They mean well, of course they do, but when it comes to asking a family member for technical support or help learning a new skill, things can quickly go sideways. What starts as a loving gesture, often turns into a test of your patience, and theirs. There is no need to blame age or ability for what seems to be an emotionally charged exchange with the geek you love. It’s all about family dynamics, which is why tech support is best delivered by a qualified non-relative.
Here are some tech support and training resources specifically helpful for older adults.
Senior Planet from AARP – call hotline at 888-713-3495 for answers to troubleshoot tech related questions. Learn about their free, online and in-person classes for older adults. Topics covered include computer basics, internet navigation, social media, using smartphones and tablets. They also offer classes on specific apps, online safety, and using technology to manage health and finances. SeniorPlanet.org
Public Library – More and more libraries are offering free tech support and training programs. They may have regularly scheduled classes and even individualized help administered by qualified volunteers. Contact your local library today and inquire.
Apple – The Apple Stores offer free personal setup, numerous workshops scheduled daily, Genius Bar to help you solve issues or fix problems, and Accessibility Support 24/7 by phone at 877.204.3930 for people with visual, hearing, learning and physical impairments.
HadleyHelps.org offers an impressive series of video tutorials, for adults with vision loss, on Android, Apple, Computer Skills, Books & TV, Alexa and Zoom. If you have questions, reach out to Hadley by phone at 800-323-4238, or email [email protected].
Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk at 800.936.5900 provides free technical support to customers with vision or hearing impairments and other disabilities, on Microsoft products and accessibility features. This includes assistance with Windows, Office, Xbox, and adaptive accessories.
Community and Senior Centers – are offering more in the way of technology support and training, as well. Contact your local center and ask about their programs. In this setting, you’ll be learning from and with your peers.
Before you begin to expand your horizons, here are a few tips that can help you ease into the learning process with realistic expectations.
Focus on learning one thing at a time. Classes and workshops may cover more elements than you can absorb in one session. Be happy to learn a couple of new things each time and come back for the rest later.
Know the key to successful learning is rooted in repetition. You don’t learn to do something on the first try. Repeat it 20 times and suddenly you are the master. Learning to navigate a touch screen is mostly about how many times you touch that screen every day. After a while, it’s just second nature — ingrained in your sense memory.
A learning curve causes discomfort across the entire spectrum of age, whether your eyesight is good, or not. Keep things in perspective by allowing yourself credit for your successes.
Post originally published September 1, 2017 and updated June 13, 2025
Since it’s initial launch in 2017, the Seeing AI app from Microsoft is the gift that keeps giving to visually impaired people. We embraced the intelligent camera for it’s ability to translate text, images, objects and environments into spoken words. Even as it inspired many competitors, Seeing AI has maintained it’s prominent position. As the software continued to improve, the app’s interface did not change much…until now.
The Seeing AI interface has been consolidated into 3 main tabs labeled: Read, Describe and More. The idea was to streamline what was previously a dedicated “channel” for each feature. The result does not seem simplified, at first, and it takes some getting used to. Here’s how the reshuffled tabs lay out.
Seeing AI graphic image with app icon overlay. Image credit: Microsoft
READ Tab
The first tab combines three channels, from previous versions, for reading Short Text, Documents and Handwriting. Point the camera at any text, or handwritten words, and it will read instantly. Taking a picture of the text may improve accuracy and will allow you to ask for more information.
DESCRIBE Tab
In the second tab, take a photo of an environment and it will be described to you in detail, including recognition of objects and people. This feature offers option to have photos in your library described, and to ask for more information or explore image by touch.
MORE Tab
The third tab is home to all the remaining channels, seven in all, each standing on it’s own.
PRODUCT – Reads barcodes and accessible QR codes. Audio guidance helps you find the code, then scans it. In the grocery store, for example, the code might identify the brand and flavor on the ice cream container, or the fat content of the milk, or if the bread is wheat or white.
PERSON – Use the camera to scan and tell you about the people nearby. Facial descriptions include an estimate of age and expression. Set face recognition to announce the name of someone you know when they come into view.
CURRENCY – Select the paper currency you wish to identify (choose from 17 currency options) and hold the camera over a single note to hear the value.
