Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Practical help for a friend (self.Blind)
submitted by neveryoumind456
Hey everyone! A dear friend of mine is struggling with vision loss which looks like it may only improve slightly over time. Damage to both corneas from what I understand. I would like to know how I can help her in a meaningful way. She still needs to work but really struggles with reading, even with large font on her computer. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated! She is only new to this too, so I don’t think she knows what she needs in terms of support yet.
[deleted] 2 points 1y ago
If she still has vision lerning screen readers will be helpful. But knowing if she’s likely to keep her vision or lose it completely is helpful. Zoomtext or other magnification software may also be helpful.
neveryoumind456 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Her vision may improve over time, but her eyes won’t heal completely so this is long term I believe. She did mention that magnifying the text sure helps, so that’s a good place to start - thanks for the reply!
[deleted] 2 points 1y ago
No problem then there may not be a point in going full screen reader. Maybe zoomtext or other magnification softwares.
r_1235 2 points 1y ago
Yup, this other person covered all of the points.
You might wanna also search on this thread, lot of people have asked same questions like you in last few months. Perhaps that might help.
You might wanna also search on this thread, lot of people have asked same questions like you in last few months. Perhaps that might help.
neveryoumind456 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Yeah, I did have a quick look, but I’ll take some more time to have a more thorough look, thanks
Aronfeliciano 2 points 1y ago
Do you have any places that could help the visually impaired? She may need to learn how to read braille and use a cane and learn daily living skills a bit differently.
Another big thing she’s probably going to need is a screen reader. She’s going to need one for mobile and one for a computer if she uses one. Depending on what she has for a phone she can use that screen reader. iPhone has voiceover which can be accessed in accessibility, and I believe android has something called talk back. I’m honestly not sure how that works though because I’ve been an Apple user all my life.
If she has a computer, that’s a bit different. Chrome books have cromvox which honestly isn’t the best when it comes to accessibility. MacBooks just have standard voiceover because they’re Apple products. You can also buy other screen readers, Jaws is one but it is very difficult to learn and can take time. The one that may be the most accessible right now is NVDA which is completely free as far as I’m aware. I don’t know much about it though because I am a jaws user.
When it comes to emotional support the most you can do is be there for her. I was born blind so I’m assuming losing your vision when you’re older is a very very difficult thing. Just be a good friend, maybe help her apply for Social Security and disability if she needs it and try to help her find resources especially when it’s so daunting right now.
Another big thing she’s probably going to need is a screen reader. She’s going to need one for mobile and one for a computer if she uses one. Depending on what she has for a phone she can use that screen reader. iPhone has voiceover which can be accessed in accessibility, and I believe android has something called talk back. I’m honestly not sure how that works though because I’ve been an Apple user all my life.
If she has a computer, that’s a bit different. Chrome books have cromvox which honestly isn’t the best when it comes to accessibility. MacBooks just have standard voiceover because they’re Apple products. You can also buy other screen readers, Jaws is one but it is very difficult to learn and can take time. The one that may be the most accessible right now is NVDA which is completely free as far as I’m aware. I don’t know much about it though because I am a jaws user.
When it comes to emotional support the most you can do is be there for her. I was born blind so I’m assuming losing your vision when you’re older is a very very difficult thing. Just be a good friend, maybe help her apply for Social Security and disability if she needs it and try to help her find resources especially when it’s so daunting right now.
airluther 2 points 1y ago
All good points. I might add that Windows (certainly 10 and 11) has some pretty good accessibility features now which can make things a bit easier to see, plus the in-built Narrator screenreader is a lot better now than even a few short years ago.
Hold down the Windows key and tap U to open the accessibility settings.
If Narrator (or other screenreader) is too overwhelming to start with, you could look at Magnifier Reading (basically click on text to have it read out - though of course you'd need enough sight to locate the mouse pointer). Also Edge has the 'Immersive Reader' function which simplifies webpages and will also rad them out. Probably not enough to use at work but maybe will help if your friend is in the very early stages and needs to look stuff up.
Hold down the Windows key and tap U to open the accessibility settings.
If Narrator (or other screenreader) is too overwhelming to start with, you could look at Magnifier Reading (basically click on text to have it read out - though of course you'd need enough sight to locate the mouse pointer). Also Edge has the 'Immersive Reader' function which simplifies webpages and will also rad them out. Probably not enough to use at work but maybe will help if your friend is in the very early stages and needs to look stuff up.
neveryoumind456 [OP] 2 points 1y ago
At work we use Windows, I was hoping I could learn about it for her initially, then start teaching her as I learn it. It’s so overwhelming for her right now, so I want to get straight in to it and not give her yet another thing she has to figure out. Thanks for the thoughtful reply!
airluther 2 points 1y ago
Yeah it can be tricky as there are many options and it can get quite overwhelming at the start.
I'd recommend trying to find tools and strategies for the most important tasks first (pick two or three, like checking email and writing a document for example) so your friend can at least get going. Web browsing is going to be very useful as it means she'll be able to do her own research moving forward.
I'd recommend trying to find tools and strategies for the most important tasks first (pick two or three, like checking email and writing a document for example) so your friend can at least get going. Web browsing is going to be very useful as it means she'll be able to do her own research moving forward.
neveryoumind456 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Excellent idea, checking emails and writing word doc’s will be a great place to start.
neveryoumind456 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thank you for your thoughtful reply, great info for me to start with, much appreciated!
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
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