In the last episode of Blind How, I suggested AIRA.io  whenever you need to have someone who can see to look at something or tell you about most anything. The AIRA helpers will also give you visual assistance while you are doing something that you want to do. Although the service is free much of the time and in a lot of situations, to be sure it's there for you consistently, whenever you need it, you do need a paid subscription, especially if it's going to take more than five minutes.

 

There is an alternative and totally free option for getting live help from someone who can see. It's called Be My Eyes and has two parts. Download the Be My Eyes app from the app store. Poke around the app and you will figure out how to sign up. Once you have done that, you can either call a volunteer or talk with a specialist from any business on a long list of companies that are available through Be My Eyes. If you talk with a volunteer, the possibilities are more limited than with AIRA but work really well for most things where having someone to take a look and tell you what they see is all you need. They will also help you do something that you are doing while they watch through the phone's camera.

 

If you use the option to talk with someone from one of the companies on the extensive list, you will be talking with an expert. Once you have explained your problem or issue, they will stick with you until you have the information you need or have the problem or issue resolved. For example, I was having an issue with my Windows computer. There was no speech and I had no idea what to do. The Microsoft expert had me point my phone's camera toward my computer screen and then told me exactly which keys to press on the computer keyboard. In about two minutes, my computer was again talking and off I went.

 

Both AIRA and BE My Eyes are amazing services and always there, just a tap or so away on my iPhone. Still, I find myself reluctant to just make the call. I'm bringing this up since I suspect that you might have a similar reluctance. Here's what is going on for me.

 

Whenever I ask someone to help when being able to see is necessary, it feels like I'm interrupting them and certainly inconveniencing them. Both feelings are in fact legitimate, much if not most of the time. The good news is that most people are okay with a small interruption or temporary inconvenience now and then, so long as I don't overdo it or impose too often. The bad news is that I haven't figured out a good way to always know where the line is between okay on the one hand and overdoing and too often on the other. For me, the best solution to this dilemma is to just not ask, unless I'm fairly certain that this specific request will not be disruptive or particularly inconvenient. I try to save up the good will for those infrequent times when I have a serious problem or issue that I just can't handle without help.

 

There is another frustration that comes up at least once or twice most days. There is some little thing that I want to know or want to do that I wouldn't even notice, if I could see. What color is this shirt? What's in this can? What does that bird I'm hearing look like? Is my computer screen on or off? Where's the door to the store? Where's the ball I through for my dog that he didn't retrieve? I'll bet you can join in. It's just one little thing after another, with an even more frustrating thing thrown in now and then.

 

But what to do? Unfortunately, I usually just move on, doing without that little bit of visual assistance. That's easier than bothering someone or waiting until they have time to help.

 

So, what does all that have to do with not making the couple of taps it takes to connect with...

When it comes to technology that can help those of us who can't see do what we want to do, there are at least two ways I could go about letting you know about the possibilities. First, I could give you detailed descriptions and step by step instructions for using each app or gadget. That type of tutorial is very useful and makes learning to use the app or gadget, if not always easy, at least doable. The good news is that tutorials like that are out there for many apps and gadgets and for most all of the popular ones. The bad news is that they are only helpful if you find the particular tutorial you need right now.

 

The other way to get you up and running – and the one I chose – is to encourage you to develop the skills you need to figure out for yourself how to use the apps and gadgets available to help with what you want to do. The good news is that there are only a few basic skills that you need to do most things you want to do. The bad news is that it takes time and practice to develop those skills, a lot of concentration and frustration to improve your skills, and a good measure of imagination -- along with trial and error -- to perfect them. But as your skills improve, you will be doing more and more of what you want to do by yourself and finding it easier to locate those step-by-step tutorials to learn how to use the apps and gadgets you want to use to do what you want to do.

 

This is episode 30 of Blind How. You have already listened to episodes 1 through 29, haven't you? You have been working on the skills and strategies included in those earlier episodes, haven't you? I sure hope so, since we are about to jump into the really fun stuff with your cell phone. If you haven't kept up, it will be really hard to stick with us; not impossible but really hard. If you have kept up, it will still not be easy, but is doable. Even so, it's always easier to hope that someone who can see will come along and do what you want done for you.

 

Enough of that. What if I were to tell you that there is always someone who can see who is ready and usually able to help you with those times when you need someone who can see to "take a look" and provide visual assistance with doing what you want to do? "What will they help with," you ask? Good question. What do you want to do that being able to see would make easier? Whatever that is, the assistance you need is a couple of swipes and taps away.

