Hi Daniel, I’m not usually one who cares about how things are written/said but with your post at the moment, it sounds like you’re not aware that this sub is ran for and is full of, blind/VI folks.

I’m talking about when you write things like, what is the best for blind people and do blind people use smartphones?

I don’t mean to be so picky but wanted to make you aware, if you weren’t already that blind people can use the internet.

Generally speaking, a guide dog is trained to locate and remember landmarks, watch for obstacles and watch for dangerous traffic conditions (the person walking into traffic when they aren't suppose to). However, the client is suppose to be the one that does most of the information processing, and giving a command for when to cross the street.

Generally speaking, the dogs mostly use visual cues, although there can be an olfactory component for some things (especially food related).

A lot of the other questions are highly dependent on the person. Someone who is young and well-skilled in O&M may like to travel independently. Someone who is 75 years old with a balance issue may want a partner, even if they have some vision still.

For buttons/switches, making them clearly identifiable.

No offense dude, but you are kind of over-teching this.

The rate of smartphone ownership is about the same in blind people as in sighted people. There are many guides and resources about smartphone accessibility software, such as Voiceover and Talkback. Same with computers. There are tons of apps that help with landmarks and navigation such as a Google maps, blindsquare, nearby explorer, and moovit.

>What are the biggest/most common challenges blind people face when trying to navigate outdoors?
>
>Do blind people ever use google maps/alternative navigation software to navigate?
>
>Do blind people prefer to travel independently or with a partner?
>
>When using electronic devices, what accessibility feature often make buttons/switches/feedback more useful and intuitively understood?
>
>Do blind people need help plugging in devices to charge? For totally visually impaired people, what chargers are the easiest to use?

These questions are really homogenizing and don't take into consideration the differences between individuals, their O&M training, their urban (or suburban) landscapes, their experience with cane or guide dog usage, level of vision, types of vision, level of hearing or lack thereof, or the potential for other disabilities to be present, which would profoundly intersect with experiences of being blind.

You appear to be approaching this from an idea that there is "the blind experience." This is not correct. There are as many blind experiences out there as there are people out there.

I highly suggest a thorough review of literature by blind people, including blogs and YouTube channels. And I encourage you to think about your end goal. Why did you choose this type of system specifically? How do you envision this being used? What are some tangible benefits that you're aiming for? What does this system offer that currently existing software, equipment, and O&M techniques do not offer?

Cane/guide dog is a preference. Yes we most often travel independently, or with friends, but special attendants or carers are not needed, which a lot of people seem to think they are. No, we do not need help plugging in devices to charge. What types of chargers are easiest to use... any? I don't quite understand that question. Yes I would say a lot of blind people own and use smart phones. I use an app called Seeing AI on the daily. Developed by Microsoft, it puts the power of OCR and the camera to work for us. I use it to read mail, scan barcodes for product identification and to get cooking direction on food items, and count currency. I also use it to describe photos and a new feature allows one to use their finger as a sort of pointing device. When dragged on the screen, the app will announce what is over the finger. It isn't always accurate but its coming along. I can't comment on guide dogs as I've never had one. Hmm, switches and buttons, well finding out what they do I would say would be the biggest thing. We can get someone to place tactile dots on something to adapt it to our needs and we can then use it independently. Microwaves, and washer/dryer are good examples. For other things, we can learn it and then just know what it does if someone tells us, or if we can use an app like Seeing AI.