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In the last several years, cell phones (or Smart phones) have played an ever-increasing role in the lives of people with disabilities as they search for ways to become connected to their families and the Internet. These devices have opened up a new world of communication and convenience to consumers with disabilities worldwide.

While a Pocket PC can be used at home  or on the move, the touch screen on these devices makes it impossible for blind, visually-impaired, cognitively challenged, and amputee consumers with disabilities to use. Telecommunications companies are aware of the need to provide accessible telecommunications products to consumers with disabilities. One solution is they have developed screen reading software for mainstream Pocket PC devices.

Based on a Windows Mobile platform, these products provide unparalleled access to telecommunications services. 

Among the services provided are:

• Reads the screen of your PDA and converts the visual information into speech
• Works with different keyboards and Braille devices on the market
• By tapping on the corners of the screen, consumers have access to the most common functions
• Easy-to use, comprehensive online help
• The ability to use third-party applications such as an audible player
• The ability to write scripts for third party applications
• The availability of such devices in a variety of languages and voices, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish, and Mandarin Chinese.

How do consumers with disabilities feel about these products?
Europeans, Asians and Americans embrace them. For example, Hong Kong’s visually-impaired engineer William Howard says, “With this screen-reading software, I can browse the Internet, send and receive emails, access my calendar, and manage contacts and tasks.”

Parisian-born software developer Henri Jacques Remi, who is dyslexic, says, “The voice on my mobile Pocket Phone permits me to synchronize my Pocket PC so I can exchange data such as emails and other documents.” He adds, “I would be lost professionally without this special product.”

Wheelchair-user Sharon Beckingsdale, Miami, FL, adds, “I can use these enhanced devices to chat with my friends and do business when I am away from my office.”

Feeling equal to their non-disabled professional peers is important to Howard, Remi, and Beckingsdale, and these technologies give them that assurance.    

Howard also uses a Mobile Magnifier, a screen magnification software for mobile phones for the vision impaired. It enlarges and enhances all items of the mobile phone display, automatically detecting and magnifying the area of interest as the user navigates through the phone’s user interface.

Kelly Hsu lost her left arm when she was twelve years old. Fourteen years later, she is a network administrator in Chicago, IL. She wears an artificial hand. Her company handles security contracts. She found it difficult to use a cell phone when walking.

“Dialing a number was impossible when walking or traveling,” she says. She searched for more than a year for the right cell phone. She used one with large buttons, but it was too much out of the ordinary and caused people to stare at her when she used it. After trying numerous voice recognition telelphones, she found the right one for her.

“By voice command, I can make calls, access my emails, and listen to my messages. With this cell phone, I am no longer a standout in a crowd,” she says.

Hsu paid $575 for her telephone. She believes the price is high for most individuals with disabilities. She had an advantage when she purchased it and says, “My company eventually paid for it and also pays the monthly service charges.”

Hsu, Beckingsdale, and Howard believe the advancements in cell phones, or Smartphones, eliminate communication barriers for people with disabilities and are examples of assistive technology providing equal opportunities for people with disabilities.  

Reprinted with permission of Assistive Technology News.

For more information about adaptive cell phones, see Cell Phones for the Blind.