My sister recently lost her vision. What new technologies could I implement to help her transition?(self.Blind)
submitted by SomTingWon
I have a background in IT, so I should be able to handle some more difficult stuff as well.
My thoughts so far were teaching her to use an On-screen reader and maybe some sort of voice recognition stuff using the amazon echo.
Any suggestions? Apps? Hardware?
jrs122 points6y ago
Teach her shortcut keys to use the computer. It makes life much much easier when using a screen reader. Does she have any interest in learning braille? A rehab program for people with visual impairments may help her a lot with daily living skills and mobility. If she learns braille, I would suggest a braille notetaker. Apps like Be My Eyes, Blind Square, and Tap Tap See can also be helpful in certain situations. Consider a barcode scanner so that she can keep her cabinets organized.
SomTingWon [OP]1 points6y ago
We'll be starting her rehab program shortly. Thank you for the app recommendations!
Dofolo1 points6y ago
Depending on how usable the 20% is there's magnifiers that may allow her to read and braille displays to interface with PCs, smartphones etc... and software to enhance the PC experience.
A quick google on 'braille display' and 'screen reader' or companies like Feedom Scientific, Optelec, Humanware will open up a whole world of accessibility options to you.
Keep in mind though, not knowing how the process of losing sight was, learning braille from scratch as an adult will take time, a device like a braille display is not an instant magical access tool.
Also depending on how well traveled you are, Sight City is coming up in Frankfurt Germany, being able to go there would give you a very big impression in what is available as the option to touch and feel it all.
blindjo1 points6y ago
What country are you in? Is she still in school? She might enjoy using some type of braille display or braille notetaker (if she's learning how to read braille). When i was in highschool, the braillenote by humanware was pretty popular
SomTingWon [OP]1 points6y ago
We love in the US. She is already an independent adult, but I'll look into the Braille displays. Thank you!
fastfinge1 points6y ago
If she wants to become even better at using her phone, have a look at: http://voiceover-easy.net/
They don't have lessons for all of the new features in IOS 10 yet, but they're getting there. And all of the other features work the same way. As a blind person, the phone is the most powerful tool I have, so it's more than worth putting in the time to absolutely master it. With the right apps, my phone can be a barcode scanner, do OCR, read books, help me travel with GPS, manage my shopping list, do word processing/calendar/email/etc, help me communicate with friends on facebook/twitter/sms/whatever, help me cook, control my smart devices, and more. All in one device! I've gotten to the point where I do not own any specialized devices (ebook reader, orcam, etc) because my phone can do it all. Why learn to use two or more devices when you only need to learn one? And why carry all that extra stuff?
There are other mainstream devices I like though, that work well with voiceover on my phone. The Instant Pot Smart, for one. Makes cooking easy, and can be entirely controlled from the phone, so no memorizing buttons, or wondering how long until dinner is ready. Blind people can, of course, learn to cook with regular ovens/stoves, etc. But when I'm alone and just making a meal for myself, I find the instant pot smart is the best and easiest way to go. Easy to use, easy to clean, etc.
Another set of devices I really like are Sonos. The sonos app is fully accessible with voiceover. And now, instead of fiddling with the inaccessible menus on a stereo, I can just use the sonos app to start playing whatever I want. And unlike with bluetooth speakers, I don't have to worry about voiceover also coming over the speaker. And Sonos sounds just as good as a regular stereo system would.
I also have a WeMo smart switch, because the timer built into the coffee pot is not accessible. So I just plug the pot into the WeMo switch, and then use voiceover on my phone to set up the WeMo. But I wouldn't say I love it the way I love Sonos or Instant Pot Smart. It's just a way to solve an irritating problem.
aishel1 points6y ago
Check out OrCam www.OrCam.com
You point your finger at something and it tells you what it is and it can also read you paragraphs of text. And it uses bone vibrating technology so other people don't have to hear it which makes it more discrete.
kissitallgoodbye1 points6y ago
Not OP but im going blind, and this looks amazing. Thank you so much ❤❤❤
aishel1 points6y ago
Last I heard, it costs about $3,000, but I've heard that they work with you to try and make it accessible. I saw it demonstrated once and it really is cool technology. It even recognizes faces and can tell you who someone is!
KillerLag1 points6y ago
Does she have an iPhone? or iPad? Or any mac product? Pretty much all of them would have Zoom or VoiceOver built in, so you can turn it on to help. Android has some accessibility features as well, but it isn't the best.
It also depends on the extent of vision loss. What was the cause of vision loss? How much can she currently see (if any)?
SomTingWon [OP]1 points6y ago
Her vision is totally lost in one eye, but she has 20% in the other.
She currently has a mac desktop, iphone and ipad
KillerLag1 points6y ago
She has 20% field of view, or 20/100? They mean radically different things.
SomTingWon [OP]1 points6y ago
Sorry, I just asked and doesn't know. She had said she can only see up to 20%. I'll ask her doctor.
For reference, through her left eye, someone's face only see able upclose.
She isn't able to read any text no matter the size. Additionally, everything is mostly black and white.
Edit: Also thank you for the iPhone advice. I setup the Voice over and she was really happy she could navigate the menus again!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large- scale community websites for the good of humanity. Without ads, without tracking, without greed.