Using a Computer to Access Music, Videos, and Radio for People with Visual Impairments and Blindness

In their series ‘Entertainment‘, American Foundation for the Blind explains how people who are blind or visually impaired can use a computer to access music, videos, and radio.

Accessible Purchased Music and Video Content

If your PC or Mac computer has a CD or DVD drive, you can insert a disc, and, depending on how your computer is set up, the movie, TV episode, or music will begin playing via a preinstalled media player. Using your screen reader, you will be able to access the media title, track names, and other useful information. You can also pause and restart the content and make other adjustments. For example, if you’re using iTunes, pressing the spacebar pauses and then resumes media play. Check your media player’s menu and keyboard command key list for a complete list of commands.

If you don’t have a disc drive, you can still purchase and watch music and videos on your PC or Mac. Google Play and iTunes are two of the most popular ways to purchase the latest music and video releases. Visit the Google Play Store or install iTunes. (Note: iTunes comes preinstalled on all Macs.) Each of these venues allows you to purchase or in some cases rent, various songs, albums, movies, and other content and watch or listen to it on your computer with accessible controls for play/pause, volume, and rewind/fast forward. Media purchased through the Google Play Store or Apple iTunes can also be obtained and played on any of your mobile devices that run the same operating system. Unfortunately, only a small selection of video titles with description are currently available for download, but this situation is improving.

You can also copy, or “rip,” your CD music library to your computer, so you can stow those discs and find the music you want instantly. When you insert a music disc, your media player will ask if you wish to make a digital copy of the disk using iTunes on a Mac and either iTunes or Windows Media Player on a PC. Once you copy your CDs, all of your music will be available to search and play, along with a screen reader-friendly version of the CD title, artist name, and track information.

This article was written and published by the American Foundation for the Blind.  To read the article in its entirety, you can visit this link https://www.afb.org/blindness-and-low-vision/using-technology/using-technology-entertainment-guide-people-visual-0

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If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, we have prepared a 12-part eBook <Click here to download a PDF of the entire report.>

To learn more about how we can Bring Hope to people who are blind or with low vision, contact a Technology Specialist at New England Low Vision and Blindness to learn more. You can also call our toll free number 888-211-6933 or email us at info@nelowvision.com.

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