WORLD — An experimental combination of artificial intelligence and augmented reality helps you navigate unfamiliar indoor spaces in 3D guided by spatial audio using headphones. Caution is advised and feedback is appreciated.
FIND MY THINGS — Teach Seeing AI to recognize the items you often find yourself searching for, like keys, wallet, AirPods, sunglasses, etc. Follow the prompts to take videos of the item and save it to your list. Once set up, the camera can scan the environment to help you locate the selected item through audible beeps that quicken as you get closer to it.
COLOR – Point the camera at an item and it will identify the color.
LIGHT – For users with no light perception, this channel indicates intensity and direction of light through audible tone and pitch changes.
The Seeing AI app is available for iOS on the App Store, and for Android on Google Play.
Get quick help at the upper right corner on every channel.
Feedback helps improve the app, so do share your thoughts through the app menu or by email to [email protected].
Post originally published on Jan 19, 2018 and most recently updated Apr 16, 2025
Planning is pivotal to successfully navigating many of life’s experiences and particularly important when traveling with a visual impairment. A bit of minor organizing will alleviate worries about getting around airports, terminals, and hotels.
Learning to ask for assistance is a very good skill to develop when living with vision loss, so go ahead and embrace this opportunity to practice. Don’t be too self-conscious, you’re not asking for anything extraordinary, just requesting information, most likely directional in nature.
Seeking help while moving through an airport or train terminal, isn’t at all unusual. It may not be obvious to others that you are not able to see a sign or location they are pointing to, in which case it is appropriate to say so and ask for a more detailed description.
Arrange for Meet and Assist
Greatly reduce the stress of navigating a busy travel hub by asking for assistance at the time of booking. Your need for accommodation will be registered in the system and may also be indicated on the ticket or boarding pass.
Meet and Assist are airport accommodations that provide a sighted trained escort who is able to accelerate the journey through security and to the gate. They will show you the location of the restroom and snack bar before alerting the gate staff of your arrival. For ease of transport, a wheelchair may be offered, which you can accept or decline.
Assistance can be arranged from arrival through destination, including connecting flights, depending on your needs.
Airport terminal attendants checking in people.
Priority Boarding
At the gate, help is available for boarding and locating your assigned seat. It’s always a good idea to take advantage of priority boarding and get settled before the plane fills up. Early boarding and assistance are also available at railway terminals.
Luggage Identification
We recommend traveling light and with carrying-on luggage instead of checking. These days, it’s the smarter and more economical choice for all travelers. It’s always best to carry a bag you can easily identify. If the bag is basic black, mark it with a bright ribbon or unique luggage tag.
Hotel Accessibility
At the time of booking and at check-in, request help and get acquainted with the hotel. Request a room near the elevator. Ask for assistance getting to the room. Get familiar with elevator and buttons for your floor and lobby. It’s also good to review how to turn on/off the TV, AC, etc.
Don’t hesitate to request assistance if you need it. Concierge and hotel staff are eager to make you comfortable. Gratuities are always appreciated.
Even if you’re not traveling alone, do these things anyway, it makes the trip easier to deal with for everyone.
An earlier version of this post was published Apr 7, 2022 and updated Mar 13, 2025.
Ride-hailing apps offer a cash-less convenience, that is often quicker and cheaper than the taxis and car services we once depended on. They also add a most welcome element of freedom to the non-driving population.
While we were patiently awaiting the self-driving car, the transportation concept, formerly known as “taxicab,” was disrupted by technology. The driver is still completely necessary, but the method of getting a ride, where and when you want it, is now transacted primarily on mobile apps. Uber and Lyft are the dominant services, and there are others to choose from depending on your location. Finding a service / app that works for you will help to keep the process within your comfort zone. If ride-hailing apps are just not your thing, there are options for ordering the cars by phone.
Making transportation more accessible, naturally has many upsides, and of course, there a few downsides as well. Here are some tips for getting yourself the smoothest ride.
Silver car with a Lyft sticker on the windshield.
Ordering A Car
With app downloaded and account created, set pickup location, select destination, choose ride type, confirm pickup, review driver details and head to pickup location.
