Today, there are more than 70 million people aged 60 and above in the European Union. According to Eurostat, over the next 15 years, the population aged 65 and over will increase by 22%. Many of these citizens will experience dexterity, cognitive, hearing, and sight problems in later life. This means that more than one in seven adults in Europe will have hearing problems. Some 7.4 million people already suffering uncorrectable sight loss will add to the number of European citizens experiencing some form of sensory impairment (Stallard, 2003). Interactive digital television (iTV) is evolving into an enhanced entertainment and information service. There are various degrees of interactivity in digital television: pressing a simple remote control button, sending information back and forth, or servicing providers by means of a return path. If they are to be adopted, interactive facilities need to be usable by viewers, even because, as Jacob Neilsen points out, “increased accessibility for users with disabilities almost invariably leads directly to improved usability for all users” (Slatin & Rush, 2003). Unfortunately, interactive digital television design appears to have been based on the conceptual models of keyboard-based systems, but their users, skills, goals and attitude of interaction differ. The TV audience is more diverse, some having no prior computer experience. It must be realised that iTV is not a PC and therefore cannot be treated as such.
