Helping the blind see Disney World

  • Posted by Van
  • April 16, 2009

Disney's Assistive Listening DeviceThe Walt Disney Company announced a new, innovative device that enables guests who are blind to “see” Disney World. The device uses Disney’s proprietary wireless system to deliver audio descriptions of rides and attractions. The hand held unit can also be used for guests who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to deliver amplified audio content or captions on the screen’s device.

Disney has also licensed this technology to other organizations, further extending the reach of this helpful device. Houston based Softeq Development Corp. markets the system to a number of other companies and industries including tourist markets.

Disney says they have carefully chosen the content that is displayed or played through this device. For example, a female narration voice speaking in a plain tone was used to deliver audio in the Haunted Mansion attraction, ensuring that it would be distinctly different than the ghoulish male narration used in the attraction today. The company says they are now working on further extending the content this device provides including providing descriptions of outdoor areas of the parks.

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April 16th, 2009
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Joel
Posted on:
April 17, 2009 at 8:19 pm

That is totally crazy

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Sarah
Posted on:
April 17, 2009 at 8:31 pm

I personally think that is totally cool. I mean, Disney World is all about “sight seeing”, right? Well, what if your blind? You won’t be able to see anything, and having a family member describe everything to you would get tiring eventually. And the audio is good for old people who are in wheelchairs. I mean, they’re practically deaf, and they won’t be able to hear much of anything, so the audio helps them hear the whole thing. I love Disney World. I’ll be looking for people using these devices this summer.