blind and visually impaired – Technology and Disability

by Stephanie Arnold

Background

Over 34 million Americans suffer from (severe) visual impairments that cannot be corrected with glasses.
There are many different types of blindness and low vision impairment, just like any other disability each individuals experience is different
Assistive technology allows individuals who are blind or visually impaired to navigate throughout out sighted world
Since different people need different technologies for everyday based on their individual needs this is not a completely inclusive representation of all blind tech

Services and Resources for the Blind: Virginia

Virginia Federation of The Blind
- Provide services and training (free cane)
The Library and Resource Center
- Inventory of adaptive equipment: braille textbooks, audiobooks, software, andcanes
American Council for The Blind
- Activate for equality and resources to increase independence, equality, opportunity, and quality of life (provide jobs and services)
MaxiAids and LSSproducts
- Individual responsibility to find and pay for products and assistive Technology

Low Vision

Playing Cards
Magnified Telephone Sticker Numbers
- Also used for keyboards
Magnifiers
- Merlin: desktop magnifier

Playing cards with enlarged text and symbols

Bright stickers with telephone numbers to be applied to telephone numbers

The Merlin desktop magnifier being used to magnify book text. A white woman in her mid 60's is reading the text from the book off of the magnifier's screen.

Daily Living

Wake up: Alarm/watch
Pick out clothing: Identifier buttons
Put on sunglasses: due to irritation from light
Brush teeth: Squirt toothpaste in mouth not brush
Cooking: Tactile sticker, Use finger to measure amount of substance in measuring cup
Eating: White plate on black surface (plate shield)
Medication: Use bar code labeler to identify, dropper cover
Recreation: listen to audio book, use cell phone, or walk on treadmill (buttons)

blue eye dropper cover attached to a white bottle of eye drops held by a white woman black pair of sun glasses purple glass plate with a plate shield on one side bar code labeler reading the bar code on a bottle of medication held by a white hand

Identifiers

Tactile Stickers
Bump Dots
Clothing Identifiers (shapes)
Braille Clothing Identifiers

bump dots of varying textures and colors clothing identifiers of varying colors and shapes with holes so they can be applied to clothes hangers a pile of clothes labels with different clothing descriptors(e.g. "striped") printed in ink and braille 3 sets of tactile stickers(microwave, oven, washer) filled with stickers of varying shapes, each corresponding to a different button on the device(e.g. start, cancel)

Identifiers Continued: Labeling Systems

Voila
Pen Friend Z Voice
Talking Color Detector

VoiLa Labeling system next to 3 bar code labels

Pen Friend Z Voice reading the label on a bottle of medicine

Talking Color detector reading the colors of a pile of blue, red, yellow, black, and green color swatches

Assistive Technology

Voice Recognition Memo Book
Orbit Tracker
Sunu Band
Reizen Talking Watch
Smart Phone (Alexa, Siri, Etc.)

School and Office Use

Talking 10 Digit Calculator
Audio Book
Writing Guide Kit
Tactile Pen
Typoscope Check Guide
Bold Line Neon Paper
Computer Software (*jaws, Nonvisual Desktop Access Screen Reader(Text To Speech)

Logo for the JAWS screen reader

talking 10 digit calculator with a pair of headphones set of typoscopic reading guides of varying sizes and formats 3 sheets brightly colored bold line neon paper of varying colors typoscope check guide

tactile pen audiobook player

Braille

Printer (32 Cell)
Notebook Paper
Stylus Writing Tool
Keyboard Cover
Games
Watch
Clock

black braille keyboard cover green stylus writing tool notebook paper 32 cell braille printer braille bingo set bananagrams set with braille letters accompanying black printed letters tactile watch with bumps at various sections of the face to designate the different times