Resources
National Low Vision Wearable Glasses Month
September is National Low Vision Wearable Glasses Month. “What wheelchair is to someone who has trouble walking, so electronic video magnification technology is to someone who has trouble seeing.” -Scott Krug, President, New England Low Vision and Blindness As recently published in the New England Low Vision and Blindness white paper ‘You’ve been diagnosed with…
Read MoreAccessible Fitness and Nutrition Tracking Devices and Software
Bluetooth Connected Devices Until recently, people with visual impairments had to rely on special purpose devices, such as talking scales, to obtain access to many devices. However, with the mobile revolution in full swing, a new solution is emerging: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connected devices that display their data on a smartphone and are thus accessible…
Read MoreAccessible Mobile Apps and Talking Devices for Health Monitoring
Prescription readers are not the only speech-accessible devices that can improve the quality of your life. Talking Glucose Monitors If you are diabetic, you can check your own glucose levels using a talking glucose monitor. There are several models available. Check with your insurance company, pharmacist or other diabetes supplies provider and you may find…
Read MoreChildproofing Your Home for a Child with Vision Impairment
Childproofing your home is an ongoing and potentially costly process (see how much childproofing costs). This routine is made more complex for the parents of a child with a visual impairment. As your child grows and begins to explore their world, there are dozens of opportunities for accidents around the house. The average home is fraught with potential…
Read MoreAccessible Prescription Information and Medication Management
According to the AFB Access to Drug Labels Survey Report, the print-impaired community is particularly at risk for at-home medication errors, such as swallowing the wrong pill, missing a refill date, or ingesting expired medications. Prescription labels contain vital information about our medications and yet because that information is often printed on a rigid, curved surface…
Read MorePrescription, Health, and Fitness Management Tools for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Between KNFB Reader and the other apps and smartphone services we have mentioned in these guides, it’s possible to identify nearly anything you need to know about or read. One possible exception is your prescription bottles. You can use FaceTime, Skype, or Be My Eyes to get sighted help identifying your various medicines and reviewing…
Read MoreNational Portable Video Magnifier Month
August is National Portable Video Magnifier Month. “What wheelchair is to someone who has trouble walking, so electronic video magnification technology is to someone who has trouble seeing.” -Scott Krug, President, New England Low Vision and Blindness As recently published in the New England Low Vision and Blindness white paper ‘You’ve been diagnosed with Macular…
Read MoreMaine Ingenuity in the workshop
Our client Leon Vlasak from Maine, has come up with some very creative ways to use low vision technology for woodworking. Leon uses FDR—the very 1st CCTV from our supplier Optelec—with the Acrobat Long arm in some amazing ways. Earlier this year he “splurged” on a flat screen. He also created a wheeled base as…
Read MoreUsing a Computer to Access Music, Videos, and Radio for People with Visual Impairments and Blindness
In their series ‘Entertainment‘, American Foundation for the Blind explains how people who are blind or visually impaired can use a computer to access music, videos, and radio. Accessible Purchased Music and Video Content If your PC or Mac computer has a CD or DVD drive, you can insert a disc, and, depending on how…
Read MoreBuilt-in Smartphone Mapping Apps from Google and Apple
In their series ‘Smartphone GPS Navigation‘, American Foundation for the Blind explains how the built-in Smartphone mapping apps can help people who are blind or visually impaired. In their built-in mapping apps (Google Maps and Apple Maps), both Google and Apple provide mapping data collected and assembled from a wide number of sources—from satellite imaging…
Read More“Watching” TV with a Visual Impairment
Many unenlightened sighted people may wonder, “But if you can’t see, how can you watch TV?” If someone asks you this question, just smile, then wait until the next time they go into the kitchen to start dinner with their back turned but the TV on so they don’t miss anything. Pictures are nice, but…
Read MoreTurning the Printed Page into Machine-Readable Text
These days you can find nearly any book or magazine you wish to read in an accessible format. But there’s a lot more to living a productive and independent life than reading books. What about the daily mail? That print memo your boss just distributed? The folder of take-out menus you keep in a kitchen…
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