YouTube alternative specifically for blind, low vision, and hard of hearing people.

There are laws regulating the accessibility of media on public platforms, however, a lot of them are not followed or are followed inadequately by private companies.<br><br>Considering the need to create a platform that caters to the visually impaired and hearing impaired I reckon it would be a great idea to create a platform for them.<br><br>Here is a possible idea:<br><br>1. Sign up process: Users can sign up and choose from being visually impaired or hearing impaired if not both.<br><br>2. Upon choosing, the UI changes depending on the users' needs. For instance, if a user is visually impaired, there would be voice-to-text throughout the platform. Big buttons and text in general, and a very minimalist UI if possible.<br><br>3. Accessibility Options: There will be a dedicated section for accessibility options that apply to both visually impaired and hearing impaired such as closed captions/subtitles, screen reader, audio descriptions, high contrast mode, dictation and more.<br><br>4. Content and Monetization: Creators can upload their videos and choose to make them either monetized or free. If a video is monetized, there will be ads and a small portion of the ad revenue will go to a charity that helps blind, hard-of-hearing or disable people. Video content can range from vlogging, cooking, how-tos, product reviews, tutorials, music, etc. Creators will be able to sell their own merchandise, and we'll have to figure out a way to make the merchandise accessible in-store or online for visually impaired or hard of hearing people.<br><br>5. Audio Description: Because blind people cannot see, they wouldn’t be able to comprehend the visuals from a video unless they hear a voiceover explaining what’s going on on the screen, or they would need a way to navigate between different parts of a video by voice commands. There’s a lot of laws regulating audio descriptions; for example, from my understanding law says that TV content providers need to provide between 3-4 hours of audio description per day, however, I am not sure if it applies to Youtubers.<br><br>6. Front Page and Recommendation Algorithm: Since there would be different accessibility needs, I am not sure if we could cater to everyone's needs in terms of UI but we could change the home screen and recommendation algorithm based on user type. Also, accessibility options on the homepage can be easily accessible and they can be changed throughout the app.<br><br>7. Gaming Content: Since visually impaired people cannot see, they might use controllers designed for visually impaired users. We could also add voice commands for them or instructions to help them navigate the game.<br><br>8. Voice Commands: We could create a voice command for visually impaired users to navigate the app, watch videos or access different features of the app. They could use voice commands to access different parts of the video, for instance: “show me what’s in the fridge” or “Play the recipe” etc.<br><br>9. Screen Reader: The app would come with a built-in screen reader that could be turned on and off and adjusted to different speeds. This feature will also be available on the website.<br><br>10. Colorblind Mode: There will be a colorblind mode that converts the UI to a different color scheme that makes it easily distinguishable for users with color vision deficiency.<br><br>11. Closed Captions Overlay: For users with hearing impairments or people who watch videos with captions, closed captions would be overlayed on top of the video. If there is background music or audio effects the screen reader could read out the name of the sounds being played in the background.<br><br>12. Highlighted Closed Captions: If there is a lot of people talking in the background, the closed captions of the person talking will highlight so the viewer knows who is talking.<br><br>13. Audio and Video Descriptions: Images and Videos would come with audio or video descriptions which would be voiceovers explaining what’s going on in the image or video.<br><br>14. Focus Mode: When a video is being displayed, there will be a focus mode that zooms in on the video and removes any other UI elements on the homepage to minimize any distractions.<br><br>15. Customer Support: Customer support, whether by phone, chat or email, will be available 24/7. The customer support staff will be trained in understanding the needs of both visually impaired and hearing impaired people and will do their best to resolve customer complaints.<br><br>16. TTS for Comments: Just like Youtube, users would be able to comment on videos. However, because visually impaired users cannot read, the screen reader will read out comments from other viewers, and if a user with a visual impairment wants to post a comment they could do so by voice commands or voice-to-text.<br><br>17. Voice-to-Text: If users want to search for something on the app there will be a voice-to-text for visually impaired users.<br><br>18. Keyboard Navigation: The app and website will be fully navigable by keyboard only.<br><br>19. Accessible Keyboard Shortcuts: Accessible shortcuts will be available within the app and website for visually impaired users.<br><br>20. Website: The website will be fully accessible for both visually impaired and hearing impaired users.<br><br>21. Mobile App: The app will be available on iOS and Android. There will be a screen reader built-in, voice-to-text, voice commands and more.<br><br>22. Dark Mode: There will be a dark mode and high contrast mode available. Users can also set a schedule for both dark mode and light mode.<br><br>23. Tutorials: Tutorials on how to use the app will be provided in both video and audio formats. Voice commands will be available throughout the website and app.<br><br>24. Hardware and Software Accessibility: We could provide resources and tips on software and hardware that can be used by visually impaired and hearing impaired individuals from screen readers, braille displays, gesture-controlled technology and more.<br><br>25. Companions: I’m not sure of this, but maybe, just maybe it could work. We could add a companion feature where a visually impaired or blind person could have a “companion” account where a blind person logs into their account from their phone/computer and a companion logs into their account from their phone/computer and the companion will see the same screen as the blind person. The companion can then give voice commands to guide the blind person through a task.<br><br>26. Accounts: There will be different types of accounts such as creator, personal, subscription, etc. <br><br>27. AR Features: Accessibility features will be integrated into Augmented Reality features.<br><br>28. VR Features: Accessibility features will be integrated into Virtual Reality features.<br><br>29. Translations: The app and website will be translated to different languages.<br><br>30. Accounts: There will be different types of accounts such as creator, personal, subscription, etc. There will be special discounts for visually impaired and hearing impaired people.<br><br>31. Community Forums: There will be a community forum for feedback, concerns, ideas, etc.