Cars can be ordered for immediate pickup or scheduled in advance.
Uber rides can also be ordered alternatively, without the app, from a mobile phone, by calling 1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237). Car and driver details are confirmed to you by text message.
Cars from Uber and Lyft can also be ordered by phone through GoGo Grandparent, a service that manages the process and the ride for an added fee.
Hand holding up smartphone to display yellow screen for Uber Spotlight. Image credit: Uber
Finding the Car
The apps provide the license plate, make and model of the car, the name and a photo of the driver, and an alert when the car has arrived. None of these details are helpful if you are unable to identify those elements visually. In a quiet location or at a private home, the car will be obvious. On a busy city street, finding the car is usually a challenge for anyone, particularly when you are blind or have low vision.
Speak directly with the driver, through the app, and let them know you are visually impaired, and tell them exactly where you are waiting, so they can get to where you are or let you know exactly where they are.
Ask the driver to honk twice to help you identify the car.
Use Uber’s Spotlight feature, in crowded locations and at night, by tapping the Spotlight button on the bottom right corner of the app. Your phone screen lights up with an assigned color, the driver sees the same color on their screen. Holding up the light helps them find you.
To confirm you have the right car, ask the driver “Who are you picking up?,” or “What is your name?”
Order an Uber Assist or Lyft Assist, in areas where it is available, and the driver will meet you at your front door and see you to the door of your destination.
Safety Measures
Communicate your trip details to family or friends through sharing options in the apps.
There is an emergency button in most apps, but even quicker to call 911.
Give Feedback
We always recommend providing feedback. If there are ways your experience could be improved, say so. Your suggestions can ultimately benefit all ride-sharers.
Post originally published Apr 19, 2019 and updated Feb 6, 2025
This article was originally published April 1, 2017 and most recently updated on October 23, 2024.
With a welcomed emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, numerous companies now offer specialized support services for customers with vision loss. They are there to help you get the most out of their products and to ensure your devices are set right to accommodate your needs. This is an effort we greatly appreciate and are delighted to spread the word.
Call to speak with an accessibility specialist who can help you buy books and other products, or get you directly to tech support for Amazon devices and services including Alexa, Kindle & Fire Tablet. Hands raised triumphantly for accessible and inclusive smartphones.
Arrange the assistance you need for navigating the airport, security screening, location of gate, seat number, connecting flights, baggage claim and ground transportation.
For users of Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, or Mac – this is a gift. It is a special support line reserved for customers with vision, hearing, motor, and learning impairments. Senior AppleCare specialists are available 24/7 to help you get your Accessibility Settings right, answer your questions, and resolve your technical issues. They’ll even teach you a thing or two.
AT&T
National Center for Citizens with Disabilities (NCCD)
Call Comcast’s Accessibility Support Center to speak with a specially trained representative about accessibility features. You can also communicate via email at: [email protected].
A special and all-inclusive service from Delta, for customers with accessibility needs, book your air travel and accessibility assistance, all together.
Google
To request a call back, from a Google Disability support specialist, complete this online form.
Call an accessibility specialist at Google through the BeMyEyes app on a smartphone or tablet. Click the ‘Service Directory tab’ button on the app’s home page, select Google in the Technical tab.
Google Technical Support: 855-971-9121 may (or may not) be able to help with accessibility questions, depends on the specialist you connect with.
Contact an accessibility specialist at the LinkedIn Disability Answer Desk through the Be My Eyes app, on a smartphone or tablet; click the Specialized Help button on the apps home page, then select Technical to get to LinkedIn.
The features you need to make your PC ‘vision friendly’ are built right into Windows – unfortunately, many people don’t know that. Microsoft recognized this as a significant problem and put in place a support team specialized in accessibility. So dial them up and get your computer set up to work for you (not against you). And, to make it even easier on yourself — allow them remote access to your PC and they can make the adjustments.
Peloton
The Accessibility Team at Peloton will answer your questions and give you a call, if you request it by email to: accessibility@onepeloton.com.
Contact the Accessibility Team at Samsung for answers to questions, large and small, about all Samsung products. Reach out by phone or email: [email protected] to request a call back.
