Finding Out About Phones from The Chicago Lighthouse

Tech Tools for Living: Finding Out About Phones

From our partners at the Chicago Lighthouse, introducing My Tools for Living, an overview of everyday tools for low vision.

There's one handy tool that many of us already carry everywhere, and that's our smartphones. Whether we use them just for phone calls and texting, or we take advantage of different apps to help us through the day. Phones help us keep in touch, identify things around us, get around safely, and so much more. For people who are blind or have low vision, a smartphone can be one of the most powerful accessibility tools you own. It can help you see things more clearly or get things done by voice and sound alone.

Voice: Set a reminder to take my medication at 10:00 AM

Narrator: It can help you navigate your environment, describe the things around you, and support your safety, convenience, and independence. Wherever you go.

VoiceOver: Your driver is three minutes away.

Narrator: Whatever kind of smartphone you use, iPhone or Android, it already comes with many of these accessibility features built right in.

Voice: Set a timer for five minutes.

Talkback: I've set a timer for five minutes.

Narrator: Even if you're starting at square one, you'll find options that fit your comfort level and helpful ways to learn at your own pace. Think of your phone as a pocket size toolbox, and you don't have to use every tool it offers. Starting small with one or two features can make a big difference in your day. If you have low vision, there are magnifier tools that use the camera to zoom in on text or objects. You can adjust contrast and color filters as well as text size or zoom in on one area of the screen. You can magnify small text on labels, medication bottles, or receipts, and you can scan a document like your mail, a menu, or even a sign and hear it out loud

Seeing AI: Amount due $54.17.

Narrator: In fact, you can do everything you need on your smartphone without relying on eyesight.

Judith: I have an Android cell phone, using the magnifier, I can put it whatever I want to read and I can control the magnification, and that is really a godsend.

Narrator: Voiceover on iPhone and Talk Back on Android are built-in screen readers that tell you what's on the screen and let you make selections using gestures, tapping, or swiping the screen instead of sight.

VoiceOver: 12 outdoor activities for when you need to get out of the house.

Narrator: If typing is difficult or inconvenient. Dictation lets you speak messages, emails, or searches out loud.

Voice: Simple one pot meals.

Dictation Speech: Simple one, pot meals, Google search, web view,

Narrator: And using accessibility shortcuts, you can turn these features on or off with a quick tap.

Talkback: Talk back on accessibility button.

Pat: The thing in my life that is the most invaluable is my smartphone. I'm extremely reliant on dictation. If I were to find the letters on the keyboard, even though I use very large fonts, it would take forever, I can't imagine life without that.

Narrator: When you're ready for more, many free or low-cost apps, use the camera to read text, barcodes, or labels or to describe pictures, scenes and environments. Your smartphone's camera can act like a set of eyes, making the world around you easier to see or describing things out loud.

Seeing AI: Processing the image depicts a pond. There are trees surrounding the entire pond.

Narrator: There are apps that can identify objects or colors and apps that scan and read stickers that you create, so you can label things at home.

Seeing AI: Product chicken broth.

Monty: There's an app that count money, tell you what the colors are, and we'll read to you and have some AI component where it'll take a picture of stuff and you can ask it questions about your surroundings and it'll do its best to identify, so it's that kind of smart.

Narrator: If it sounds like a lot to learn, don't worry. The staff at Chicago Lighthouse can help you explore the right options that fit your comfort and goals. One common question we hear is, which phone is best for people with vision loss, iPhone or Android? And the answer is both. They both offer screen readers, magnifiers, voice control, larger text, and other accessible settings, and you don't have to figure out which one is right for you on your own. he Chicago Lighthouse can provide the information to help you decide. My Tools for Living offers a knowledge base of digital resources that can instruct you or loved ones on how to best utilize the accessibility features on your smartphone and or also a phone call away.

As technology evolves. Wearable devices like Smart Glasses are starting to do many of the same things phones can do often hands free. For example, with a phone, you can hold it up and point the camera at something to hear it described.

Talkback: Plant based pork belly.

Narrator: With smart glasses, you can turn your head toward the scene you want described even when your hands are busy with something else,

Smart Glasses: You are looking at an outdoor park. There are tall green trees and a park bench.

Narrator: Smartphones are still required for the use of smart wearable devices. The Chicago Lighthouse can help you get connected. Your phone can do more than you might think. With just a few tips, techniques, and adjustments, it can become one of the most helpful tools in your everyday life.

VoiceOver: Bringing home your new best friend, 10 tips for your first day with your shelter dog.

Narrator: And remember, you don't need to learn everything at once. The best plan is to start with one simple feature, to make one aspect of your life easier and build from there. In our next episode, we'll talk about using the computer to connect, explore, get things done, and stay engaged with the world. Today's world offers many tools and technologies to meet your needs and help you get things done, and the Chicago Lighthouse is here to guide you through the options and help you find what's right for you. To learn more, visit www.MyToolsforLiving.com or call the Chicago Lighthouse Tools for Living Store at 1800-919-3375.