The TV commercial gets your attention. It’s surprising to see a commercial about accessibility for people with vision loss, in primetime. It is powerful, as it elevates awareness for everyone who sees it when this kind of information still typically travels through word-of-mouth. And that’s not the only unusual aspect, this is a commercial about a product from Spectrum Communications which is available, free of cost, whether you are a Spectrum customer or not.
The 60-second spot shows a movie clip running along with an audio description track, providing the visual details pertinent to understanding what’s happening on screen. We then see a group of friends watching together and reacting to the movie’s unfolding events. One friend in the group is visually impaired and she is hearing the audio description privately from an app on her phone. “The Spectrum Access app gives the visually impaired audio description right from their phone, so nobody misses a thing.” This is a solution that gets you the information needed to enjoy movies and TV, without imposing it on others. The app puts you back in control.
Select the title to sync with your streamed TV program or movie. There are currently over 450 titles available on the app, with more being added regularly.
Download the title’s audio description.
Sync the audio description to your TV audio using the microphone on your smartphone. It syncs quite impressively to the exact same spot as the TV audio.
The video content on TV can originate from any streaming platform including Spectrum, Netflix, Hulu, PrimeVideo, On-Demand, and more. Spectrum is also partnering with NBC, CBS, and others to build the library of titles read to sync.
Not very long ago, news about developing technologies for people visually impaired or blind was not widely reported, if reported at all. It was also unusual for this kind of news to be attached to the biggest technology companies on the planet. All that has definitely changed! In 2018, Google announced an Android app in development called ‘Lookout,’ its purpose to help people with vision loss, identify objects around them and read text. The news was quickly shared by many news outlets, noteworthy because while Google has been involved in the creation of accessible Android applications for quite some time, they had not previously made big pronouncements about it.
The accessibility app was first launched in 2019 and has recently been updated. Lookout is designed to deliver spoken notifications with minimal interaction. So it does not create a juggling act for the user, it is recommended that the smartphone be carried in a shirt pocket or on a lanyard, camera facing out.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), it utilizes camera vision to help people, who are visually impaired, get the information they need without having to ask others for help. The enhanced access is delivered now in these 5 modes:
Explore – identifies objects in your environment
Shopping – reads barcodes and currency
Quick Read – for signs, labels and mail
The newest features in 2.0 are:
Food labels – identification of packaged foods
Document scan – captures and reads full detail
Lookout 2.0 is now available on Google Play for devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later with 2GB of RAM available. This is a free app, it does not require an internet connection and uses machine learning to identify items of importance and keep delivering the information people are interested in. In addition to English, the app is now localized for French, German and Italian.
Get more information about using Lookout and share your feedback by contacting the Google Disability Support Team online or on the BeMYEyes app.
Lookout is not currently available for Apple iOS devices, but a similar app called Seeing AI is.
This article was previously published Jul 26, 2019 and updated Mar 26, 2021.
We are often asked for guidance on buying an iPhone for the first time. The initial move from a feature or flip phone, or from an Android phone to an iPhone requires personalized setup, and a mix of patience and practice to adjust. The reason for switching, in this case, is the advanced accessibility iPhone offers for people with visual impairments or blindness.
The real initial setup of an iPhone only has to happen once. Next time you upgrade your iPhone, the data, apps and settings will transfer from iCloud and fill the new phone with all your stuff. This way it’s totally familiar and there’s no need to start the whole process over again with each new model.
People browsing in an Apple Store.
At The Apple Store:
What You Need to Know
The Apple Store is the best place to buy the iPhone and get it set up. It is not always so easy to get your phone set up at a mobile retail store, especially when it involves accessibility. At the Apple Store, there is a process for “Personal Setup,” and they know this phone intimately.
iPhone model:Newer models are always best for the long term. The best model for you may be dependent on screen size. Try them in the store, ask your sales specialist to show you larger text and contrast settings to determine whether they enhance your ability to read.
iPhone storage size: The phones come in different storage sizes. For new users, the smallest, which is now 64GB, should suffice. If you are planning to access a large photo or music library, you may want to consider more space.
