Cell phones are a part of our basic attire; we consider these phone almost.as important as the shoes on our feet. Some people would not leave home without their phones. People with visual impairments, however, find cell phones difficult devices to operate.
Let’s look at the basic cell phone: a brick, clamshell or slider design. It’s got a screen, keys, and switches for power and volume. One key is often indistinguishable from another by touch. The screens are small. The switches are often in inconvenient locations. Incorporating a keyboard for sending text further complicates the device. Most phones do not have audio output of either keys pressed or information displayed on the screen.
For example, hit the “menu” button and the options presented are inaccessible unless you can see them. And, if you’re like me and need to read a manual to learn how to operate various product functions, you’ll quickly learn those aren’t available in Braille or large print.
In August 2007, 11 visually impaired people joined together to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stating that both cell phone carriers and manufacturers failed to make their products accessible to people with visual impairments. Their argument was based on the Communications Act, the law requiring phones to be accessible to people with disabilities. Part of the purpose of that legislation was to facilitate filing specific complaints.
Years earlier several companies were already beginning to experiment with more accessible designs. Audiovox was the first to develop a voice-recognition system for the cell phone. Its Voice Guidance System gave users the ability to speak a phone number to dial and listen to incoming caller ID. Verizon soon followed with its own software. A recently added application called Voice Genesis Vemail (www.products.vzw.com) allows email to be read aloud on some phones.
Samsung entered the field with the design of a conceptual Braille keyboard phone. The Touch Messenger (www.samsunghub.com) would enable visually impaired users to carry on a mobile conversation in Braille. The device has two Braille pads. Messages can be typed on the top keypad and read on the lower.
Some cell phones advancements can have previously unforeseen benefits for visually impaired users.
Kurzweil Technologies, the inventor of various text-reading devices, has partnered with the National Federation of the Blind to develop a new device (www.knfbreader.com). Based on the Nokia N82 smartphone, this new phone literally reads to you. Take a picture of a printed page or an object, guided by a voice-recognition system. Press a button, and presto—printed material is read using a synthesized voice.
It is hard to say where cell phone technology will go in the future. Features are being added every day. Some will be easy to adapt for visually impaired users while others won’t be. While current smart phones can access email and the Internet, limitations in their screen-reading software prevent the plethora of information from being read aloud.
To learn more about the Communication Act or to get help finding cell phones that meet accessibility standards and your personal needs, contact the American Federation for the Blind (www.afb.org).
For more information on adaptive cell phones, see New Phone Techology Making a Difference for Those with Disabilities.
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