Large button tv remote

[Alami]

My mother also has this issue - she's visually impaired and cannot see the controls on the TIVO remote. The features on the remote described above don't help at all, unfortunately! Does anything exist that would help what must be a large number of your customers who struggle to see small buttons? Thanks. 

[Ashleigh_C]

Hi there @Alami 

Thank you so much for your post and welcome back to the forums, it's great to have you here. 

We do have accessible remoted available with High contract, the features are as follows:

• Buttons of different shapes to make using them easier.
• Curved sides so you know which way it's facing.
• A raised indicator on the 5 button.
• Audio feedback cues on the TV.
• Audio description available.

I'd be happy to get one ordered for her via a PM, I'll pop one across to you now, please keep an eye out for the purple envelope in the top right corner of your screen alerting you to a new message. 

Thank you

[Alami]

Thank you, but the remote that she has already is the one with curved sides and a raised 5 button indicator - do you mean this one?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=virgin+tv+remote+control&sxsrf=AJOqlzUsG9w4u4nbmI1wqwMob4EhRZeKrQ:...

These features don't really help; the buttons are all still too small. Everything on the remote needs to be much bigger for someone with severe visual impairment to be able to see it. I wonder if any research or testing was conducted with visually impaired people when this was being designed?

The 'audio description' that I've seen on the TV describes what is happening in a programme, however she can just about see this, once she's managed to access the programme. The issue is being able to access the programmes in the first place! I.e. being able to find her way around the menus - all of the options within the 'Home' button; accessing Catch-up TV, YouTube etc. This is what she is struggling with.

If you have a handset that is bigger, or which can assist in navigating the menus, that would be great, but if it's the same as in these pictures this is what she already has.
Regards

[Ilyas_Y]

Thanks for the reply @Alami on the forums.

I can see you are in a private conversation with my colleague who will be able to assist with the query for the remote.
Let us know how it goes with them.

Kind regards,
Ilyas.

[Sunnyboy1 · Accepted solution]

Hello did you find an alternative remote to use? We've had a 360 box for a few days and it's so hard for my visually impaired partner to navigate with. Thank you

[Sunnyboy1]

Do you have a suggestion for one compatible with the 360box &  Samsung TV? The supplied remote is awful small smooth close together buttons. The speech / microphone button is great but he can barely see it or feel it as different from other buttons. And it's right next to the record button so keeps pressing that instead & getting in a pickle.

Thank you

[Alami]

No - unfortunately Virgin clearly have no idea how difficult their remote controls are to use for visually impaired people. They sent my mother a remote that's identical to the one she's got and which she cannot use - for the reasons you state below; the buttons are too small and too close together 😟. It really wouldn't take much for them to make a larger, more accessible remote control, particularly given how much we pay each month, and how the prices keep increasing yet nothing gets any better!

[Sunnyboy1]

Sorry to hear this. I agree, it would seem the design/ develop stage has been done by folks with a tick box of accessibility features that bare little relation to what is needed by the customers. Upsetting & frustrating