OE Patients

Tag: iPhone VoiceOver

  • Take the VoiceOver Challenge

    Take the VoiceOver Challenge

    For people who are visually impaired, learning to use the iPhone’s gesture based screen reader, VoiceOver (VO), is challenging, to say the least. While working on a series of VO training tutorials, I was  reminded how steep the learning curve for this iPhone accessibility feature is. It will test your metal, for sure, but don’t be deterred by the difficulty, millions have learned to use the iOS screen reader with fluency, including me. It can be maddening and the urge to resist will recur.  I managed to learn, and to even teach others, so I can promise all beginners, the gain will well outweigh the pain. Stick with it, don’t give up!

    The size of a smartphone screen necessitates a screen reader for a much wider audience than a  larger screen computer or tablet. Although it may be initially a disquieting experience, the learning process is far less displeasing than not being able to navigate a smartphone at all. Having said that, I congratulate all users of VO on iPhone, and TalkBack on Android, for successfully flattening the curve.  These are skills that continue to develop and enrich our lives ongoing. Accessibility and inclusion are empowering. And let us not forget, every smartphone comes with many more low vision and blindness aids, in built-in features and apps, which are frankly, priceless.

    Although it is no piece of cake, the process of learning to navigate a touch screen with a unique set of gestures, absorbing the information with your ears, more than your eyes, will ultimately give back much more than it takes. Remember learning keeps your mind young, particularly complex activities that require practice for proficiency. 

     

     

    Image shows woman at work using iPhone with voiceOver.
    Image shows woman at work using iPhone with voiceOver.

     

    A Word About Typing

    Typing with VoiceOver on an iPhone keyboard requires practice. Many have mastered it and you will too. Practice typing by sending yourself text messages or emails. The default typing mode in VoiceOver is Standard Typing, which requires a double tap on each key, and it is the perfect practice mode. Put in the time and soon you’ll be advancing to Touch Typing, which requires only a single tap on each key. Siri and Dictation can circumvent, but not totally replace, the need for typing.

     

    4 Stages of the Learning Curve

    Understanding the stages of a learning curve can also fuel the belief that you will succeed, and this applies to all learning, particularly technology. 

    • Unconscious Incompetence

    You don’t know what you don’t know.

    • Conscious Incompetence

    You know what you don’t know and begin learning. 

    • Conscious Competence

    You’re learning but painfully aware of every step.

    • Unconscious Competence

    You have practiced to proficiency, the skills are now second nature.

    Go forth and conquer!

     

  • Learning at Any Age with Vision Loss

    Learning at Any Age with Vision Loss

    In these changing times, embracing technology is essential. We’ve resurfaced this popular article to remind you how to adopt and adapt, successfully.

    The path of least resistance is rarely the best route anywhere. There are untold rewards awaiting right outside the comfort zone. This is true for everyone, particularly as we age, and especially as we adjust to a visual impairment or legal blindness.

    There is ample proof that physical fitness rewards us with multiple long-term benefits. Learning new skills is in fact, critical exercise for the brain. Just like weight training or cardio workouts, you will love how good it makes you feel.

    Learning something new is a process we each have many personal references for. It is similar to our earliest learning experiences: learning to ride a bicycle, to swim, to skate or to play an instrument. At first, the prospect seems daunting.  You are inexperienced, wobbly and unsure. But the more you do it, the better you get. At some point, after a fair amount of practice, it becomes ingrained in your muscle memory. You can now do it without really even thinking about it too much. It has become second nature.

    The way you approach learning can be applied to learning anything. For the purpose of adjusting to vision loss, let’s look at it as it pertains to technology. There is no good reason to give up the use of a computer, smartphone, or tablet because of a visual impairment. It means it’s time to learn a new way to use it, employing their built-in accessibility features.

    Many people succeed in learning new things, and many don’t. There are 5 necessary elements to getting the job done and they do not require an inherent skill or aptitude. That means, saying you are not good with technology, for example, is not a valid excuse.

     

    A woman with short hair talking and holding a tablet with lights in the background.
    A woman with short hair talking and holding a tablet with lights in the background.

     

    Here are the 5 key elements that converge in successful learners:

     

    Desire

    They possess a strong personal DESIRE to learn something specific. They are not doing it because someone else wants them to.

    Learning to use an iPad is very broad and feels overwhelming. Learning to use an iPad for email, or to read a book or a newspaper, is specific and manageable. It’s fine to have more than one specific, but it is best to learn one application at a time.

     

    Instruction

    They find tutorials or training. The options for instruction do not have to be structured or formal, they can be accessed by phone, online or in person.

    More advice on this in these articles on OE Patients:

    Savvy Seniors Tech Support Resources

    Accessibility Support Phone Lines You Should Know

    Let iPhone’s VoiceOver do the Reading

     

    Commitment

    They COMMIT to doing the work and get in for the longterm, determined to succeed.

     

    Practice, Practice, Practice

    They are willing to PRACTICE every day for 1-hour, minimum. No excuses. Repetition is pivotal to the process.

     

    Results

    They get RESULTS.  Successful results are the foundation for more of the same.

     

    That’s the simple but winning strategy. Do not forget you have an impressive portfolio of successful learning to draw from.

    This article was originally published April 28, 2018.