[real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not

  • From: Chad Rohr <chad.rohr@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 11:42:47 -0500

Just FYI the new Sonos app just released is accessible with VoiceOver  

Sincerely,
Chad Rohr

> On Jun 6, 2014, at 11:31 AM, Mitchell Lynn <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I don't have one, but maybe he is  trying to limit discussion to a known
> set of apps--perhaps those that are native to the iPhone. there's no way
> he could cover them all. there is, for example, a Sonos app for
> iDevices, and if I knew it worked with VO, I might well give it a shot.
> Once upon a time, it did work, but the Sonos UI has changed dramatically
> since then. A workable Sonos app and the paper money ID would be very
> very useful. Having to pay for a data plan sucks.
> 
> Pretty high praise--first or second piece of independence technology.
> Couldn't get any higher than 4th on my list no matter what it could do.
> It won't replace my cane, braille or my desktop. Funny how those with
> dogs place the dog higher, and those who use a cane place the iPhone
> higher. There is something screwy with that line of thinking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On 06/06/14 11:05 AM, William Stephan wrote:
>> Andrea:
>> Most blind people I talk to say their iPhone is the best or second best
>> piece of independence technology, depending on whether or not they work a
>> dog.
>> This article fails to mention many things that make the iPhone a great tool,
>> e.g. apps like TapTap See and Camfind.  
>> I totally didn't get the part about GPS, why would you only use that if you
>> had a driver?  Has he never heard of apps like BlindSquare?
>> And, if you just wanted to be a cheapo blind person, you could just direct
>> your driver with the native Maps application anyway.
>> Also, I don't buy the typing speeds he mentions.  I'm not a speedy typist,
>> but I surely type far faster than three words a minute using the touch
>> screen, and though I haven't timed myself in a while, I probably type at
>> least forty words a minute using Fleksy.
>> And, with IOS 8, the Fleksy option will be available in many more Apps.
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>> On Behalf Of Andrea Breier
>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 7:41 AM
>> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [real-eyes] Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good About
>> the iPhone and What Is Not
>> 
>> I thought this might be good to toss out there for discussion.  This artical
>> was printed in the June addition. I agree that there is a learning curve
>> that naturally goes along with any smart phone, but because of the wide
>> veriaty of abilities of the many people I have personally instructed with
>> the iPhone, do not feel that there is a better accessibility option in the
>> smart phone arina.  there are several other options or salutions that could
>> have been implamented in some of the examples he gave.  Fleksy as an input
>> option for his touch typing example for one, or using the split tap or
>> adjusting the speed of the tap under accessibility options.   
>> Okay enough said for now.  Here goes the artical.  
>>>                                ---------- [PHOTO CAPTION: Curtis 
>>> Chong]
>>>           Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not
>>>                              by Curtis Chong
>>> 
>>>     From the Editor: The iPhone is unquestionably the most popular 
>>> cell phone used by the blind. Apple's revolutionary breakthrough in 
>>> providing a roadmap for making the touchscreen usable by the blind has 
>>> earned it significant praise from the blind, and their money has 
>>> followed their words. But even with its impressive list of features 
>>> and its accessibility, the iPhone is not for everyone, including some 
>>> blind people. In this article Curtis Chong, who is a technology expert 
>>> now living in New Mexico, explains the benefits of cutting-edge 
>>> technology, but he also knows that the complexity of the iPhone and 
>>> the needs of many cell phone users do not make it a good match. Here 
>>> is what he has to say:
>>> 
>>>     Many people have hailed the Apple iPhone as one of the first 
>>> touchscreen technologies that can be used by the blind without sighted 
>>> assistance. When Apple released the iPhone with VoiceOver back in 
>>> 2009, even the most skeptical among us recognized that Apple had 
>>> accomplished a truly phenomenal feat of design and engineering; for 
>>> the first time in history a person who could not see the screen was 
>>> able to operate all of the controls of a device, even though those 
>>> controls were nothing more than icons on a flat screen.
>>>     Today the iPhone's reputation as an accessible technology for the 
>>> blind is widespread. People who have never used an accessible cell 
>>> phone have heard about the iPhone and dream about taking advantage of 
>>> its accessibility for themselves. Well-meaning sons and daughters, 
>>> hearing about the legendary accessibility of the iPhone, act to 
>>> purchase this marvelous piece of technology for their aging mother or 
>>> father. Parents who want an accessible cell phone for their blind 
>>> youngsters believe that the iPhone is the perfect solution.
>>>     Accessible as the iPhone is, it is important to understand both 
>>> its strengths and weaknesses before deciding to spend the money to get 
>>> it. For some people it will be the perfect solution. For others it 
>>> could turn out to be a very expensive paperweight.
>>>     The good and bad points about the iPhone that are listed below 
>>> are based solely on my personal experience. In judging the accuracy of 
>>> this information for yourself, you should know that I was a relative 
>>> latecomer to the iPhone; I waited nearly two years before I decided to 
>>> abandon my accessible Nokia cell phone for it, and, because I had 
>>> talked with a lot of blind people before I decided to make the 
>>> purchase, I was not disappointed in my decision.
>>> 
>>>                     The Good Things About the iPhone
>>> 
>>>     1. The iPhone enables you to take advantage of online services- 
>>> particularly if they are supported by an iPhone app-for example, 
>>> banking, news, music, searching for information, reading books online, 
>>> email, weather, etc.
>>>     2. The iPhone gives you the same technology as many of your blind 
>>> friends who have already embraced the iPhone as their technological 
