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LightHouse for the Blind Hosts Insider’s Conversation with Head of Comcast’s Accessibility Lab

2 months ago

A true pioneer in the accessibility field, Tom Wlodkowski, Vice President of Accessibility for Comcast was the featured guest at a recent event hosted by LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco.

This accessibility-focused event allowed Tom to share how Comcast is opening new doors to independence for people of all abilities and to drive awareness for the Comcast philosophy that by making a product more inclusive it creates a better experience for everyone.

Throughout the fireside chat with Scott Blanks, Senior Director of Programs for LightHouse, Tom spoke about the numerous innovations he and his team have created. From the award-winning Xfinity X1 Voice Guidance text-to-speech interface and the web-based Xfinity Adaptive Remote to implementing a dedicated support center specifically tailored for customers with disabilities, Tom and his team define the strategy to ensure current and future Comcast products and services include customers of all abilities.

The event was a unique opportunity for attendees to hear more about the Comcast Accessibility Lab, which provides an interactive atmosphere where accessibility features are at the forefront of everything the team does as they strive to find the next breakthrough for those with disabilities.

Toward the end of the event, Erin Lauridsen, Director of Access Technology for LightHouse, facilitated a Q&A with attendees that included LightHouse members, students, donors and board members.

Tom closed the event – which took place on Giving Tuesday – by announcing Comcast was contributing $50,000 to LightHouse for the Blind. The organization plays an instrumental role in the accessibility community and beyond—from empowering blind and vision-impaired people with the basic skills to navigate everything from reading braille to equipping them with digital and technology skills.

Comcast is proud to be a long-standing partner, supporting LightHouse’s incredible programs and services that have impacted thousands of blind and visually impaired people. It’s for this reason, that the Comcast Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to LightHouse for the Blind for their digital and technology programs to empower more students with the skills necessary to succeed in their education, careers and lives.

To learn more, and experience the event for yourself, please check out this video.

Filed Under: California News, Community Investment, Customer Experience, XFINITY Products & Services

Public Safety Power Shutoff

An Xfinity technician examines a forest

Preparing for PSPS Events

Many of us are looking forward to a return to some form of normalcy as we work to rebuild and recover from the public health crisis. Californians are clever, resilient and optimistic people and we will find joy in every season no matter what happens.

While this year will probably feel very different, one thing that will, unfortunately, remain consistent is the threat of wildfires. June 1 was the official start of fire season and at Comcast we are working tirelessly to ensure we continue to serve our customers.

Concurrent with fire season, in many parts of California, we anticipate planned power outages – called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) – during this time, which runs from June through November. When gusty winds and dry conditions are forecasted, combined with a heightened fire risk, electricity providers pre-emptively turn off the power to protect the public.

Comcast’s Internet, TV and landline telephone services for homes and businesses require commercial power to operate. During a PSPS event, these Comcast services may stop functioning within hours after the commercial power is shut off. Mobile phone service may also be affected by a PSPS event.

Comcast understands this disruption to services is frustrating and has a major impact on people’s lives and businesses. The safety of our communities and employees is our utmost priority and Comcast takes care during PSPS events to ensure public safety.

Comcast also takes care during PSPS events to ensure we’re keeping our customers informed. We’ve sent a letter and an email to our customers with important information about how to keep informed during wildfire season.

You may also see public service announcements on your local news channel reminding you how these power outages may affect your services.

Here are a few things you can do now to be prepared:

  • Confirm your contact information at xfinity.com/myaccount—We will use this information to contact you if we expect a service disruption caused by a planned power outage. You can also use My Account to check if your service has been restored.
  • Comcast Business customers can check their My Account app or the Comcast Business Status Center to get information and valuable updates.
  • Download your favorite shows and movies for offline viewing—With the Xfinity Stream app, you can watch shows and movies offline in case you lose power.
  • Download the Xfinity Connect App to receive Xfinity Voice calls via your mobile phone—Xfinity Voice customers can make and receive calls with their Xfinity phone number using their mobile phone.
  • Visit the Comcast California Blog where we will post information, updates and answers to commonly asked questions. On the blog, we’ve launched a special PSPS web page where you can get additional information.
  • Follow us on Twitter — our handle is @ComcastCA and we regularly post valuable updates.

Even if power is off, Comcast’s team never stops working for you. From our family to yours, we hope you remain safe.

Comcast Business

PODCAST ALERT: How Technology has and will help Reopen and Transform the Hospitality Industry in California

2 weeks ago

According to Visit California, the state is expected to lose $78.8 billion in travel spending from the highest travel in 2019 and is not expected to go back to those levels until 2024. Hotels and restaurants are facing new challenges as they prepare to reopen, and health and safety measures are under the microscope like […]

Community Impact

A Look Back at 2020: Our Year in Review

3 weeks ago

Photo caption (Left to Right): Chinese New Year Parade in January 2020, Lift Zones announcement at Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, a Comcast technician examines an area after it had been burned from a wildfire, Comcast Leaders & Achievers scholarship winner, Black Joy Parade attendees in February 2020, Comcast’s accessibility leader joins a virtual LightHouse for the Blind event.  Across the company and […]

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