 

The app on your iPhone or Android phone is called "Aira." I have no idea what Aira means or why that is the app's name, but the app is sort of magical. This is one of those times when I'm just assuming that you have been keeping up and have been practicing. Download the app to your phone and open it. Flick around to get familiar with what's on the screen. As I recall, all I needed to do was enter my phone number to get started. If you want some tutorial info, visit https://aira.io. Poke around on the site. There is a lot of helpful stuff there.

 

You'll find out on the app screen how to call an Aira agent. On your first call, the agent who answers will talk you through how to use the app and the Aira service. Basically, you point the back camera on your phone toward whatever is of interest to you. The agent will help you get it into the picture so the agent can see what you want him or her to see.

 

Just tell the agent what you want to know, want to do, need him or her to do. Along with telling you what is in the picture, the agent will go ahead and do things for you such as making an order, taking a picture, looking up instructions, helping you figure out how to do stuff yourself, and on and on. I think most anything within reason is on the table. It's like having someone who can see follow you around, always ready to lend a hand,

From the time we are young, we are told that we should do those things, take those steps that will get us to where we should go. The message is that there is a straight line that, if we follow it, we will succeed. I suspect this is one of the great myths that adults tell children, one of the great myths that most of us have assimilated into our understanding of life and living. Let's think about that for a few minutes.

[Here, I focus on your iPhone, but if your phone is Android or Samsung, read Voiceover as Talkback and Siri as Google, as in OK Google. For example, say, "OK Google, how do I … with Talkback?"]

 

There are a few things those of us who can't see can do with our iPhones that are rather boring but necessary. I'm going to spend this episode of Blind How looking at them, but it would be more fun checking out ways we can use our phones to get people who can see to help us whenever we need someone who can see to give us a couple of minutes to just look at something for us. I'll get to those options in the next episode, but for now, let's get to the more boring stuff.

 

Yes, we can make and receive phone calls on our iPhones. Let's start with the simple way. Just say, "Hey Siri, call 555-555-5555." Of course, use the actual number you want to call instead of all of those 5's. From there, it's like any phone call: the phone rings and someone answers, if there is someone there to answer the phone. For now, always include the area code when voicing the number.

 

If our phone is ringing, simply tap twice quickly with two fingers anywhere on the screen. It's called a two-finger double tap, or "magic tap." Wait a second or so and then say, "Hello."

 

(I'm assuming that you always keep Voiceover turned on.)

 

You can also flick around until you find the "Answer" button and then double tap with one finger anywhere on the screen. But why would you, when you can just use the magic tap?

 

If you would rather dial the number, you can also do that. Flick around until you find the Phone icon on your phone's screen. It may be on the bottom row of icons. Once Voiceover says "Phone," do a one-finger double tap anywhere on the screen. The Phone app will open.

 

At the bottom of the screen, find Keypad, and double tap.

 

(I'll just say double tap when you should tap twice quickly with one finger.)

 

 

 

The keypad is much like the keypad on a regular telephone. Touch toward the top of the screen, and then flick right until Voiceover says the first number. Now double tap. The first number makes a sound, and you are ready for the second number. Flick left or right to find the second number and double tap. Repeat the steps until you have added all 10 numbers in the phone number. Finally, find the "Call" icon and double tap.

 

(You start with the area code. Starting with a 1 like with a regular phone is not needed.)

 

 

 

That will get you started making and receiving calls. Even so, this is a good time to use your search skills that we considered earlier on Blind How. Start with asking Siri. Say, "Hey Siri, How do I use the phone app with Voiceover?" Siri will tell you that this is what I found on the web. Explore the screen with one finger or swipe down from the top with two fingers. Touch the screen with two fingers to get Siri to stop talking.

 

When you hear something that sounds interesting, double tap. Siri will open Safari where the information is. Swipe down from the top with two fingers to get Voiceover to read the web page.

 

(Hint: You can also ask Siri, "Hey Siri, how do I use Safari with Voiceover?"

 

You can also send and receive text messages with your iPhone. You do this in the Messages app. Open the Messages app and check it out. Once the app is open, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen. This will let you know what's there. For now, you will need the phone number of anyone you want to message.

 

There I was way into the podcast, thinking about attitude and those times when we are confronted by "But What Now," when a robot came along to disrupt the podcast and my thoughts and thinking process. What to do?