VoiceOver: For those of us unable to read the screen comfortably in any text or screen size, option 2 is learning to use VoiceOver, iPhone’s full-function screen reader. This does add to the learning curve, but totally worth the work!More on this from OE: Let iPhone’s VoiceOver Do The Reading
Apple Care Plus: Consider Apple Care Plus for extended warranty and replacement. This can be a good thing to have, just in case.
Apple ID and iCloud: If you already have an Apple ID and iCloud account, be prepared to provide the username and password. If not, they will be created at setup. (To lessen any potential confusion, always best to make the Apple ID and iCloud accounts the same username & password.)
Email password: Your email address and password are also required to set the Mail app, don’t forget.
Transfer Contacts from previous phone (if possible)
Set A Passcode Lock and Face ID (or don’t, it’s easier without)
Set Auto-Lock for 5 minutes so the screen doesn’t keep locking as you are learning
Set up “Hey Siri”
Turn on Dictation
Set up your email
Make a few calls right away from the Apple Store so you know how to use the phone, then go right home and practice making calls, answering calls, ending calls
Turn on VoiceOver or Speak Screen (if needed)
Once the VO setting is turned on, VO can be turned on/off by asking Siri
Learning:
Here Are The Keys
The key to success is repetition. So keep in mind, if you repeat an action 25 – 30 times, it gets committed to muscle memory, and then you just begin doing it automatically. This is not a matter of technical ability, it’s simply perseverance. Everyone, regardless of visual acuity, experiences the learning curve.
For VoiceOver users, the curve is a bit steeper, but (take it from one who knows) the conquest is even sweeter! You’ll need to begin practicing the VoiceOver gestures that navigate the screen. Again, it’s all about practice, the more you touch the screen the better you become. For your reference, here’s the list of VoiceOver Gestures.
Apple Accessibility Support Phone Line: (877-204-3930) is an invaluable learning tool. A dedicated line for customers with visual, hearing, motor and learning impairments, available 24/7. Not only will they answer your questions and resolve your issues, they will also provide tutorials on the use of apps. Don’t be shy, they want to hear from you. If you’re stuck…call them. If you want to learn something new…call them. There’s no limit.
Get your learning started with these topics…
Get familiar with Phone app: Recent calls, Contacts, Voice Mail
Use Siri to make a call by name or phone number
Learn to save phone numbers and emails to Contacts
Practice is a must – put in an hour a day getting comfortable.
Once you’re phoning, emailing and texting with confidence, you’re ready to move on and master more apps of your choosing. The apps you use every day will become ingrained and after a while, you won’t even have to think about it.
A virtual and comprehensive catalog of iPhone courses is available at HadleyHelps.org and it’s as good as one-to-one training. They offer live expert help and phone support too, all fee-free….Meet Hadley 2.0, Your Personal Tutor.
This article was originally published Nov. 8, 2018, and updated Mar. 18, 2021.
Please note that this article was not paid for, affiliated with, or endorsed by any third-party companies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s.
Keeping a calendar accurate and up-to-date is not something we all do well. Missing an appointment, because it never got on the schedule, is embarrassing to say the lease. Calendar management becomes all the more challenging with a visual impairment.Perhaps it would be easier, and more efficient if you had an assistant or even a digital assistant like Siri.
Working with an artificially intelligent voice assistant is similar in ways to working with a live human, both require very specific instruction and a degree of patience. The interaction can be messy at the start but don’t give up so fast, you and your assistant will come to terms. It’s all about what you say and how you say it.
Schedule appointments
Activate Siri with a long press on the power button, home button, or by saying “Hey Siri.”Practice asking Siri to schedule, change, update, cancel or review your calendar appointments (or events).
“Hey Siri, schedule a call with Lisa Rose on Thursday at 10 a.m.”
“Schedule an appointment on June 2nd at 3 p.m. with Dr. Smith.”
“Schedule lunch today at 1.”
Siri will repeat (or display) the details and ask if you’re “Ready to schedule it?” If you answer “No” Siri will ask if you’d like to change it or just cancel?”
