Comcast is making a series of American Sign Language (ASL) tutorial videos available across each of our platforms. The following information is as posted by Comcast on Oct. 14, 2015.
For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, closed captions are essential when watching a movie or show. We want the entertainment experience to be enjoyable for these customers and we’re always working to ensure that by providing new resources and functionality.
So today, we’re making a series of American Sign Language (ASL) tutorial videos available across each of our platforms – including X1, TV Go on the web and the Xfinity TV mobile app – that provide details about how to turn closed captioning on and off. These videos feature Deaf individuals – not actors or ASL interpreters – who explain each step in sign language.
Since ASL differs grammatically from English and other spoken languages, the creation of the instructional videos posed some unique challenges in developing the script as well as shooting the videos themselves. The Accessibility Team at Comcast worked closely with experts from Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre (DHCC) and The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf on every step of the process -- from conceptualization through production. These partners helped us recruit a diverse set of Deaf signers who not only appear in the videos and helped us optimize the scripts for ASL, but also advised on the production process and consulted on the final look and feel of the videos.
"Including Deaf individuals throughout this process speaks volumes for Comcast’s commitment to creating great experiences for deaf customers," said Neil McDevitt, Executive Director of DHCC. "Comcast continues to work closely with the Deaf and hard of hearing community, seeking our input as they develop new products and improve existing ones."
The tutorials are available in one convenient place at Xfinity.com/ASL, at youtube.com/xfinity and in our help and support articles at xfinity.com/accessibilitysupport. The videos will soon be available in the Accessibility section of help and support on set top boxes.
We know how important closed captioning is to the overall entertainment experience and hope these videos can play a small role in helping more people find and use the accessibility settings that are available across our platforms
"ASL is the language of our culture," explained PSD’s Marsha Miceli."Having content like this available in our language is very impactful for the Deaf community."
For a full playlist of all of Comcast ASL tutorials, click here.
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