Resources
The Benefits of Using a GPS Mobile Navigation App Designed for People with Visual Impairments
All three of the GPS navigation apps described in our <previous post> above offer or link to a full suite of the basic navigation features, including the ability to determine your current location, browse and search nearby POIs, set a favorite place, create a travel route to your destination, and find your way using turn-by-turn…
Read MoreThree Blindness-Aware Mobile Navigation Apps
Most GPS navigation platforms do not include a full set of features and functions for traveling with a cane or guide dog. In this section, we will introduce you to three mobile GPS navigation apps, one for Google Android and the other two for Apple iOS, which ave been designed from the ground up to…
Read MoreNational 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 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 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 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…
Read MorePopular reading resources for people who are blind or visually impaired
Here are four extremely popular sources of books, magazines, and newspapers formatted to be accessible to people with visual impairments and blindness. National Library Service: Talking Books The National Library Service Talking Book digital player. The Library of Congress National Library Service (NLS) has been producing Talking Books since 1931, and today their collection, which…
Read MoreAssistive Devices and Technology for Low Vision
Are you having difficulty reading your mail or recipes? Would you like to see your family photos again? A CCTV could be just what you need! In macular degeneration, central vision is affected, while peripheral vision remains unchanged. You might experience a blurred area in the center of your vision or blank spots. Complete blindness…
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