Cancel, change or update an appointment
“Cancel dinner tomorrow with Steve.”
“ Change my dentist appointment on Tuesday to Thursday morning at 11.”
“Move my 10:00 appointment today to 11:00.”
Siri will ask you to confirm your request if it is unclear.
Review or check your schedule
“What’s on my schedule tomorrow?”
“What is on my calendar for Saturday?”
“Do I have anything scheduled on March 12?”
Set calendar alerts
As important as getting the appointment scheduled, is being reminded of it coming up with calendar alerts.
Go to Settings> Calendar> Default Alert Time> select how long before the appointment you’d like to be alerted, choices include 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes before, 1 or 2 hours before, 1 or 2 days before, and 1 week before. On this page, you can also set Birthday Alerts.
By default, your appointments made with Siri will go to all devices linked to your Apple ID: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Mac, Apple Watch, and Home Pod.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people believed that age-related macular degeneration caused total blindness. Today we know better. AMD affects people over age 50, resulting in a blurring of the sharp central vision used for reading, driving, identifying faces, and other detail oriented tasks. The peripheral vision is not affected and can be helpful in compensating. The dry form of AMD accounts for about 90% of cases, marked by slowly progressing changes. The remaining 10% have the wet form which causes more aggressive vision loss due to leaking blood vessels behind the eye. Treatment is available and effective in managing wet AMD.Patients are able to continue a productive and independent life with the active implementation of small changes and the embrace of technology.
Here is a collection of OE’s recent and most popular content on the subject, in recognition of AMD Awareness Month – February 2021.
Closeup of elderly woman’s eye
What Is AMD?
An explanation of age-related macular degeneration, thorough and well presented for review as an informative introduction or to refresh your knowledge. Read Now
Image of the logo for The Retina Counselor.
Emerging Treatments For AMD
A primer on clinical trials in the process for the next generation treatment and management of wet and dry age-related macular degeneration with an emphasis on more efficient and convenient patient care. Read Now
OE Patients Podcast in white text with magenta and white OE Patients logo.
Episode 14: The Retina Counselor
Listen in as Dr. Mrinali Gupta discusses the future of AMD treatments and how patients can best utilize the Retina Counselor report. Listen Now
Fresh vegetables and fruits spread out on a gray table.
The Anti-AMD Diet
This is one of OE Patients most popular articles. Improving nutrition habits through small dietary changes has been found to prevent and slow the development of AMD. Read Now
Older woman using digital tablet outdoors
Living Better With AMD
Patients should be to be well informed that although there may be no medical treatments available yet, for their AMD, it most certainly does not mean “nothing can be done.” Read this article for five ways to take action. Read Now
Dahlov Ipcar “Sunlight in Forest Glade” (unfinished, 2015)
Artists Work Through Macular Degeneration
If you think AMD is a career-ending diagnosis for a visual artist, this article will change your thinking. These artists continued to thrive, despite vision loss, and you can too! Read Now
Three generations of a family sitting on a park bench.
Hope For Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Progress with age-related macular degeneration shows a promising hope for the future. Read Here for what you need to know and what you can expect. Read Now
Something really good just got even better.The reimagining and rebuilding of HadleyHelps.org was well underway as the COVID pandemic kicked in. Both the update and the timing feels perfect, delivered at a moment when it was so needed. The distance learning experts, with 100 years of experience, launched a newly designed program beautifully attuned to the needs of the largest demographic for vision loss, older adults.And by the way, creating programs accessible for an aging population, actually, improve usability for everyone.
Hadley 2.0 is the newly developed approach for adult learners. Video and audio based learning opportunities are now presented in smaller bites that take minutes instead of hours. You decide, for example, which features of the iPhone you want to learn and in what order. Feel free to repeat a workshop, or even a sentence, as many times as you need to, there’s no limit. No need to worry about failing here, it’s all about success.
Image Shows senior woman smiling on hadleyhelps.org home page.