For general support in the U.S. contact Samsung at: 800-726-7864 by text or voice.
Get help from your smartphone or tablet with any questions you may have about Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming service. Speak to a trained customer service specialist on BME; go to Specialized Help, Technical, then Spotify.
T-Mobile has an Accessibility Support web page. It says, “T-Mobile will provide accessible support for wireless network service and billing inquiries. Please contact our Accessibility Customer Care at 1-833-428-1785 if you have any questions or need special assistance. For additional support, please contact Customer Care.”
Arrange the assistance you need for navigating the airport, security screening, location of gate, seat number, connecting flights, baggage claim and ground transportation.
Free 411 for your home phone and for your mobile phone. Get your bills in the format of your choice…large print or digital. They can help you with anything else pertaining to your home phone service.
It can sometimes be challenging to get information about accessibility features that make your mobile phone, or tablet, work for you. Questions about enlarging text, using voice commands effectively, or using the screen reader, often remain unanswered when posed to your store representative. That should be the case no more – now there is a customer service and technical support center dedicated to helping people maximize the accessibility features built into all of Verizon’s mobile devices. Let them help you get your device set just right for you, from 8am – 9pm EST, Monday – Friday.
We will continue adding Accessibility Support services as we discover them. Please let us know if you know of any before we do, and we’ll share by posting to this list.
The iPhone is quite possibly the most adopted device ever, for people with vision loss. This is because it is accessible out-of-the-box, even if you can’t see the screen at all. If there is one good reason to use an iPhone, there are a hundred good reasons. Here are the top 10.
How to turn on Accessibility on iPhone
To find Accessibility in iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision. Here you will discover options to personalize settings for VoiceOver, Zoom, Display & Text Size, Spoken Content and Siri. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to use the #1 tip on this list, call Apple Accessibility Support at 877-204-3930.
1. Live accessibility support is always available. Apple has an Accessibility Support line that you can reach at 877-204-3930. This line is dedicated to addressing the needs of customers with visual, hearing, motor and learning impairments. Don’t go at it alone, call for help 24/7. Get expert assistance with all features in this post, and more.
2. VoiceOver makes it possible to use the iPhone even if you can’t see the screen. VoiceOver is the intuitively designed, gesture-based screen reader that enables people with low vision or total blindness to fully access the iPhone. Touch or drag your finger around the screen and VoiceOver tells you what’s there. Swipe left or right to move from one element to the next. Double-tap to activate a link. VoiceOver is speech output; you do not speak to it, it speaks to you. Click for a list of VoiceOver Gestures.
3. Siri is ready to follow your voice commands. Siri, your virtual assistant, will send text messages, place calls, schedule a meeting, and even turn VoiceOver on and off. Communicate hands free with “Hey Siri” and Siri will always speak responses, so ask a question and hear the answer spoken. Learn more at these links on OE: 10 Things Siri Will Do If You Ask and 10 MORE Things Siri .
4. Dictation turns your speech to text. Whenever there is a keyboard, there is the option to dictate instead of typing. Tap the microphone key and speak as your words are converted to text. The microphone key is usually located at the lower right corner, below the keyboard or to the left of the space bar. Get started with this step-by-step tutorial: Are You A Dictator?
5. Speak Screen reads to you upon request. Turn on Speak Screen in Accessibility Settings, under the heading: Spoken Content. Turn on Speech Controller and an expandable button will appear on every page, allowing you to adjust voice speed, go back, pause or go forward. Learn more about The Freedom of Speech.
6. Make the screen easier to see. A simple adjustment to Display and Brightness or Accessibility Settings can make your screen easier to read. Try more or less bright, increase the size of text and consider making it bold.
7. Pinch to Zoom. To get a closer look at an image, tap it to expand, then use thumb and index finger to pinch out on screen and zoom in.
8. The camera turns into a Magnifier with light. Turn on the Magnifier in Accessibility Settings and the iPhone’s camera will increase the size of anything you point it at, up to 15x. See details more clearly, and use the flash to light the object. More about this on OE at: Using the iPhone Magnifier.
9. Safari Reader makes web pages easier to read. Tap the AA at left of address bar for page settings, then select Show Reader. This feature magically removes ads and other elements that clutter the page, leaving only the content you want to read without distractions.
