I was really excited when I heard HBO was going to launch HBO NOW, an online subscription service much like Netflix. I’m blind, and I had hoped that HBO would follow the lead of their competitor, Netflix, and give their shows an “audio description” track -- it’s an audio setting that describes the action on-screen for people like me who have impaired vision.

So you can imagine how disappointed I was to find out that, not only does HBO NOW have no audio description setting, but HBO doesn’t even have this simple feature on their cable TV channels, either!

Blind people like me should be able to enjoy HBO’s original programs too. Tell HBO to catch up with Netflix and other competitors, and offer an "audio description" setting for their original programs.

I would love to be able to experience the award-winning shows HBO has produced, and I know I’m not alone. There are about seven million people in the United States with a visual disability. And while thankfully more content with audio description is being made available all the time, HBO hasn’t budged when it comes to providing this basic service.

Until HBO catches up and provides a descriptive audio setting, even if I pay for a subscription, I can’t experience shows like Game of Thrones, or True Detective. Often the screen is just too dark, or it's not at all clear from the sound alone what's happening on the screen. I can’t even enjoy the HBO documentary Dark Light: The Art of Blind Photographers, because HBO hasn’t been described for the blind!

Tell HBO it’s time to catch up with other content producers like Netflix and pledge to include “audio description” on all of their original programs for the seven million Americans with vision impairments.