Forum Discussion

Hercthx's avatar
Hercthx
Newbie
5 years ago
Solved

Remote for seniors / visually impaired?

Any recommendations on a remote with larger buttons or finer controls with voice options for seniors or visually impaired? Our +90 GMA isn't totally blind (just mostly) but the remote buttons are too difficult for her to navigate properly. 

 

remotes

7 Replies

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  • dakotagirl1936's avatar
    dakotagirl1936
    Newbie
    3 years ago

    it so hard to get help from roku. my mother is having a hard time with black remote cant see it . is there any remotes that are white. or can you use a universal remote?

    • Manoiron's avatar
      Manoiron
      Newbie
      3 years ago

      I am having exact same problem. The remote for the Roku tv and the Roku stick, needs to be larger with large backlight buttons. My mom and dad are both in mid 90's they watch 2 channels and memorized the channels, so large backlight numbers should be included on remote for seniors. There is no need for any of those app buttons on a remote for seniors who are elderly, they are just confusing and useless.  

      • RokuKarla's avatar
        RokuKarla
        Retired Moderator
        3 years ago

        Hi Manoiron

        Thanks for reaching out here in the Community!

        We appreciate your input regarding the large backlight buttons feature of the Roku remote. Feel free to share additional feedback, and ideas then post them here at Suggest a Feature.

        We strive to provide the best experience possible, and we always appreciate feedback from our customers.


        Regards,
        Karla

    • Tivoburkee's avatar
      Tivoburkee
      Community Streaming Expert
      3 years ago

      If she has the Voice Pro remote you can buy white cover for it:

       

      Amazon.com: Glow White Remote Cover Replacement for Roku Voice Remote 2021, Silicone Sleeve with Lanyard : Electronics

       

      As for using Universal remote it depends on the model of Roku, if it's a Stick, then no a universal remote won't work. If it accepts IR commands like express, premiere, ultra or Roku tv, then yes it can be controlled via an aftermarket universal. Roku doesn't sell universal remotes. 

  • skyanchor's avatar
    skyanchor
    Newbie
    4 years ago

    Here's what a friend did for his elderly mother. A few of things the white paint like this accomplishes, I presume:
    1) It enhances the contrast of where the buttons are physically located on the remote, to make them stand out much better.
    2) It also makes it easier to identify which end of the remote a person is holding when they pick it up in a dimly lit room.
    3) It emphasizes the important, most commonly used buttons on the remote for the person using the remote.

    This suggests how Roku may want to think about accommodating a large number of their elderly and vision impaired users in the future? There are sins of omission and neglect: when you know you can do something that costs little to improve people's lives, but fail to act, what does that say about your values as a person or company? I know there are 3rd party big button universal remotes out there, but many may be unaware that such options are available. Furthermore these remotes may not fully support the ROKU, be more complex to navigate, be cumbersome to hold for some due to their overly large size, and require difficult configuration to initially set up. 
    No photo description available.