10. Spoken feedback and image recognition assist your photography. Using VoiceOver, the camera will say how many faces and where they are in the frame. Hear where and when the photos were taken, and touch the image with 3 fingers to hear description or read text in the photo.
Siri is the virtual assistant from Apple, available to help you in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac. We can set “Hey Siri” to respond to our voice without touching the device, or we can summon Siri with a short press on the home button.
Siri can help us, amuse us, and amaze us. Here are some of the things Siri will do. You just have to know how to ask. When used with VoiceOver, Siri always speaks back.
Top 20 Siri Voice Commands
Open an app…”Open Camera.”
Reminders…”Remind me to bring home milk.”
Weather…”What is the weather in Seattle?”
Make a phone call…”Call Mitchell.”
Text message…”Tell Evan I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”
Email…”Send an email to Danielle.”
Clock…”What is the time in Rome?”
Set an alarm…”Wake me at 6.”
Music…”Play Let It Be.”
For more you can just ask Siri…”What can you do for me?”
Settings…”Turn on Do Not Disturb.” And more.
Translate…”How do you say Good Morning in Spanish?”
Finding the right gift, for someone who has a visual impairment, can be complicated. Great gifts come in many forms and at many prices. So, as usual, we are including some gifts that don’t cost a lot and some that don’t cost anything, because the gift of empowerment is priceless!
Gift Box With A White Ribbon In Female Hands. Gift Giving. The Woman Gives A Gift. Birthday Present.
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⭐️These Gifts are Priceless…
• OE Subscription – Free
Sign someone you love up for monthly email updates providing the best practical tips and most encouraging advice for living with vision loss. And get them connected to the OE Patients Podcast, a must for listeners with low vision, available on OE, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This free app connects visually impaired and blind users with 4 million sighted volunteers, ready to lend a good pair of eyes, or get specialized help from Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Spotify, Accessible Pharmacy and many more.
A must-have stocking stuffer. This is the most coveted and appreciated writing tool for low vision users. Its dark bold line never bleeds through paper. Buy on Amazon.
• AutoDrop – $7
Another great stocking stuffer that everyone will thank you for. This guide for getting the drops into the eye, not all over the face, is inexpensive enough to give in multiples.
Image shows vibrant and delicious looking freshly picked oranges.
• A Case of Oranges -$30+
Citrus is getting a lot of good press, and oranges are always a crowd pleaser. We are learning that an orange a day, may keep the vision loss at bay, particularly in the case of age-related macular degeneration. Send someone you love a case and help them get into the regular habit of enjoying the benefits.
Treat someone you love to a subscription and they’ll get to enjoy 1 new audiobook, of their choosing, each month.
Visit the Audible website and you might even find a special deal.
Image shows hand holding smartphone while using Aira app in supermarket.
• Aira – $30+ a month
Everyone with vision loss should know there are professionally trained agents available on this subscription based service to assist with all kinds of tasks through the smartphone camera, on the Aira app. Call for help reading cooking directions, setting a thermostat or appliance setting, confirming a location and reading text. Help is also available fee free at guest locations like: AT&T, Bank of America, Starbucks, Target, Walgreens and Wegmans.
Subscriptions begin at $29 a month for 30 minutes.
Fund a subscription or give a gift credit at: Aira.io
Call Customer Care: 800-835-1934
• GoGo Grandparent – $10+ a month
The service will not only get you an Uber or a Lyft without a smartphone, it now accepts phone orders for delivery of meals and groceries. Open an account for someone you love or upgrade them to GoGo Gold. Here’s how it works:
A most desirable gift for anyone, but particularly sweet and thoughtful for someone with vision loss who depends on the audible features of their mobile devices. Pairs with Apple devices without needing even a click.
This gift will eliminate the potential for self-loathing that occurs when you can’t find keys, wallets or other personal essentials. A small disk is attached to lead you to the item or prevent it’s loss to begin with.
At this point, the Amazon Kindle is a classic e-Reader and an old favorite among people needing a boost in contrast or font size. The Kindle Paperwhite is a great choice and one of the truly easy electronics to operate.
