Tech Tips

As we mentioned in the last section of this guide, you can use both UPCs and QR codes to help with identifying consumer products and any other items you might care to tag. But what if the item is not tagged with either a UPC or QR code? Happily, there are other mobile resources you…

For several decades, the Universal Product Code (UPC)—a strip of vertical black bars with white spaces printed on product packages—has helped speed our way through checkout lines, where cashiers use special laser wands to scan the codes. Each UPC (also commonly referred to as a “bar code”) corresponds to a unique 12-digit number that is…

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…

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…

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…