text Banner consolidates onscreen text into a compact, written banner that appears in a fixed location on the screen. The entire Fire TV user interface, Prime Video, and other applications work with Text Banner, making it easier for these customers to enjoy movies, videos, and more.
Turn the Text Banner feature on, and customise colours, box and text size, by going to Settings > Accessibility > Text Banner.
The screenshot below illustrates the Text Banner user interface. In this example, Text Banner was configured to be placed in the lower left corner, with white text on a blue background, and blue focus indicator.
Marc Powell, Strategic Accessibility Lead at RNIB, said: “The accessibility of tech is changing the lives of blind and partially sighted people – giving a greater sense of freedom, increasing independence and breaking down barriers to create a more inclusive world.
“Amazon’s move to begin making its Fire TV platform more accessible for people with vision impairment is another powerful message of inclusivity to the industry and we hope to continue seeing accessibility improve as a trend across the technology sector in the years ahead.”
To learn more about Amazon’s accessibility features across devices and services, visit Amazon Accessibility, here.