The pandemic compounded many of the challenges inherent to vision loss.It became clear that technology skills are essential, although the training has not always been so readily available, especially from the privacy of your own pace.Now you can log on to HadleyHelps.org and decide what you want to learn today. The primary categories are: Daily Living, Technology, Adjusting to Vision Loss, Braille, Recreation, and Working. A click on Technology brings up subcategories: Android, iPhone & iPad, Windows, Apple Watch & TV, Talking Books, and Zoom. Selecting iPhone & iPad brings up the courses organized by series. The very first is iPhone & iPad Low Vision Features, segmented into five quick courses: Zoom, Text Size, Dark Mode, Speak Screen, and Magnifier.Similar to a tasting menu, Hadley’s small bites are abundant and delicious, don’t stop at one, enjoy them all.Explore the entire catalog here.
The technology offers, alone, is enough to trigger a celebration, but there are many more topics and perks available to Hadley subscriber.
No fees or costs to the user.
Ask the Experts for a live tutorial.
Call in and join an interactive Discussion Group on a variety of topics including: cooking, crafting, writing, gardening, travel, Braille, and Spanish.
Listen to Hadley Presents Podcast.
Transcripts are available for all content.
Have a workshop printed and mailed.
Get alerts and email notifications.
Provide feedback after every workshop, Hadley is paying attention.
I have been a fan, a follower, and a Hadley learner, personally and professionally since discovering the iPhone VoiceOver Tutorials by Douglas Walker while on staff at Lighthouse. We often share Hadley links on OE and featured Hadley in the OE Patients Podcast Episode 3. The Hadley Institute is a nonprofit organization living up to its mission to create personalized learning opportunities that empower those with vision loss to thrive — at home, at work, and in their communities.Take advantage of Hadley’s learning opportunities and don’t forget to give back, from time to time, by supporting the great work they do with a charitable donation.
Living with vision loss, like living in a pandemic, requires us to accept change and embrace technology. Digital access is no longer an option, it is a necessity.Every patient experiencing changes in vision should know there are a multitude of accessibility options, available in their smartphones (and tablets), designed to help compensate low vision.
Apple & Android offer similar accessibility options including:
Text Size increased and bolded
Screen Brightness adjusted
Dictation converts speech to text
VoiceOver, Talk Back screen readers
Zoom magnifies entire screen
video Magnifier up to 15x
Improve color contrast
Reverse contrast to white text on black
Color filters for legibility
Adjust intensity and brightness of colors
Speak Selection reads selected content aloud
Speak Screen reads page aloud from top to bottom
Highlight Content as it is spoken
Typing Feedback spoken
Select voice and set speaking rate
Audio Descriptions for video content
FaceTime, Google Duo or other apps for video calls
Voice Assistants
Siri, Google & Alexa await your voice command. Ask them to open apps, make calls, send messages, search the web, tell time, get weather, turn on lights, play music and much, much more.
Here are a few or the many special apps designed to help compensate visual loss.
Seeing AI, by Microsoft for iOS, is an intelligent camera app that reads text, identifies products, people, currency, color, scenes, and handwriting.
Soundscape, by Microsoft for iOS, a map with 3D sound provides background narration into your earbuds from the left, right and center, telling where you are, what’s around you and what’s ahead.
LookOut, by Google for Android, camera vision delivers information in 3 modes: Explore describes your environment, Shopping reads product barcodes and currency, and Quick Read reads signs, labels and mail.
Google Maps Detailed Voice Guidance, by Google for iOS & Android, added voice guidance feature in the apps navigation settings.
Aira, an acronym for AI Remote Assistance, teams artificial intelligence with live agents to help people with vision loss get around and get things done. The subscriber model combines both free and fee-based service options.
Be My Eyes, has 3 million volunteers signed up to assist 200 thousand visually impaired users, when they need to borrow a better pair of eyes, or directly speak with technical support or customer service at Microsoft, Google, and more.
Accessibility Support Phone Lines
Don’t go it alone, expert technical advice is a phone call away.
