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Comment by educar | Hacker News Reader

Apologies for the dumb question but what technologies do blind people use today?

Your question is very generic, but in situations where this device might be used most (e.g. walking, getting around) I usually use the following:

  * Guide dog (still the non-technical, living and breathing version)
  * iPhone for GPS navigation if I don't know the environment
  * Aftershokz Bluetooth headset with bone conduction to listen to spoken announcements and still hear what's happening around me

In general, the blind use all kinds of standard consumer tech, smartphone, smartwatch, laptop/desktop etc. There are still lots of products out there specifically designed for the blind, but there is more and more a shift to standard devices.

The cane is a classic. Portable, no batteries, waterproof - identifies you to others that you are visually impaired.

That's true for blind travelers who use a white cane. But, most people who live with low vision, like myself, and are legally blind, tend to not use a white cane, simply because we want to 'blend in' and avoid the 'social stigma'.

There's a lot out there, including products that are very similar to this one[1]. The category you may be looking to Google is "assistive technology."[2]

For products for the blind, the most comprehensive list I could find was from the American Foundation for the Blind:

http://www.afb.org/ProdBrowseTaskResults.aspx?TaskID=274&Spe...

[1] - http://imerciv.com

[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology

Not directly related, but screen readers are very interesting. It is amazing just how fast they can run, sounding unintelligible to most. There is an excellent demonstration in this youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92pM6hJG6Wo

I wonder if feedback could also be given by such a quick spoken voice (eg describing the scene in front of you as you walk).

Please don't. The whole point of the device is to provide us an extra sense. Words aren't an extra sense - they're just a distraction. I'm always trying to avoid the sightling who insists on narrating the world for me. Please don't strap this annoying person to my wrist.

My friend who is blind uses an iPhone and a PC with screen reader software installed. She's a writer and is on Facebook all the time.

Do blind people have games on their iphones/android phones?

I checked some websites this week but it seems most of the audiogames are mostly for desktop computers and just a handful of iOS games.

I love using Apple's voice Over and zoom text on my mac. IMO being able to seamlessly zoom in and out of text while working is super helpful for people with low vision.

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