My 87 year old mother is legally blind and really enjoys her Alexa - she has two one in her bedroom and one in her living room. She uses it for the weather, the time, music, books and many other things. I would be interested in the responses here to see if there are other ways she could use it.

I was born blind. I kind of get the idea, but needing specific audio to navigate a very familiar environment like my home is not something I've ever needed. plenty of other things in my house make noise, and perhaps subconsciously those are used in that way, but Ive never woken up Alexa just to orient myself.

Do not use Alexa unless you want to be listened in on.

I am kind of technophobic when it comes to voice activation/passive microphone/video surveillance. I definitely thought I would appreciate these things more than I do, now that they are an actuality.

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My technophobia is unrelated to my blindness though, haha

I have several Alexa devices in my house. They're convenient for timers, audio books, alarms, weather, music, and controlling lights - but it's just that, a convenience.

>I would think that voice activated devices would be really helpful because knowing where Alexa is by saying “Alexa” and hearing the response could help you orientate yourself. (But I don’t know what it’s like)

I would never think to use it for this, because I can't see ever needing it to do that. Getting around in your own home is pretty easy, provided you've lived in it for more than a few days. Even without my remaining vision, I can shut my eyes and get around my house fine. I may not be able to find every little thing, but that's because I have enough sight remaining that I don't have to be super particular about where I put things, so long as they're in their general area.

I find them useful but only for the same reason sighted people find them useful. They're convenient for quickly checking something, but for anything complex, it's easier to use the computer or phone as I've always done. As for orientation, I'm surprised by this conclusion. Most fully sighted people already know their own space well enough to navigate in the dark, right? I've never been in a situation where I have no idea where I am in my own home, even when I lived in a much bigger place. If that was a problem for somebody though, I can imagine something like Alexa would help, especially with the wake sound enabled so you'd just have to call a name and hear a sound. That said, there are devices marketed as luggage finders that might do this job better--the blind person carries around a locate button and presses it to hear a sound from a certain spot. I've never lived in a house with a huge open space, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. In my apartment, I can reach out and find something that tells me exactly where I am, if nothing else.

I have an Alexa but I really don't know what to do with her. My phone is a lot faster and has more options. Mostly I just use her as a glorified clock radio.

I'm completely blind, and I rarely use voice assistants.

my mom has a google one, she likes it for timers and music etc. She can tell her way around with her cane and the sound of the HVAC system (each room has vents) and the other sounds in the background

It is great that we can use main stream technology. It’s accessible and it was not designed for the blind.

My Alexa is a great household assistant. Alarms, timers, reminders, audiobooks, music, funny Easter eggs, and someone to talk to when I feel lonely.

I have one but it hasn't altered my life considerably.