Apple Accessibility Support: 877-204-3930
Google Accessibility Support: Call on Be My Eyes app
As the pandemic continues, we can’t help but feel nostalgic for 2019, so let’s circle back for a look at OE’s top pages last year. Here’s the list with links, for our most popular posts and podcasts. If you’d prefer to have the text of pages read to you, just click the button marked “Listen” on the upper right menu.
Fresh vegetables and fruits spread out on a gray table.
The Anti-AMD Diet
The foods we consume can play a powerful role in preventing or minimizing the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Read Now
Worker with hard hat falling onto concrete floor.
Don’t Take The Fall, Prevent It
Falling becomes significantly more dangerous as we age. Alice Massa, OT, shares her expert advice aimed at elevating awareness and lowering our risk of taking the fall at all. This page was so popular, we decided to record a podcast with the same title…linked with our podcasts below.Read Now
Three seniors using different technology in a living room.
OE Agrees With AAO
The American Academy of Ophthalmology says many more people will have low vision in the coming years and the tragedy is most are unaware of how to deal with it. OE highlights the information everyone needs to know. Read Now
Alexa app screen showing a list of featured and new books.
Alexa, Read My Book
Alexa can read Kindle and Audible books from a Fire tablet or an Echo speaker. Once it’s set up, all you have to do is ask.Read Now
View of the left side of a black car with Uber sticker.
Your Driver Has Arrived
Ride-sharing services are available with the tap of an app. Here are some tips for customers with vision loss. Read Now
Couple dancing together in a living room.
Healthy Aging And Eyes
Healthy aging is not just about how you look, it has everything to do with how you see.Take these steps today to preserve your sight for tomorrow. Read Now
Hand taking a picture of supermarket bottles with a smartphone.
Aira Adds A Free Tier
If you’ve ever wished you could just borrow a good pair of eyes to help with a quick task, you’ll definitely want to read this post. Read Now
Hands holding a present with more gifts and ornaments on a green background.
Hottest Low Vision Gifts
Our gift guide from last season remained a top page all year and the selection holds up beautifully. Read Now
This year’s list is also not to be missed. Read Now
OE Patients Podcast in white text with magenta and white OE Patients logo.
OE Patients Podcast
There is no doubt about it, the big star of 2019 was the launch of our podcast. Subscribe to OE Patients Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or listen on OE.
Optimism and positivity are inherited traits. Studies show they can also be learned behaviors. It is never too soon, or too late, to build the skills that help us bounce back from adversity.
Facing vision loss is a daunting proposition by any standard. Although we may feel discouraged and overwhelmed at times, getting trapped in negativity is detrimental to overall health and well-being.
Possessing the ability to change the way we think, is a gift in itself. Choosing to exercise our mental muscle builds resilience and resolve. Working on a brighter perspective won’t improve your eyesight, but it will help you see better.
Visual impairments range from minor to severe across a wide spectrum.Even the great majority of people meeting the qualification for “legal blindness” have significant usable sight. People generally exhibit an amazing ability to adjust and carry on. A positive outlook and can-do spirit are qualities key to success.
Here are a few steps toward a brighter perspective:
Acknowledge and value the vision you have. Take time each day to look around and appreciate the things you can see. Go for a walk in the park. Admire the ever-changing sky. Watch the sunrise or set.Get close up to see the face of someone you love and give them a kiss.
Live in the present, don’t waste precious time lamenting your vision past or future.
Give yourself credit for triumphs, even small ones. Every success builds confidence and buffers against depression.
Practice and repeat. The more you do, the better you get.
Use your experience to help others. Optimism is infectious.
Tell us: what keeps your glass half full?
This article was first published August 7, 2017 and refreshed August 20, 2020
Although life has slowed in some ways during the COVID pandemic, this is most likely not a time you are feeling at one with the universe.You may be experiencing a chronic sense of alarm, or a constant undercurrent of anxiety. And coping with vision loss, on top of that, usually adds its own layer of insecurity. Wouldn’t you love to find a way to get a daily dose of Zen?
Let’s try meditation. It doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming for it to work, and you can begin benefitting from just a few minutes a day, right away. The more you do, the better you get. The simple act of being still and breathing deeply lowers stress hormones and can help with depression, anxiety and sleep issues. Meditation is a loving and mellow fitness program for your mind. No Sweat.