Alexa, Google, Siri, it’s your pick, we love them all! A variety of models to choose from, with something for everyone. This is a most desirable gift and it’s perfectly fine to have more than one around the house.
The voice-controlled smart speaker connects to the intelligent assistant Alexa. Ask for news, weather, sports scores, trivia. It will read you a book or order your groceries, and that’s just the beginning. This item has been widely adopted by people with low vision and blindness. It’s good for everyone!
Gift cards are the most popular gift in America, they provide benefit to the giver and the receiver, especially easy when they’re digital. It is perhaps the most thoughtful gift of all, to fund the gift your recipient desires.
A total solar eclipse will happen on April 8th. It will travel a path that stretches through parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. The planetary event is expected to attract many millions of eyes. Watching without the protection of authentic eclipse glasses or filters, puts all eyes at risk of retinal damage.
The solar eclipse occurs as the moon passes in front of the sun, obscuring the light and casting a dark shadow on parts of earth. The darkening of the sun, is the phase called Totality, lasting only a few brief moments. At this point they say it is “safe” to take the glasses off for a “moment.” Just don’t forget to put them back on. Retinal damage happens without warning. The damage is known as solar retinopathy and there is no treatment. Doctors urge caution. The effects range from minor to severe. Sometimes the eyes recover, sometimes they don’t.
The rare opportunity creates a buying frenzy for special eclipse glasses. Tens of millions of eclipse glasses have been sold. The soaring demand for these special glasses brings out the counterfeiters, so it’s difficult to trust or verify product authenticity and safety. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends referring to the list of eclipse products that conform to standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and published by the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
We learn early on that it is very bad to look directly into the sun. Watching a solar eclipse is risky, even with “authentic” eclipse glasses, because you are compelled to stare at the sun. It can definitely damage your vision. Experts agree, there is no completely safe way to view a solar eclipse. Why take the chance? Protecting your sight should always be your priority.
Total Solar Eclipse phases.
You don’t have to give up seeing this amazing event entirely. It will surely be one of the day’s most photographed moments. Just wait for a few minutes until the images begin posting online, then go right ahead and stare.
This article was originally published on Aug 15, 2017 and updated Mar 26, 2024.
Adjusting to vision loss always means accepting that some things will be different, and that very likely includes the speed at which you get things done. It doesn’t mean you can’t, it just means you need to allow more time. Personal and professional skills and abilities are not less valuable at a slightly slower speed. If you make an amazing omelet, or write beautiful poetry, or negotiate incredible contracts…don’t let vision loss stop you.
Giving up is never the best option. Learning a new way to do something independently, feels better than depending on others to do it.
Be patient with yourself and consider these practical tips to help you keep it moving.
Get Organized.
Whether it’s a closet, kitchen, or bathroom — everything has its place. Being able to reach into a utensil drawer or a medicine cabinet and find what you’re looking for, because it’s exactly where it belongs, is priceless. Time to Get Organized.
Leave Extra Time.
It is no longer feasible to operate by the seat of your pants. Giving yourself a cushion in terms of time is the smart way to proceed.
Manage Expectations.
Don’t overestimate how much you can realistically get done in any given time period. Re-evaluate, prioritize, and acknowledge accomplishments.
Use Magnification.
Make sure you have the right tools to magnify the text you encounter each day. Magnifiers Are A Must
Listen.
Consider transitioning some of your daily reading to listening. There are numerous ways to utilize audio for books, newspapers, and computers.
Set up online banking and eliminate the arduous monthly hell of writing check and balancing accounts on paper. Your balance updates automatically online and your bills are paid with the press of a button. No envelopes, no stamps, no snail mail. 6 ways To Make Bill Paying Easier.
Practice.
Learning something new requires practice. Don’t give up on anything until you’ve repeated it 20 times. By then you will have totally adjusted over to it. And, once you know it, you know it. Learning at Any Age with Vision Loss.
Post originally published Nov 21, 2017 and updated Nov 9, 2023
Man reading restaurant menu options to his dinner companion
One of the most frequently asked questions from people living with low vision is: How do you read the restaurant menu? There are many good options for accomplishing this task depending on the degree of visual impairment.