>>> Swiss Army Knife of choice. This means that, if you run into trouble, 
>>> you will probably be able to find a blind person with the knowledge 
>>> and experience to help you.
>>>     3. The iPhone demonstrates conclusively that the blind can 
>>> operate a touchscreen device that has been properly designed for 
>>> nonvisual use. In this regard I take great delight in using my iPhone 
>>> with the screen completely blank-just to show my sighted colleagues that
>> it can be done.
>>>     4. The iPhone can tell you who is calling before you answer the call.
>>>     5. The iPhone can help you keep track of recent calls made and/or 
>>> received, and you can easily return a missed call.
>>>     6. The iPhone offers a dictation system that enables you to make 
>>> calls to people in your contact list, call specific phone numbers that 
>>> you already know, dictate emails and text messages, and ask questions 
>>> that may or may not result in useful answers.
>>>     7. The iPhone can run a GPS system that you can use to direct 
>>> drivers to where you want to go if you pay for a good GPS app.
>>>     8. The iPhone has a free built-in compass which is quite useful 
>>> in places where there are no good landmarks.
>>>     9. With a ten-dollar app, the iPhone can read paper currency; 
>>> this app can even read foreign paper currency.
>>>     10. The iPhone is a great music player and also good for 
>>> streaming radio.
>>>     11. With the iPhone you can read digital talking books and 
>>> electronic Braille books from the National Library Service of the 
>>> Library of Congress.
>>>     12. The iPhone can be used to read books from Audible.com and 
>>> Kindle books from Amazon. It can also read books from a variety of 
>>> other sources- including Learning Ally and Bookshare.
>>>     13. The iPhone offers access to NFB-NEWSLINER through a free app.
>>>     14. You can take pictures with the iPhone. Autofocus gives you a 
>>> verbal indication whether there is a face in the picture. Also the 
>>> camera can, to some extent, be used with optical character recognition 
>>> software to read printed material if you can focus the camera.
>>>     15. The iPhone has built-in voice output and screen enlargement 
>>> available free. Activating these technologies is fairly straightforward.
>>> Moreover, you will find that a growing number of books and people are 
>>> available to offer help and support for new iPhone users.
>>> 
>>>                     What Is Not Good About The iPhone
>>> 
>>>     1. If you don't want to pay for a data plan, the iPhone has no 
>>> option for that. A data plan will cost you about twenty dollars a 
>>> month. You need a data plan for the iPhone to be able to communicate over
>> the Internet.
>>>     2. It is very inefficient to make a simple phone call with the 
>>> iPhone, particularly if you don't have a person in your contacts list. 
>>> You can dial a phone number that you know much more quickly with a 
>>> keypad that has real, physical buttons.
>>>     3. On the iPhone touch typing for texting and email is very slow 
>>> as compared to a regular keyboard; this has been somewhat mitigated by 
>>> Braille apps, of which there are now two. However, you should know 
>>> that research has shown that, on average, a blind person entering data 
>>> using the touch- screen QWERTY keyboard is writing at about three 
>>> words per minute. By contrast, users of the built-in Braille apps have 
>>> been clocked at around
>>> 23
>>> words per minute.
>>>     4. The iPhone is very much a technology requiring good hand-ear 
>>> coordination. People who want real buttons that they can operate 
>>> silently by touch will be very disappointed in the iPhone.
>>>     5. Battery life for the iPhone is still an issue. You have to 
>>> charge it at least once a day-a lot more if you use GPS.
>>>     6. The iPhone is not small. It is bigger than a lot of flip phones.
>>>     7. For a lot of people the iPhone is a lot more technology than 
>>> they want. It is not for someone who just wants a phone to make and 
>>> receive calls.
>>>     8. The iPhone is not cheap. Even with a two-year contract, the 
>>> basic unit can cost $200. The full retail price of the iPhone is 
>>> approximately $650.
>>>     9. First-time users of the iPhone have reported initial 
>>> frustration with this powerful technology. It is not uncommon for 
>>> these people to feel as if they want to throw the phone away during 
>>> the first month. Answering calls and hanging up calls seem to be two 
>>> particularly difficult problems for beginning iPhone users.
>>>     10. The iPhone requires a fair amount of dexterity and the 
>>> ability to tap quickly. People who have motor issues or poor dexterity 
>>> will likely not benefit from this technology.
>>> 
>>>                                Conclusion
>>> 
>>>     The iPhone is simply not for everyone-despite its built-in 
>>> nonvisual accessibility. Before you decide to get one, do the 
>>> research, talk to your colleagues in the blind community, and decide 
>>> whether or not you really need or want the power that the iPhone has 
>>> to offer. Before you buy, be prepared to experience some frustration, 
>>> have a few second thoughts, and expect initially to find some simple 
>>> phone functions harder than you think they should be.
>>>                                ----------
>> 
>> Hugs, AJ 
>> 
>> Recipe for happiness: 
>> Live with enthusiasm, smile for no reason, love without conditions, act with
>> purpose, listen with your heart, and laugh often.
>> 
>> Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
>> When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
>> Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
>> Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure
>> Ecstasy.
>> Take naps.
>> Stretch before rising.
>> Run, romp, and play daily.
>> Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
>> Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
>> On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
>> On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
>> When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
>> Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
>> Be loyal.
>> Never pretend to be something you're not.
>> If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
>> When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them
>> gently.
>> ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
>> 
>> 
>> 
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