As regards computers, I am a Jaws person but people say NVDA is great. If I were starting up now I'd probably just go with NVDA because cheaper, but at this point it's like trying to learn to do everything left handed, you know?

Apple are stupidly expensive. I'm in the UK where it is much less normal for everyone to just buy Apple stuff, I have an Android phone and it is okay. Try one. You can get a Blackberry Key2 or Samsung Galaxy S8 with a slip on cover which has a real physical keyboard. It sounds like you have some sight, I don't so I really have to have a real keyboard. I've not used Apple phones much so don't take this as a complaint against them. Try before you buy, I'd say. I also carry a USB power bank in my bag for recharging the phone and if you're smart, you carry extra cables to be compatible with everyone else's phone too and then you can be their guardian angel in battery emergencies.

Cane, and spare cane because how screwed am I if it breaks or is lost. I can never understand people who have a cane malfunction in the middle of the day and panic. Jesus, carry a spare. Yes, this means you have a bag with you everywhere you go, and carrying all your cripple stuff sucks, but if it's that or have a bad day, you know.

I still have an ancient mp3 dictaphone. Yes you could do the same things on your cellphone with a dictaphone app, but sometimes it's nice to have things separate. I tend to delete it all first thing in the morning then at lunchtime or in the evening before I go to bed, go through anything I recorded and action it as necessary.

Money and food. People tend to know I always have snacks and something to drink on me, I often end up giving them away which is a nice way to make friends so that's fine too! Also cash. I probably shouldn't carry lots but I do because I am terrified of being stranded without access to a cab. Needing that stuff is not a cripple problem but the fact that it is 100 times harder to solve these problems spontaneously is. Last thing I want is to have booked a cab and suddenly be like "crap, I need an ATM" or suddenly want to find a convenience store. I'd rather have some water and a handful of cashews rather than asking someone to grab me something and getting full sugar coke and a chocolate bar. I mean, don't get me wrong, chocolate is one of the top two or three reasons to be alive, but you know, can't do that every day.

Signature card. But if you forget you can just sign along the top of a credit card, it's usually fine.

I have various travel cards and bits of ID in a fold up thing that is really easy to just pull out and unfold, then I really don't have to care about finding which card is which, I just hold up the whole thing. You can cut little notches into the edges of bank cards so you can tell which is which. Personally I need to keep business receipts separate from personal ones so I make sure I have some sort of purse solution that allows for that. UK money is all different sizes for different values but if you're in the USA you might need some sort of solution for that.

Also, and this is stupid but it's real, remember what the hell you're wearing, if you can't see well enough to know. will always know first thing in the morning obviously, but by 3pm on a busy day when some uber driver is asking you to describe yourself, it can be a bit embarrassing.

Jan

A good magnifier; I have low vision (legally blind) and I use it daily. I also have the cheap measuring cups that have the measurements raised on them so I can feel them. I also use rubber bands for things that look like. I learned this after grabbing jalapeño instead of pickles. Different amount of rubber bands for each item then just remember which has how many. Takes some time but once you get it down it’s easy.

Might sound gross but I put my finger (make sure they are clean lol) in the side of my glass and when the liquid hits it I know to stop pouring. This was learned after over pouring so many times.
Hope this helps!

This might be an obvious one, but my cane.

I have a good bit of useful vision I don’t always need the cane, but I pretty much always have it on me when out and about. It takes some training to use one properly but well worth it.

Most stuff's been covered here but I'll tell you some cheap stuff that's worked for me.

You can find helpful items on Amazon from sellers like the Braille Superstore. I have a liquid level indicator so I can have tea without scalding my fingers, a pocket money brailler to put braille onto the totally-inaccessible bank notes here in Murica, and a spring steel signature guide that I carry in my wallet.

For cooking I strongly recommend you get an expensive spatula and some nice tongs. I'm talking like a $10+ spatula. Something sturdy and nice that will give you a good feel of what's in the pan. A talking scale would also do you well for measuring stuff.

Get bump dots. They're super cheap and you just stick them onto membrane swiches, like on your microwave oven, and presto you can use it without help or eye-strain.

Wanna use your PC? How much can you see? Try out the magnifier. If you use Linux well... you should seriously consider Windows or Mac OS. Linux is not VI-friendly unless you stick to the command line and even then good luck if some component loads improperly and it sticks you in recovery where there's no audio or SSH.

So, if you try out the system magnifier and it works then great! If not then there's always Zoomtext but it's very expensive and absurdly buggy. If you're going beond around 5x magnification then you should try using a screen reader. NVDA is both free and very excellent. The biggest challenge comes in learning the keystroke commands for all the apps you use. Using a screen reader is keyboard-only. No mouse.

And finally do go to your state's rehabilitation agency. They can help you with getting equipment so that you can succeed in school and work.

Oh yeah, if you can see enough to get around but not read on your phone then use Select-To-Speak. If not then use Talkback which is a full screen reader. It may run a bit slow on your G6 but it should at least run.

I have my "blind bag" for when I go out. It has sunglasses, a lighted pocket magnifier, a small flashlight, and a small monocular, as well as my folding cane + spare tip.

For the kitchen, I have talking food scales and a talking food thermometer. The food thermometer is a big help in the "not eating raw meat" department.

Where did you get the braille measuring cups? I also have a scale that talks to me, when I am making something large like bread dough. it's loud, but cool.


I keep a really excellent magnifying glass on hand, and got the app "Be My Eyes" for when I need to read something right now (like ingredients on a can).


I want to get a book of braille poetry to help me practice, because i forget braille when i don't use it often. I keep hearing androids have lots of settings, but only tested it out on a friends phone once.

I keep a cane and reading devices at home.

Hey! just wanna say that you're totally right - with the right tools you can still kick ass at what you do 😊 I know it seems pretty grim right now, but there are definitely ways to make everything work.

Just in terms of Android, I personally get eye strain from reading on my phone and instead use a feature called select to speak. It pretty much reads anything on your phone aloud and you can turn it on in your settings 😊

In terms of computers, definitely look into screen magnifiers(the default Mac and Windows ones are actually pretty good) and screen readers like zoomtext)jaws. These can be pretty expensive though, so try to get funding from your local agency.

First thing, get a referal from your eye doctor or general doc to see an ocupational therapist who specialises in low vision. They can help you get grants and funding for the equipment and training that can really help you out.
Some things I never leave home without: pocket magnifier, monocular, phone with lots of accessibility features, white cane or guide dog, braille note taker. For cooking, a lot of it is just organising your work space, having things like braille measuring cups and brailled labels on cans and ingredient containers, and making sure your cooking equipment like the stove is labeled with some dots or braille so you know what the important settings are.
I can't help with the Android but I think there are a few users of them here. :)

Here is a link to an audio tutorial on how to set up NVDA and how to get started. I used this one personally and it is a great tutorial series. Time to fire up that PC of yours! Also, NVDA is free!

https://nvda.groups.io/g/nvda/topic/it_is_accomplished_welcome/9614965?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate%2Fsticky,,,20,2,40,9614965