In this episode of Audio Tidbits, I have a confession and the why of it, along with a somewhat shifted perspective on the national debt.

Almost nothing about technology in general and cell phones in particular is either obvious or intuitive, especially if you, like me, can't see. There are very good cell phones that use buttons instead of fingers on the touch screen, but it still takes time to master their use. If you want buttons, you will be missing out on many, if not most things you can do with your iPhone. Even so, a good button phone may be all you're up to right now. Here's a suggestion.

 

Call the folks at Mystic Access: (716) 543-3323 or visit  MysticAccess.com on the Internet. Ask about the BlindShell phone. The phone is completely usable with buttons and comes with an excellent audio tutorial that tells you everything you need to use all of the features on the phone. When you are talking with Chris or Kim, ask about their other tutorials and services. Hint: they can teach you how to use your iPhone.

 

Back to your iPhone -- In the last episode of Blind How, I suggested that you check out the Podcast app. It's pretty easy to find a podcast or so and start listening. Here though, I need to recommend two more apps that I think are essential for getting started using your iPhone. They are "Safari" and the "App Store." Safari enables you to search for almost anything you want or want to know. The App Store gives you access to apps for doing most anything you can do or want to do on your iPhone. (Android's app store is called the Play Store, but also has apps for doing most anything on your Android Phone.)

 

To open Safari, find the Safari icon on your iPhone. It's probably on the bottom row of icons. Touch the icon or flick right until voiceover says "Safari." If your phone makes a clunk sound before you find Safari and you can't go right any farther, flick left until you hear "Safari." Now, anywhere on the screen, double tap quickly with one finger. This is the double tap that opens apps or activates virtual buttons anywhere on your phone.

 

Although you will need to learn how to use the Safari app at some point, here's a quick way to start. Let Siri search for you. Take a minute to think about what you want to know or do. Put it in the form of a question. Now, just ask Siri. You always start with "Hey Siri," or by holding down the home or power button until you hear a quick double beep and then letting go. Now ask your question. For example, "How do I use voiceover?" Siri will then either answer your question or display the answer on the screen.

 

If you activate Siri with the button, ask your question right after you hear the double beep. If you use "Hey Siri," you don't do anything except talk. You just say, "Hey Siri, how do I use voiceover?" Siri will then talk to you.

 

If Siri says "Ok, here's what I found on the web," your answer is on the phone's screen. Touch the screen near the top with one finger. Next, swipe down quickly with two fingers. Voiceover will start at the top and read everything on the screen, including the answer or answers. To stop voiceover from talking, touch the screen with two fingers. You can also move your finger around on the screen to find something that interests you. Once you find it, double tap with one finger. That will cause Safari to open where the information or answer is on the web. Until you learn more about how to use Safari, touch at the top and swipe down with two fingers. Voiceover will read the whole page. That will likely be way more than you want to read, but too much is better than nothing for now.

 

Now for the App Store – It's a little like going to the mall. Even if you know what you want, it can be confusing. There is an app called "Wayaround" that is a very cool way of labeling your stuff. I'll be discussing it in a later episode of Blind How,

Ok, you have your iPhone or perhaps you went with Android. If it's Android or maybe Samsung for you, that works as well as an iPhone, just not quite as easily. Either way, I'll start with the screen.

 

If you can see some, the screens on all three phones (iPhone, Android, and Samsung) are quite good, although I'm told that the Android phones may have somewhat better screens. Since I can't see, I'll need to take their word for that. At any rate, the phone screens can be customized to fit your preferences. You can adjust the colors, the amount of motion and the size of the text that shows up on the screen. To make those kinds of adjustments, you need to check out the "Accessibility" area in the phone's settings. Most of the resources I mention in this and future episodes of Blind How have tips and suggestions for "low vision" users of the phones.

 

With that important point covered, having our phones talk to us is where it's at for me and others who can't see. On Android and Samsung phones, the talking feature is called Talkback, although on older Samsung phones, it's called Voice Guide. There are also "talk" features on most modern tablets and TVs. The "talk" feature is normally in settings, under accessibility, regardless of the type of device you are using. The name for the "talk" feature is different for each brand, but the idea is always the same: it talks or reads the text on the screen, including menues on TVs.

