Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Looking for technology advice for a newly blind family member (self.Blind)
submitted by meowwyourface
Hello all!. I'm basically clueless when it comes to any technology lol. Apparently I live under a rock and when I am doing research online I'm just getting hella confused.
Long story short, my brother went blind last year from a stroke and other medical complications...he has been in hospitals/rehabilitation centers ever since. He just came home this week though and is adjusting to his new life without vision. Of course I feel terrible for him, especially since most of his hobbies prior to this involved using his vision.
So my question is about Google homes/smart technology shit lol. I own a Google home mini I wanted to give him but I have only ever used it to play music from Spotify. He has a TV(regular, not smart) and he still likes to listen in on things but it's obviously nearly impossible for him to use the remote. He doesn't want to have to ask for help every single time he wants to watch something. He has a PS4 as well where he can watch Netflix and all that other shit...so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about what I could buy to make it so he can speak into the Google home mini, in order for him to play shit through the ps4 on Netflix and what not. From what I understand, he wouldn't be able to tell it to play shit from the cable box without a smart TV, but please correct me if I am wrong about that. Also, if you feel something else would be better in this situation please let me know, I'm open to suggestions and making purchases (ex: fire stick, Amazon Alexa, regular Google home) I'm not sure if the Google home mini is compatible with the same amount of stuff. I would love to avoid buying him a whole ass smart TV but not completely against it either lol. Also, is there any PS4 controllers that have voice commands? Or could he use the headset to tell it to do things like play something on Netflix? Please let me know what you think!
I already checked if my cable company has any remotes that you can speak into, and they do not.
Sorry this was a lot!
Long story short, my brother went blind last year from a stroke and other medical complications...he has been in hospitals/rehabilitation centers ever since. He just came home this week though and is adjusting to his new life without vision. Of course I feel terrible for him, especially since most of his hobbies prior to this involved using his vision.
So my question is about Google homes/smart technology shit lol. I own a Google home mini I wanted to give him but I have only ever used it to play music from Spotify. He has a TV(regular, not smart) and he still likes to listen in on things but it's obviously nearly impossible for him to use the remote. He doesn't want to have to ask for help every single time he wants to watch something. He has a PS4 as well where he can watch Netflix and all that other shit...so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about what I could buy to make it so he can speak into the Google home mini, in order for him to play shit through the ps4 on Netflix and what not. From what I understand, he wouldn't be able to tell it to play shit from the cable box without a smart TV, but please correct me if I am wrong about that. Also, if you feel something else would be better in this situation please let me know, I'm open to suggestions and making purchases (ex: fire stick, Amazon Alexa, regular Google home) I'm not sure if the Google home mini is compatible with the same amount of stuff. I would love to avoid buying him a whole ass smart TV but not completely against it either lol. Also, is there any PS4 controllers that have voice commands? Or could he use the headset to tell it to do things like play something on Netflix? Please let me know what you think!
I already checked if my cable company has any remotes that you can speak into, and they do not.
Sorry this was a lot!
guitarandbooks 2 points 2y ago
I use Alexa on my echo gen 3 speaker to listen to music from Pandora and Amazon music, I use Tune In on my echo to listen to CNN, NPR, music, and podcasts, and I use the Apple tv for PBS, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime video etc. You can also read e books on an iPhone or iPad using the Kindel app, iBooks app, the Bard app, and listen to audio books using the Audible app. If he doesn't have a library of Congress account to get audio books, it's free to set up and you can do it on his behalf.
I like the Appel tv because it's accessible and you can bypass your regular tv all together.
Comcast has the X1 remote which you can use voice commands with. Also, most current smart tvs have some sort of speech navigation function although results seem to be hit or miss on that front.
I like the Appel tv because it's accessible and you can bypass your regular tv all together.
Comcast has the X1 remote which you can use voice commands with. Also, most current smart tvs have some sort of speech navigation function although results seem to be hit or miss on that front.
Lynessence 1 points 2y ago
I use Apple TV. I've never had cable in my adult life. lol I think if you bought a chromecast stick, you could plug that into the HDMI port of the TV and then he could give google home commands. I looked into this as an option for when I visit my parents, as they have a Google home mini but I never bought one. Apple TV is pricier than chromecast but less so than a smart TV, and it comes with the Siri remote which he could speak to and give commands. Apple TV also uses Voiceover, Apple's screen reader for the blind which is available on all their products. Using VO, he could use swipe gestures on the remote to explore and play content, listen to music, etc. Good luck to him. I have been blind since birth, and I really feel for people who lose their sight later in life. It's a hell of an adjustment, but with a good support network, compassion, and training by a professional rehabilitation counselor who can help him relearn daily living skills and orientation and mobility, he will be okay.
Revenant624 1 points 2y ago
Check with your cable company they may have a cable box that has audio cues. Also there is an app called Bard which he can get for a smart phone for free audiobooks. He hast to sign up and prove he is blind, it is easy to use on the smart phone and it’s worth the trouble.. you could also Google apps for visually impaired and maybe find other things helpful to him.
kkolb7 1 points 2y ago
Please consider audiobooks and radio as content, too.
Contact your county or regional Association for the Blind and ask what help is available.
Contact your county or regional Association for the Blind and ask what help is available.
deepgreens_and_blues 1 points 2y ago
The best thing that we did for my father when he lost his sight was hooking up everything with Alexa (I'm sure the Google Home has the same functionality). It helped make him more independent and removed a lot of frustration for him. It was a pricey switch though so that's something to consider.
I can't give too much help on the TV front since he doesn't watch much TV. Instead, he listens to audiobooks through BARD from the National Library Service for the Blind. That service has been a godsend and a huge money saver- he has always been a big reader!
It was a lot of trial and error to come up with a system in the house that works well for him. Keep receipts and check return policies for things you buy because not everything works for everyone!
I can't give too much help on the TV front since he doesn't watch much TV. Instead, he listens to audiobooks through BARD from the National Library Service for the Blind. That service has been a godsend and a huge money saver- he has always been a big reader!
It was a lot of trial and error to come up with a system in the house that works well for him. Keep receipts and check return policies for things you buy because not everything works for everyone!
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