TV Accessible for the First Time for the Blind Christmas Eve via Star-Studded Eyes of Christmas Telecast Live Streaming Worldwide on the Eyes of Christmas YouTube Channel

Los Angeles (PRWEB) December 24, 2013 -- Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, television becomes accessible for the blind nationally for the first time ever via live streaming on the world wide web on the "Eyes of Christmas" Channel on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnKGGnCqLck&feature=em-upload_owner

Some of Hollywood’s top stars, including Tom Hanks, Nichole Kidman, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Samuel Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and others lend their voices and music, sharing their favorite Christmas memories so the blind can experience the beauty of the holiday season through the described "Eyes of Christmas" telecast. The holiday special allows millions of visually-disabled children and adults to enjoy the season through the “eyes” of top celebrities, who share their personal memories of the season. The telecast, which streams live on the world wide web throughout the night, kicks off with a special broadcast by NBC of "It’s a Wonderful Life," described for the blind via the SAP channel by George H.W. Bush. The "Eyes of Christmas" telecast, produced by RP International, the nation’s leading non-profit fighting degenerative eye diseases, is the brain-child of blind activist/producer/painter and former Woodland Hills housewife Helen J. Harris, who has pioneered descriptions of such major movies as "Titanic," "Braveheart," "Forrest Gump," "Apollo 13," and "Star Wars" for the blind.

Top Hollywood Studios participating in the telecast include Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Disney Studios, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers, with movie clips from their blockbuster holiday releases. The telecast also features Christmas footage from around the globe, narrated by Bob Costas, as well as music from Sting, U2, 98 Degrees, Christina Aguilera, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny G, Natalie Cole, and Jennifer Lopez. The "Eyes of Christmas" telecast is the only nationally-broadcasted accessible program available for the blind and visually disabled broadcast world-wide on Christmas Eve, allowing the visually impaired to experience the true beauty of the holiday season through the eyes of those who have the precious gift of sight.

Helen Harris, says, “Christmas Eve is often the darkest night of the year, and we try to bring light to those who live in darkness, as well as share some of the exciting breakthroughs in reversing blindness through retinal cell transplant research, which offers the promise of restoring sight in the next five-to-ten years.”

Harris has pioneered described entertainment through a process she created called TheatreVision™, which allows the visual description of entertainment programming, so the visually impaired can experience on-screen action of movies, television, video, and music videos. As a home-maker in her 30s, Harris and two of her three sons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a progressive degenerative eye disease. Over the years, Harris has enlisted hundreds of Hollywood stars, studios, and networks in her campaign to make entertainment accessible to the visually impaired. Harris is a cancer survivor and author of multiple books, including "How to Survive Losing Vision."

For donations or further information on the "Eyes of Christmas" telecast, please visit http://www.rpinternational.org or http://www.eyesofchristmas.org/press-releases/ or call 1-800-FIGHT-RP.

Helen Harris, [email protected], http://RPInternational.org, +1 (818) 992-0631, [email protected]