I live in Sweden and I am getting more and more frustrated that this country is becoming a cash-free society which, for the visually impaired in particular, is a big problem. More and more cafes and restaurants do not accept cash and even “normal” shops. I have a bank card that I can “blip” for amounts up to 200 kronor, over that amount and you have to use your PIN code. The big problem is that not all card readers are the same design with differing layouts of numbers etc. Sometimes the number pads are so close too so I cannot differentiate between them. At the same time, I cannot see or read the small display so have no idea of the amount I am agreeing to pay! I have been told that one can ask for a receipt to be printed out and then you can sign that. Sure, but that receipt from the card reader is a tiny slip, I see no numbers so I still do not know the amount I am saying OK to or see the tiny line to sign my name!!! It is not only the visually impaired that finds this so challenging but other groups such as the elderly who may find it easier to have their weekly budget in cash rather than keeping a tab of expenditure via tiny card reader receipts etc.
Today I even discovered a new, very cumbersome method of payinng to go to the toilet! Fortunately, there was a lady to help guide but not the simplest of payment systems! First, “blip” your card on the display to the left of the entrance. take the paper receipt to a reader on the right side of the entrance to scan and then you can finally be let into the toilets! Just putting a coin into a slot was so much easier!!!
How is it where you live? Do you still have the choice to pay with cash or by card?
Posts in the Technology category:
Latest technology
Dictation and text-to-speech on iPad
I really am a slow learner! Or, should I say, it takes me ages to get to know the full potential of anything. As you know, I have had my iPad for some time now but have only just discovered the Dictation capability! (See link below for finding it on your iPad) I have had so many laughs trying this out as my accent must be really strange as the text result can be pretty bizarre. But, as they say, “practice makes perfect” and I am not giving up. One of these fine days I will be able to dictate my message via Messenger on FaceBook or even dictate a whole e-mail to a friend instead of slowly typing out each word.
Another great feature is having long texts read to me instead of straining the vision I have. Has anyone else found any good dictation and/or text-to-speech apps for desktop or mobile devices?
Some good links:
– How to Use Text to Speech on the iPad
– How to Have iPhone or iPad Read Emails To You & Speak to Write Back
– Take a Memo: Ten Tips for Successful Voice Dictation
– iPad Voice Dictation: Commands List & Tips
PLEXTALK Pocket
PLEXTALK Pocket is my constant companion …. when I travel to work, when I am cooking, when I go to sleep …. because then, I am listening to my beloved books!
As with my iPad, I have not investigated all that my PLEXTALK Pocket is capable of – I am just too busy listening to my books 🙂 The main reason for acquiring one was to replace my old Victor Reader Classic that had also been my faithful companion for many years. However, as I used it via the main electricity supply, not as easy to transport as the PLEXTALK Pocket.
Read how it could help in your daily life on Plextalk Pocket official website
Low vision aids
I guess it depends on what country you live in as to what vision aids are offered/available or within your price range. I have lived in England and Canada and now live in Sweden and have always been offered great vision aids that work well for me. In all of these countries, I was able to have the adaptive equipment on long loan, returning them when they were no longer of use for me, or replacing them with modern alternatives. As my vision has deteriorated through the years, I have had to try new devices. At first I could easily read text with a loupe but now I need a CCTV. No two of us have the same visual acuity so, of course, one has to try out the device(s) that could help with just your acuity/needs.
Maybe a good start would be to read the Guide to Buying Low Vision Magnifiers and What are Low Vision Optical Devices.
Loupes
A good selection of these can be seen via Magnifying Aids as well as many other options.
Other hand-held magnifiers/vision aids
One that I now have is the i-loview 7 HD which is a nifty device I can have in my pocket/handbag. The i-loview 7 HD is a high definition video magnifier that has a 7 inch screen which can be used for both close up and distance viewing too. For example, if I cannot read a street sign, I can take a photo of it and then zoom up to a size that I can read … great for anything that is hard for me to see, e.g. bus numbers and any type of signage. See a demonstration video on You Tube. I also use my iPad in the same way, take a photo and zoom in for detail … but my iPad is heavier 🙂
CCTV
I have used a CCTV to read text for many years. Right now, I use one from Low Vision International which I am really happy with. Check out their other great products too.
At work, I have used a desktop CCTV system that goes via my computer that divides the normal computer screen to show one half as your computer work area and one half as the document that you are viewing via the CCTV. See a list of camera units which share a computer’s monitor on via the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired website.
