gizmodo.com: For years, blind and low-vision sports fans have been limited to audio play-by-play commentary to follow their favorite teams. But that isn’t always ideal. Audio feeds can lag behind the action, miss key moments, leaving fans having to repeatedly ask friends or family for clarification on what’s going on the field or court.
8 comments:
This is so awesome! I am so glad that the NFL is making the biggest sporting event of the year more accessible! This year’s Superbowl is going to be so good! This product sounds like it provides a tactile experience for various sports. The article stated that they have done football and basketball. I wonder if they will expand to other popular sports like baseball, hockey, and soccer? I am also wondering if this is something that patrons can request at the stadium, similar to the hearing assistance devices at theatres. Additionally, I really hope that they are able to do something for Bad Bunny’s halftime show. The article only talked about translating the match into a tactile medium, however I think they should totally do the halftime show too! I am wondering if this medium could have any applications outside of sports too? Maybe they could adapt it for TV, movies, and theatre too!
This is an interesting concept and if it is successful will increase accessibility across various sports games. The only thing I wonder about that was not mentioned in the article was the cost of using and/or buying this tactile game board. Because the price is not listed, it makes it seem like this product would be expensive, which would ultimately be more inaccessible to the people who would be using it. I also wonder if it can or will be used for more sports than just basketball and football. The article mentions how it has been used throughout multiple basketball arenas, which indicate success of the product, but without numbers or reviews, how can we be sure? I am glad that it will be available for at-home use as well, especially since sporting tickets can be not only expensive, but also across state lines. I do hope that this device can ultimately help and make the sports fan experience more enjoyable for those who are blind or struggle with vision.
There are plenty of technological advances happening right now that make me uncertain about the future and that I find pretty harmful, generative AI, for example. This however, is a really clever use of technology to make hobbies more accessible which I am all here for. I like that this gives folks two ways to follow the action, both auditory and tactile which can definitely increase their understanding of what is occurring on the field. I’m really glad the company mentioned they found inspiration for this idea from a solution that a blind person had already come up with, I think that not taking the credit is really important. Disabled people have been coming up with solutions to make their everyday activities more accessible since forever, and while I love that this company is making this clever idea more accessible to more people, taking the credit would be super disappointing.
I really love this example of technology being used thoughtfully to increase accessibility rather than just for novelty. Sports are such a huge cultural and social experience, and it’s sad that blind and low-vision fans have traditionally been limited to delayed or incomplete audio commentary. The OneCourt device feels like a meaningful step toward equity, especially because it allows users to follow the game in real time without constantly relying on someone else to explain what’s happening. I found Scott Thornhill’s quote to be especially powerful, it really highlights how access isn’t just about convenience, but about dignity and independence. I also appreciate that this idea was inspired by an existing tactile solution used by a blind fan, rather than something invented in isolation. It shows the importance of listening to disabled communities when designing new tools. I hope this continues to expand to more sports and more venues.
As someone who is always excited to watch the Super Bowl, I can’t imagine the level of excitement this could bring people. If it is truly effective in their goal, I love what they’ve done here. Pairing their device with the live radio broadcast is a great addition to being able to feel the representation of what is happening on the field as well. I’ve felt critical of previous attempts because of the lack of reliability and delay without thinking about simply using that. Scott Thornhill’s personal story of getting back what he lost with his vision is especially touching. I think it connects sighted people to the concept that we can suddenly become disabled at any point in time, and evokes some long deserved empathy towards those that have. It can be far beyond anyone’s control, so people deserve to enjoy events like the Super Bowl as much as anyone else. I really hope they enjoy today’s game!
Technology is ever evolving and creating ways for the world to be more accessible and this a wonderful way to make sure that everyone can enjoy an event that is so integral to American society. I would be curious to see if ticket prices for those who need the device were expected to pay extra and how much extra they would be. Accessibility is a very important thing that is not thought about as much as it should be, especially in specific industries like the sports one. I think it is really interesting the way that the device itself works. I am constantly floored by engineers who use their smarts to come up with new and innovative ways to solve issues. The vibrations on the iPad like tech to show specific plays and where the ball is is brilliant. I also appreciate that they added headphones and a way to follow along with a broadcast.
The supper bowl is one of the biggest shows that take place in our world, and as such it should be a production that everyone is able to enjoy in some way. This should include those with disabilities including the visually impaired. The super bowl most definitely makes enough money to provide its audience with devices that would allow those who are visually impaired to be able to view the super bowl in a way that would be enjoyable for them. I for one love watching the super bowl with my family and friends, and hope that everyone who wants to watch the show can. This includes everyone regardless of their ability to watch the game in the traditional sense. The super bowl is a massive production from the game to itself all the way to the commercials, and the half time show. As such it is important for as many people to view it as possible. Due to the fact that the more people that watch the game the more money the super bowl with be making.
I think I remember seeing a similar device used at the paralympics last year. It was applied to tennis, but the idea was that the audience could physically follow along with the movements on the field with just one hand. While watching the Super Bowl, I noticed that the live captioning was still significantly behind the spoken audio. I think as we continue to advance accessible technology, there are likely many advancements we can make behind the scenes to meet the technology half way. Especially in terms of broadcasting delay, I am sure there are strategies such as increasing the delay that could ensure the captions line up better with the audio. During the Super Bowl, we had to turn off close captioning because it was hard to focus on both audio and visual when they were so different from each other. I hope that these advancements will continue in live broadcasting.
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