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Topic: Apple

For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

Summary: The undisputed phone of choice for the visually impaired is the Apple iPhone. Here's why.

Melanie D.G. Kaplan

By Melanie D.G. Kaplan for Between the Lines |

The undisputed phone of choice for the visually impaired is the Apple iPhone.

So says Paul Schroeder, vice president of programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind.

According to Schroeder, Apple's innovative decision to build screen reader technology -- VoiceOver -- into the iOS mobile operating system has endeared it to the more than 25 million Americans with vision loss.

But it wasn't always that way. The original iPhone had a touchscreen but no accessibility support.

But as Schroeder describes in an interview with SmartPlanet's Melanie D.G. Kaplan, pressure on the company caused a change in less than two years.

"They have changed the world," Schroeder says. "You can't go anywhere without seeing iPhones in the hands of blind people."

Topics: Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Mobility, Smartphones, Telcos

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20 comments
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  • oh, what a joke, no physical keyboard, and good for blinds?

    come on, is there no basic common sense anymore?

    to praise apple, the author would just say anything and make any ridiculous claims now?
    crislevin
    Reply Vote

    • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

      @crislevin No, Cris, you need to consider the current state of the art, and where Apple fits in. With a voice interface, it's ahead. And this is a full voice interface.

      Full disclosure. My mom has been blind for 30 years, and doesn't have an iPhone.
      DanaBlankenhorn
      Reply Vote

    • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

      @crislevin Before you make a remark like that, you should click on the link to VoiceOver noted above (http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone/vision.html) and read the actual description of the technology. You woefully underestimate the ability of the visually impared to use technology.
      pinnacle_ls
      Reply Vote

    • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

      @crislevin Did you even read the Article? The fact that a VP for the "American Foundation for the BLIND" was quoted has some weight. So it isn't just the "Author Saying Anything".
      GarlynSav
      Reply Vote

    • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

      This site is so deeply infested with trolls. Even a seemingly uncontroversial article like this brings one out to make another useless comment!
      rjonesthree@...
      Reply Vote

    • basic common sense

      would have anyone listen to the vice president of programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind when he's talking about products for the blind.
      Richard Flude
      Reply Vote

  • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

    Perhaps Cris missed the details on how VoiceOver works. I have the first gen iPhone so I missed this ap complete. My low vision boss is gonna like this.
    HazDaGeek
    Reply Vote

    • Okay but...

      @HazDaGeek

      Wouldn't it be easier to be able to talk to the phone rather than just play stuff back?

      The way I see it, Froyo is far ahead of this and it isn't just one app, voice technology is throughout the entire OS.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

      • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

        @Peter Perry yeah, but it plays in context to where data is on the screen. Imagine hearing this every ZDnet page you loaded: "Home News & Blogs Reviews Downloads White Papers Log Out | Manage | Log In | Join | Site Assistance | Follow via"

        If you touch the middle of the screen it starts there. That is my understanding at least. I don't own an Iphone, and don't want one. I like Android, but this is a cool app and I hope something similar comes out on Android.
        Maybe someone will utilize the camera to READ text, or already has.
        GarlynSav
        Reply Vote

      • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

        @Peter Perry The overall package they're describing does far more than just the voice commands in Froyo, though they should expand Voice Control to cover the entire OS (which would benefit everyone, not just the visually-impaired). Android's voice commands would definitely help, but there's nothing there that actually describes what's on the screen. (I have no idea if this is really useful, but they clearly put some thought and, presumably, research into it.)
        paferg
        Reply Vote

      • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

        @Brogers & pafberg<br><br>The entire OS has some of this ability built in with text to speech and accessibility options.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

  • maybe they forgot the quote...

    ... or some facts to back up the statement. This article is a waste of space without them.
    akritchie
    Reply Vote

  • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

    You should try to read this ZDNet article in my screen reader - HORRIBLE! You have a heading for the title, and then NOTHING to get us to the main part of the story. So we have to listen to a ton of links to stuff I couldn't care about including related topics, blogs, email link icons followed by email links using names, vendor ads and eventually I get to hear the story. But I fell asleep before I got to the main text and almost didn't hear the whole reason I came here!
    Krashtestdumby
    Reply Vote

    • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

      So many websites do not consider the needs of persons with a vision loss. The irony is that a website that considers the needs of persons with a vision loss is also easier for a person with perfect vision to use.

      The same rule applies for wheelchair accessibility to public places. Wheelchair friendly places are more pleasant for older people, parents with strollers, and people who do not pay attention to where they are walking.
      puppygnu
      Reply Vote

  • The iPad is even better

    The iPad is poised to revolutionize the Internet for persons with a vision loss. The large touch screen in conjunction with a first rate screen reader is simply amazing. As a teacher of persons with vision loss, the iPad is the most exciting technology that I have seen in the past 15 years.

    Here is my website that helps make the Internet more accessible for persons with a vision loss.

    http://easysites.4t.com
    puppygnu
    Reply Vote

  • RE: For the blind, Apple iPhone has become phone of choice

    Gleams, a publication of The Glaucoma Research Foundation, recommends the iMac 23" and above as the computer of choice for the visually-impaired.

    Right-Eye Blind
    hwgray
    Reply Vote

  • iPhone accessibility features spawn accessible apps

    I'm part of a team working on List Recorder, an iPhone list management app designed for eyes-free use. While the iPhone is not a perfect platform, we continue to see evolution in the iPhone's accessibility features.

    For example, List Recorder makes use of tilting and gestures combined with VoiceOver for eyes-free operation. That works great if you don't want to haul around additional accessories. But external USB keyboard support in iOS 4.0 sure made text easier to enter. Apple didn't let it rest with that. iOS 4.1 includes the ability to use the keyboard to execute gestures using VoiceOver keyboard commands. So Apple continues to expand the ways in which one can interact with the iPhone, especially for VoiceOver users.

    All this challenges developers to integrate accessibility into their iPhone apps, beyond just relying on VoiceOver. This, in turn, leads to a focus on accessibility in related tech, such as an iPhone app's support site. By way of example, List Recorder's web site offers two product overviews: a tech and audio overview for users of screen-readers ( http://sixthmode.com/lr-overview-a) as well as a conventional illustrated overview (http://www.sixthmode.com/lr-overview-v).
    @...
    Reply Vote

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