This is all about making adjustments, and accepting that picking up a menu and reading it the way you once did, may not be something you can reenact. Keep in mind, the goal is to select food you will enjoy, not to read every dish on the menu.
Here are some of the ways we can successfully overcome the challenges of menu reading and return to savoring the culinary and social experience.
Flashlights & Magnifiers – It is not at all unusual to see people in dimly lit restaurants pull out their mobile phone flashlight and point it at the menu. The same goes for magnifiers, sometimes on the phone, sometimes on their own with the light built in. So no need to feel weird — everybody’s doing it.
Online Menu – Making a menu selection in advance will allow you to relax. Google search “menu” + the restaurant name to review choices. (With iPhone use Speak Screen or VoiceOver to read the menu aloud, on larger screens increase the text size.)
Ask – It is perfectly fine to ask a companion to read some sections from the menu to you, but try to ask for specific categories like, “What are the salads or soups?” Also, ask if there is a large print menu.
Specials – Asking the wait staff to read you the menu is not realistic, but do ask for the specials of the day or for their recommendations in specific categories.
Seeing AI – The popular iPhone app from Microsoft has Short Text and Document channels that can be useful for menu reading. A recent update to the Document channel (version 5.2) takes a picture of the menu and reads it back or allows you to ask questions like, “What are the seafood options?” Seeing AI Gets Upgrade
The QR Code Menu — When it’s available, use your mobile phone to scan the code and the menu is instantly available on your screen. Make it a talking menu using accessibility speech features like VoiceOver and Speak Screen in iOS, or TalkBack and Select to Speak in Android. Listen to the menu options privately with your ear buds.
In essence, finding a new approach to reading menus will get you back to enjoying the food, the company, the conversation, and the atmosphere. It’s even okay to just say, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
This article was originally published January 24, 2018 and last updated Oct 20, 2023.
While researching Amazon’s Accessibility, we discovered just how desirable it can be to have Alexa read to us. Amazon’s well known, much loved, voice assistant will read Kindle e-books with her voice or play Audible audiobooks, all you have to do is ask.
This is surely one of the easiest options available for reading books. It’s a natural for people with vision loss, and a great convenience for anyone who wants to continue reading while they do other things. Ironically, Alexa’s skills do not even come under the heading of ‘accessibility’, yet it is the functionality we’ve been waiting for.
Amazon Fire 7 tablet unboxed
We learned more about this fantastic feature in an email from our friend Steven. He wrote, “I purchased the brand new Fire 7 tablet.” Fire tablets vary in screen size, storage capacity and price starting at $60. “It is hands-free using Alexa vocal commands to open a book, pause the book, fast forward, go to a different chapter, etc. All of which I saw demonstrated at the (Amazon Books) store. Alexa is built in to the Fire tablet, no additional devices are required.” He appreciated his in-store experience. “The sales person was great, totally setting up and downloading my tablet and it was fully functional when I left the store, except for connecting it to wifi when I got home.”
Steven’s in-store approach can no longer be duplicated, since Amazon has closed all 24 of it’s physical book stores. Another good option is to phone Amazon’s Accessibility Customer Service at 888-283-1678. They can help you make the purchase online and walk through the setup which requires entering a wifi password and Amazon account.
The very same voice commands that control the reading on the tablet, do the same on an Amazon Echo speaker. Alexa can read Kindle books that are authorized for Text to Speech or Screen Reader Enabled. It seems the majority of books are eligible, just be sure to check before you buy a Kindle book.
Alexa will also read your Kindle and Audible books on an iOS device or Android, although it’s not quite as hands-free or as agreeable as it is on an Amazon device. In this case you would open the Alexa app and tap the button to ask.
Amazon Alexa speaker next to smart phone with Amazon apps
How to Ask Alexa
Kindle Alexa commands:
– Read my Kindle book “To Kill A Mockingbird”
– Play
– Pause
– Resume
– Stop
– Skip Back / Skip Ahead
It is Alexa’s very own familiar voice that reads the Kindle books, and she’s a very good reader. Audible books are read by an array of professional readers including authors, actors and celebrities.