There are plenty of apps and guided meditations available to try, but the best way to begin a mediation practice may be this totally uncomplicated 4-step approach.
1. Designate a place to meditate each morning at the same time.
2. Mute your phone and turn off all other noise you can control.
3. Sit in a chair with back straight, shoulders relaxed, feet on the floor and hands in your lap with palms up or down. The idea is to be as neutral as possible so there’s no need to fidget.
4. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take a long breath in and let it out slowly. Listen to the rhythm of your breathing.
Commit to at least 5 minutes each morning for the first week. When you feel ready, add a second meditation at the end of the day and increase the time of each practice to 10, 15 or 20 minutes as you progress.
To get started, keep it as simple as possible. Set a gentle timer so you won’t have to think about the time that has elapsed. Your mind will wander, that’s okay, bring it back to focus on the breathing. It may be helpful to count to 4 as you inhale and again as you exhale. Feel free to add some soothing music, a version of the lotus position, and a peaceful word or mantra, if you like.
This is simple, entry level meditating. Keep it up and feel the benefits, short term and long. Or let it be the springboard to becoming a Zen Master. Either way, it’s just minutes a day, and your mind, body and soul will thank you for it.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is recognized on the third Thursday in May, and has been since 2012. The focus on digital access and inclusion has progressed in meaningful ways over the past decade, and the future holds endless possibility. This is an effort that unifies people of all ability.
At OE we celebrate and elevate accessibility awareness everyday, and we think you should too. For people with vision loss, information about accessibility often travels from person to person, so please go ahead and spread the word!Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your coworkers and your healthcare providers about the accessibility features in technology devices that promote equal access. Living with uncorrectable vision loss brings many challenges, but utilizing accessible technologies can give us back a sense of normal.
As we have seen during the COVID pandemic, the use of technology is no longer an option; it is essential. Accessibility doesn’t always just work for you, you must also be willing to work for it. Become an advocate. By helping yourself, you can also help others. Learn about the accessibility of the products and services you engage with. A Google search of any product with the word “accessibility’ is an enlightening exercise – try it.
Big Tech, as you would imagine, has the most comprehensive accessibility detail available online. They have been building this effort for many years now and it shows. They also offer specialized accessibility support to customers, in the interest of providing an excellent customer experience. Take advantage of these opportunities and always share feedback when you find something that can be improved.
Here is the pertinent accessibility contact and links for Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, but first we’re sharing our comprehensive list of accessibility phone support lines.
Until recently the concept of social distancing, or self isolating, was generally discouraged, especially for people with vision loss. Now it’s a necessity for our ongoing health and well-being. Just a few weeks ago, seeing someone veer off course, to avoid getting too close, or refusing to ride an elevator with you, would have felt very strange. Now we are raising a hand to show appreciation for the consideration of the expanded need for personal space. The wave has supplanted the smile, which is no longer detectable under our masks. And with nose and mouth coverings mandated, many more people are finding their ability to recognize faces is temporarily impaired.
Image of sign for 6 foot social distance.
So if you’re feeling out of sorts, at this point that would be normal, under the circumstances. While sheltering in place to protect your health, don’t forget about your well-being. You may be having trouble thinking clearly or finding motivation, and that’s okay, your brain is trying to recalibrate. Help the process by being kind to yourself, and to others. This applies whether you are on your own, taking care of family, or being cared for. It would be nice if we could return to the way we were before the pandemic, but that seems unrealistic for anytime soon. We are instead heading toward a new state of “normal.”
Living with vision loss may add an extra degree of difficulty to the process, but we have already developed and exercised many of the skills that will help carry us through this period of change.The capacity to recover is rooted in our willingness to adapt, adjust, and accept that life is going to be different. It’s like anything you practice, the more you do the better you get. We also know to stay present – dwelling in the past or on the future, is never constructive. When things are looking dark, we can refocus to a brighter outlook by finding gratitude.
Here’s more content on OE to help the adjusting process:
