Audio Tidbits

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, Click Here.

 

To finish this episode of Blind How, I'll suggest a few podcasts that you can listen to in order to expand your knowledge about and comfort with accessible technology in general and cell phones in particular. It's important to understand that podcasts are the show or program. Each podcast then has episodes, individual audio instances of the podcast or program. You search for the podcast.

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.

 

It is the Victor Reader Stream From

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.

 

It is the Victor Reader Stream From Humanware (1 800 722-3393). As of when I am posting this episode of Blind How, the US price is $425. The additional good news is that there is an excellent audio tutorial for it from MysticAccess.com or call (716) 543-3323. The price is $59 as I post this episode of Blind How.

It's time for some serious tech. The skills I've discussed so far on Blind How are mostly basic. So what does basic mean?

 

If you practice the skills I've discussed to this point in our journey of doing without seeing, you can get along fairly well in your living environment. You will need additional basic skills, but for the most part, you are good to go. What additional skills you add to your skill set depends on what you want to do. The point here is that you can do much of what you want to do without any serious tech.

 

For help and tips for doing things around your living area, Hadley (that I discussed in an earlier episode of Blind How) is your friend. Whatever you want to do, give them a call: 1-800-323-4238Mon - Fri8am - 6pm Central. If you have a friend who can use a computer or even a smart phone, have him or her go to Hadley.edu and share what they find there with you. Along with help with cleaning and cooking, they can help with marking appliances and such so you can operate them yourself. It really is true that whatever you want to do, Hadley can probably help.

 

If reading is your thing, especially if you don't already use Talking Books or some other library service, audio books and magazines are plentiful, and usually free. Call your local library, tell them that you can't see, and ask for them to help you with accessing reading resources for the blind.

 

Now for some serious tech. I wish I could tell you that getting into tech is simple, easy, and free. But it's not any of those. Getting into serious tech, especially when you can't see,  is fairly complicated, is tedious and frustrating at times, and costs real money.

 

If that puts you off, keep practicing your basic skills and learning as many new ones as you can. There are many people who are quite content with that level of doing without seeing. There certainly aren't any rules that say you should get into serious tech. But if you are ready to learn more, and do more for yourself, let's start with cell phones.

 

In years past, teching-up for those of us who can't see was even more complicated than it is now. We needed a separate tech gadget for each thing we wanted to do. This could easily mean that we had to keep track of maybe a dozen gadgets, not to speak of the time and frustration required to figure out how to use each of them.

 

Times they are changing though. What used to take several gadgets and many hours now requires only one gadget, but unfortunately, still requires many hours of learning and frustration. At least we can carry the only gadget we need in our pocket. Even better, our cell phones can do more, and can do it better than all those gadgets from days past.

 

I'm an iPhone user, but that's not the only good choice. Other good choices include Pixel phones from Google and Samsung phones from – well – Samsung. People usually talk about iPhones and Android phones, including those from Google and Samsung. If you get to choose, I think an iPhone is easier to learn and has more learning resources for people who can't see. On the other hand, Android phones usually cost less and have nearly the same features for those of us who can't see as iPhones.

 

It's true that many Android phones cost less than iPhones, But be careful. Android phones that have the features and quality needed for a good experience for people who can't see usually cost several hundred dollars, and are not generally less expensive than many iPhones.

 

Whether you go with iPhone or Android, the important point to know is that neither will help much unless you commit to the time and frustration of learning how to use them.

It's time for some serious tech. The skills I've discussed so far on Blind How are mostly basic. So what does basic mean?

 

If you practice the skills I've discussed to this point in our journey of doing without seeing, you can get along fairly well in your living environment. You will need additional basic skills, but for the most part, you are good to go. What additional skills you add to your skill set depends on what you want to do. The point here is that you can do much of what you want to do without any serious tech.

 

For help and tips for doing things around your living area, Hadley (that I discussed in an earlier episode of Blind How) is your friend. Whatever you want to do, give them a call: 1-800-323-4238Mon - Fri8am - 6pm Central. If you have a friend who can use a computer or even a smart phone, have him or her go to Hadley.edu and share what they find there with you. Along with help with cleaning and cooking, they can help with marking appliances and such so you can operate them yourself. It really is true that whatever you want to do, Hadley can probably help.

 

If reading is your thing, especially if you don't already use Talking Books or some other library service, audio books and magazines are plentiful, and usually free. Call your local library, tell them that you can't see, and ask for them to help you with accessing reading resources for the blind.

 

Now for some serious tech. I wish I could tell you that getting into tech is simple, easy, and free. But it's not any of those. Getting into serious tech, especially when you can't see,  is fairly complicated, is tedious and frustrating at times, and costs real money.

 

If that puts you off, keep practicing your basic skills and learning as many new ones as you can. There are many people who are quite content with that level of doing without seeing. There certainly aren't any rules that say you should get into serious tech. But if you are ready to learn more, and do more for yourself, let's start with cell phones.

 

In years past, teching-up for those of us who can't see was even more complicated than it is now. We needed a separate tech gadget for each thing we wanted to do. This could easily mean that we had to keep track of maybe a dozen gadgets, not to speak of the time and frustration required to figure out how to use each of them.

 

Times they are changing though. What used to take several gadgets and many hours now requires only one gadget, but unfortunately, still requires many hours of learning and frustration. At least we can carry the only gadget we need in our pocket. Even better, our cell phones can do more, and can do it better than all those gadgets from days past.

 

I'm an iPhone user, but that's not the only good choice. Other good choices include Pixel phones from Google and Samsung phones from – well – Samsung. People usually talk about iPhones and Android phones, including those from Google and Samsung. If you get to choose, I think an iPhone is easier to learn and has more learning resources for people who can't see. On the other hand, Android phones usually cost less and have nearly the same features for those of us who can't see as iPhones.

 

It's true that many Android phones cost less than iPhones, But be careful. Android phones that have the features and quality needed for a good experience for people who can't see usually cost several hundred dollars, and are not generally less expensive than many iPhones.

 

Whether you go with iPhone or Android, the important point to know is that neither will help much unless you commit to the time and frustration of learning how to use them. But it only takes a day to get started. The catch is that you have to split the 24-hour day into an hour a day for 24 days. But if you do that, you are likely to be using your cell phone just fine.

 

There are a couple of points that need attention before we get into the what and how. First,

Blind How … The Basics is an audio book for people who can't see and for those who are interested in how people who can't see do what they do. If you have been unable to see for a while, the book is likely not for you, although you may find Part I of interest.

 

Part i discusses some of the pitfalls and frustrations people who can't see experience when dealing with many of those who can see and who reflexively put people who can't see into their "Blind Box." I include a few tips for avoiding ending up in someone's Blind Box, along with some strategies that help us who can't see be taken more seriously in social and business situations.

 

Part ii includes basic, starter tips for people who are losing or have recently lost their ability to see. The theme is developing the special skill set we need when we can't see, starting with simply getting up and walking around. Those who have been unable to see for some time may find it fun to remember when even they couldn't smoothly take a glass from someone who was handing it to him or her.

 

There is a download link for the audio book on BlindHow.net if you are interested. If you prefer reading the book, just click on Part i or Part ii above.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Blind How … The Basics is an audio book for people who can't see and for those who are interested in how people who can't see do what they do. If you have been unable to see for a while, the book is likely not for you, although you may find Part I of interest.

 

Part i discusses some of the pitfalls and frustrations people who can't see experience when dealing with many of those who can see and who reflexively put people who can't see into their "Blind Box." I include a few tips for avoiding ending up in someone's Blind Box, along with some strategies that help us who can't see be taken more seriously in social and business situations.

 

Part ii includes basic, starter tips for people who are losing or have recently lost their ability to see. The theme is developing the special skill set we need when we can't see, starting with simply getting up and walking around. Those who have been unable to see for some time may find it fun to remember when even they couldn't smoothly take a glass from someone who was handing it to him or her.

 

There is a download link for the audio book on BlindHow.net if you are interested. If you prefer reading the book, just click on Part i or Part ii above.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

What do you think the outcome will be if every child who thinks that playing baseball is fun, is told that his or her goal should be becoming a professional baseball player; or perhaps, any child who is interested in science is told that he or she will only be a success when awarded the Nobel Prize? "But no one would ever do that," you protest. Unfortunately, it happens; and any of us may be one of the guilty parties.

Putting the issue into the "can't see" context, all of us who can't see have been challenged in exactly this way. If you check out the previous episodes of Blind How, you will find a few examples of me doing it to you. How? I suggest a skill you might want to add to your personal skill set, and then I do it to you. I tell you that there are people who can't see who have mastered that particular skill. Either implicitly or sometimes explicitly, I suggest that you can and probably should develop the skill, getting as good at it as those who have mastered it.

Why would I do such a silly and maybe even cruel thing to you? Why would I imply that you will only be successful when you have mastered a particular skill? I don't have any excuse. I realized that an hour or so ago.

My sudden insight came a few minutes after I ran into the corner of a door, banging my forehead. Yes, it was my bedroom door. Yes, it was on my mental map of my house. Yes, I knew the door was there, just where it always is. Yes, I wasn't paying attention to where I was and where I was going. And yes, I'm pretty good at getting up and around; and I'm not quite the master of that skill as I may have led you to believe. Nonetheless, I'll still be walking around, trying not to bump into things, even though I'm not yet a master at it.

In the last episode of Blind How, I suggested that learning Braille would likely be a useful skill for you. At least I didn't go on to say that you should become proficient at reading and writing Braille, at the level where you are easily writing long essays and reading books. Sure, if you want to do that, go for it. I left it at suggesting that learning a little Braille can be very useful. It comes in handy for me to label this and that, to read the labels on medicine bottles or when I need to tell someone what my credit card number is, when ordering something over the phone. Mastering Braille just doesn't interest me at this point in my life.

This is what I think the take-away is. For the most part, those of us who can't see should consider developing those skills we need to do what we want to do, at the level sufficient to get the job done for us. For example, developing mobility skills takes some level of time, effort and commitment. But we only need to progress enough to come and go where and when we want to come and go. We probably don't need to master mobility. There are a lot of skills we need, to do what we want to do, but we may not need to master any of them. "Good enough" is usually sufficient for our purposes.

Why am I bringing this up at this point in our journey? Think cell phones in general, and smart phones in particular. Yes, you can make phone calls on smart phones, but if that's the only reason for having one, an old-fashion land-line phone is easier and probably cheaper. But making phone calls is not the reason why you likely should have a smart phone, if you can't see. It's all the other things you can do with a smart phone that makes having one so useful.

Try this. Think of ten things you want to do that not being able to see prevents or makes especially difficult. I suspect that a smart phone can help with at least seven of those things. The key here is that you don't need to master the smart phone or become what they call a power user. You only need to have enough skill to get the smart phone to help with those things you want to do.

Since I'm not a smart phone power user,

What do you think the outcome will be if every child who thinks that playing baseball is fun, is told that his or her goal should be becoming a professional baseball player; or perhaps, any child who is interested in science is told that he or she will only be a success when awarded the Nobel Prize? "But no one would ever do that," you protest. Unfortunately, it happens; and any of us may be one of the guilty parties.

Putting the issue into the "can't see" context, all of us who can't see have been challenged in exactly this way. If you check out the previous episodes of Blind How, you will find a few examples of me doing it to you. How? I suggest a skill you might want to add to your personal skill set, and then I do it to you. I tell you that there are people who can't see who have mastered that particular skill. Either implicitly or sometimes explicitly, I suggest that you can and probably should develop the skill, getting as good at it as those who have mastered it.

Why would I do such a silly and maybe even cruel thing to you? Why would I imply that you will only be successful when you have mastered a particular skill? I don't have any excuse. I realized that an hour or so ago.

My sudden insight came a few minutes after I ran into the corner of a door, banging my forehead. Yes, it was my bedroom door. Yes, it was on my mental map of my house. Yes, I knew the door was there, just where it always is. Yes, I wasn't paying attention to where I was and where I was going. And yes, I'm pretty good at getting up and around; and I'm not quite the master of that skill as I may have led you to believe. Nonetheless, I'll still be walking around, trying not to bump into things, even though I'm not yet a master at it.

In the last episode of Blind How, I suggested that learning Braille would likely be a useful skill for you. At least I didn't go on to say that you should become proficient at reading and writing Braille, at the level where you are easily writing long essays and reading books. Sure, if you want to do that, go for it. I left it at suggesting that learning a little Braille can be very useful. It comes in handy for me to label this and that, to read the labels on medicine bottles or when I need to tell someone what my credit card number is, when ordering something over the phone. Mastering Braille just doesn't interest me at this point in my life.

This is what I think the take-away is. For the most part, those of us who can't see should consider developing those skills we need to do what we want to do, at the level sufficient to get the job done for us. For example, developing mobility skills takes some level of time, effort and commitment. But we only need to progress enough to come and go where and when we want to come and go. We probably don't need to master mobility. There are a lot of skills we need, to do what we want to do, but we may not need to master any of them. "Good enough" is usually sufficient for our purposes.

Why am I bringing this up at this point in our journey? Think cell phones in general, and smart phones in particular. Yes, you can make phone calls on smart phones, but if that's the only reason for having one, an old-fashion land-line phone is easier and probably cheaper. But making phone calls is not the reason why you likely should have a smart phone, if you can't see. It's all the other things you can do with a smart phone that makes having one so useful.

Try this. Think of ten things you want to do that not being able to see prevents or makes especially difficult. I suspect that a smart phone can help with at least seven of those things. The key here is that you don't need to master the smart phone or become what they call a power user. You only need to have enough skill to get the smart phone to help with those things you want to do.

Since I'm not a smart phone power user, I'm not going to try to teach you how to use a smart phone, but I am going to suggest resources you may want to con...