Another piece of adaptive equipment that I acquired recently is the VisioBook. This I can take with me to meetings/courses and read even text on the white board. However, I do find that I have to have such a high magnification that not everything fits on the reading screen therefore I have to move the whole device around to read everything …. a drawback. However, this could be a super choice for those of you who do not need a high magnification. It can even be used when seeing to apply make up!
This information just scrapes the surface of what is available for us with low vision/Stargardts. As I mentioned, after trying out various devices, I am sure you will find a device that suits just your acuity/needs 🙂
Windows Magnifier
I have been a dedicated user of Zoom Text for many, many years. However, my daughter (who also has Stargardts) introduced me to the built in magnifier that comes with Windows … I love it! In fact, on my new computer, I use it more than Zoom Text these days. I am sure most of you have already discovered it. With my new computer that has Windows 8, I have had problems with Zoom Text compatibility with some programs … but the Windows magnifier works with them, no problems.
Read more about how to turn on and adjust Windows magnifier on the Microsoft website.
Be My Eyes
If you own an iPhone, this is a super new app to have. By activating Be My Eyes to launch a video chat with a sighted helper, you get help in seeing signs, expiry dates on food products, train times/platform numbers, the exit door, navigating new surroundings etc. etc. … we all know of many situations when we mutter to ourselves “if only I could borrow somebody’s eyes” as our own vision fails us. Hans Jørgen Wiberg is the founder of Be My Eyes and you can read more about it on their website.
iPad for the visually impaired – useful links
Here are some helpful links with regard to being visually impaired and using the iPhone and iPad:
– 35 Apps to Help You Get Started with a New iOS Device at AppleVis
– Apple’s accessibility options for iPad regarding vision
– Apps For Blind And Visually Impaired
– ZoomReader for iPhone/iPad
– iPad Accessibility Tip Sheet – District of Columbia Public Library
What “time wasters” (i.e. games!) do you have on your iPad or iPhone that work well if you have Stargardts?
These three word games remain my firm favourites and I find them easy to use:
– Wordfeud
– Ruzzle
– Word Solitaire
eSight eyewear
I received a note recently from Shane in Ottawa, Canada about the much talked about eSight eyewear:
“My wife and sister in law both have Stargardt’s (they’re now in their 50’s).
I wonder if you’re aware of this new breakthrough high tech device for people with low vision just launched in both Canada and the U.S (in the U.S through Chicago Lighthouse)? Stargardt’s patients, in particular, benefit tremendously from the technology (including those in my family).
Here is the website.www.esighteyewear.com/
In particular, please watch the videos and read the news stories which are inspiring and have received national attention over the past few weeks and months.”
Has anyone else tried eSight eyewear?
iPad for us?
I have now used a wi-fi iPad for a few months but, I hasten to add, I have not investigated its full potential as yet. My son helped to set up my e-mail, install the weather app, showed me how to take photos and look at them using the zoom function and, most importantly of all(!?), how I could play Rumble or Ruzzle as it is now called. Ruzzle has taken up MANY hours of fun, time-wasting entertainment time for me but now I plan to make full use of my new buddy, Paddan.
For those of you not familiar with Ruzzle, it is a 16 letter matrix word game similar to Scrabble where the aim is to challenge/invite friends to find as many words as you can in the allotted two minutes. Three 2-minute rounds make up one game. When I began playing, I was useless … the time aspect added to the stress and my fingers did not do what my brain wanted them to do and I did not “see” the possible words! On my “bad eye” days I often mistake O for D or C for O etc. Playing many practise games before challenging “real” players helped a lot and now I win more of the games. I find I usually have a lot more shorter words as it is harder for me to get an overview of the full 16 letter matrix holding the iPad quite close to my eyes. I usually concentrate on a 4 letter corner at a time and find as many words as I can before moving on to the next corner … so I tend to win by the amount of shorter words rather than on the number of letters in longer words. I also found that Ruzzle uses a very strange dictionary with many “made up” words as well as not accepting “real” words! OK, that is enough of Ruzzle for now!
So, my quest to learn about more features hidden in Paddan …. Apple describes the accessibility Vision adaptations that are available and useful to those of us with Stargardt’s (or any visual impairment) very clearly.
I have not yet tested/used the voice over function, tending to hold up Paddan closer to my eyes instead. However, this tends to give me “Pad arm ache” as my bubby Paddan is no feather-weight! I also find my nose unknowingly “presses” on some link/icon and takes me somewhere I do not wish to be! I will test the Voice Over and tell you in a later post how I have found it. In the meantime, I will also surf, read and gather links relating to the iPad and the visually impaired and include them on future posts under the Technology category.
It would be good to hear from any other visitors to stargardts.net who also like their iPad and who would like to share iPad tips and tricks.