The Tech Kid Talks… Services offered to our Low Vision/Blind subscribers

Through the Verizon Wireless website we found that we carry the three smart phones they recommended for subscribers that are blind. The following phones are the smart phones that are recommended:

iPhone 4

iPhone 4s

iPhone 5

These three phones offer what’s called Voice Over. With Voice Over you just touch the screen to hear a description of the item under your finger.  Voice Over actually speaks over 25 languages and works with all applications that are pre-loaded onto the smart phones above.

Additionally, if a customer who is blind wants to buy an Android device, Verizon recommends some great apps that are free through the Google play store. We would offer to pre-load those apps onto the Android before it’s sent out and will also help the customer learn how to use the app. The apps that are recommended are as follows:

TalkBack

SoundBack

KickBack

Verizon also offers their own app called Verizon Mobile Accessibility. This is a screen-reader access application that allows its users who are blind to use an Android to its full extent.

Some features of Verizon Mobile Accessibility (information found on Verizon Wireless website):

Verizon Mobile Accessibility features text read-back via a natural sounding voice powered by Nuance’s Vocalizer text to speech technology.

The Verizon Mobile Accessibility application is two products in one:

A suite of 10 accessible applications (Phone, Contacts, SMS, Alarm, Calendar, Email, Web, Where am I, Apps and Settings) that have been specially designed for the blind and low vision customer. All applications in the suite have a simplified interface whose textual information is spoken.A screen reader that allows users to get out of the suite and navigate the standard interface of their phone.

At&t also offers a free app called AT&T Mobile Accessibility for Android. This app has a suite of items that can be read back to you through the app with a natural voice. Here is just a few things that can be done with the app:

Phone – Make and answer calls, hear caller ID, manage your call log.Contacts – Manage contacts including social networks such as Facebook.SMS – Compose and read short messages and manage conversations.Alarms – Set alarms.Web – PC-like Web browser experience. Navigate by links, paragraphs, headings, forms, etc.Calendar – Create, edit, and delete calendar entries. View events by day, week, or month.Email – Full access to your Gmail account.Where am I? – GPS application for instant updates on your current location.Music Player – Intuitive interface automatically lists music files on memory card. Sorts by artist and album.Apps – Access list of apps installed on your Android phone.Settings – Configure feedback and notifications to vibrate or audio; change ringtone, keyboard echo, punctuation verbosity, speech pitch and rate, and more.

T-Mobile does not offer there own app but recommends you download either the At&t mobile accessibility app OR to get an iPhone 5.

These are some of the great services and products that we would recommend and offer to our subscribers who are blind.

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