Technology

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

It wasn’t too long ago when people would bemoan: “The Internet is terrible for society. Using it isolates yourself. There is no human interaction or engagement.” Of course, that was before Facebook and other social networks took the world by storm. Today, over a billion people a day around the world check in on Facebook…

When a sighted person uses a touchscreen smartphone or tablet, he or she taps icons or slides a finger across the display in order to make things happen. Happily, the three major touchscreen platforms from Apple, Google, and Microsoft, each include two built-in accessibility features for people with visual impairments: a screen magnifier and a…