 

Let's get back to your iPhone. It has a "talk" feature that is called Voiceover. Unfortunately, if you just search for "voiceover," you will mostly get results about the voices we hear behind other things going on, such as commercials or other things where there is an anonymous voice in the background. Those voices are called voiceovers, but should probably be called voice-unders. Even so, if you want to learn about Voiceover on your iPhone, search for "iPhone voiceover," or some such.

 

You can turn Voiceover on either in settings, accessibility, voiceover or by pressing the home button or the power button if there is no home button. To do this, press the button three times quite quickly. You can turn it off the same way.

 

In the last episode of Blind How, I suggested some resources for learning to use your iPhone. I hope you have checked out those resources and can now flick around on your phone and open apps. If not, this episode is not going to be very useful, unless you're satisfied with knowing about the possibilities, but not interested in actually making them available to you to use and enjoy.

 

Let's start with podcasts. What are they and why would you be interested? They are audio (and sometimes include video) shows or programs, like on the radio or TV. They can be about anything, including dramas, comedy materials, news, information, or most anything else people dream up. There are many different types and categories. For our purposes, I'll stick with educational podcasts that focus on technology that is useful for those of us who can't see, and especially on those podcasts that are useful for cell phone users who can't see.

 

To start, you need an app that was made for finding and playing podcasts. Good news. There is already one on your iPhone. It's simply called "Podcast." I'm not going to try to teach you how to use "Podcast," since there is already an excellent podcast that does that very thing.

 

The podcast is called Applevis Podcast and the episode is called Learning to Use Apple Podcasts for iOS.

 

If you want to listen to the episode now,

Thanks for checking out the new Audio Tidbits. Along with a little about the change, I find myself on a rant of sorts about covid-19 and those folks who don't want to get poked. They sure can make that choice, but I wonder….

I have a problem. As we begin thinking about serious tech in general and iPhones in particular, even to share starter information with you is difficult to do without assuming that you already have a computer or iPhone, or at least have access to one or the other.

 

Remember in earlier episodes of Blind How when I talked about the three ways to get on with doing whatever you want to do? They are: get someone to do it for you, get someone to help you do it, and do it yourself. This is one of those get someone to help you times. But first, here's a tip for making notes and remembering things like phone numbers and recipes. You need a little hand held recorder. It doesn't matter what kind, so long as you can record stuff on it and then play it back. The key is that you can record things yourself or have someone else read while you record. You can then listen when you want to listen and at your preferred speed.

 

To get started with your iPhone, do two things. First, get someone to get it up and working for you. Once it is working, press the home button near the bottom three times very quickly, or if there is no big round button toward the bottom on the front of the phone, press the button toward the top on the right side three times very quickly. Also press the top button on the left side a few times to be sure the volume is turned up.

 

You should hear the phone talking to you. Put your finger lightly on the screen and move it around. You should hear things being read aloud.

 

Next, have your helper go to Applevis.com and search for "A Beginner's Guide to Using iOS with VoiceOver." Ask him or her to read the article onto your recorder. Tip: Ask the person reading to say "new heading" whenever there is a new heading. That will make it easier for you to listen.

 

Here's where that hour a day for twenty-four days I mentioned in an earlier episode of Blind How comes in. Start by listening to the complete article, and then go back to the start and go through it, heading by heading. You will get confused, frustrated and tempted to just quit. But don't forget, you committed to a day – one hour at a time. By the third or fourth day, you will start having more success than frustration, but you will persist for the full 24-hours, won't you? Of course you will. Learning to use your iPhone is far from easy, but is totally doable. In fact, it is a lot easier than several other things you have already taught yourself to do.

 

Another tip: When you get frustrated, and you will, stop, lay down the iPhone, walk around some, think about something else, and then come back to practicing iPhone stuff. You do need to learn how to use the iPhone, but you don't need to learn everything before lunch. I've been an iPhone user for ten years or so and still have things to learn and still find new things that I didn't even know it could do. It's a computer, and like other computers, it can be very stubborn when it comes to giving up its secrets.

 

In the next few episodes of Blind How, I'm going to suggest some apps you can consider having on your iPhone and why you might want them, but before I do that, there is an alternative that you may want to look into. It's a tech device that can do a few of the things you will want to do on your iPhone. It can read books, magazines and other things that you have or can get in a digital format, including Talking Books. It has wi-fi that lets you download some materials directly from the Internet, a very good recorder, can play music and podcasts, and is very easy to learn and use without seeing. You likely would need no help from someone who can see to become a proficient user.

 

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