Ask HN: How should I setup a phone for a newly blind relative? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How should I setup a phone for a newly blind relative?

319 pointstallowen76 comments

I am home for the holidays and my grandfather is newly blind. He's never learned braille or anything else and I believe it can be a relatively isolating experience. While I'm in town for the holidays, I would love to help him get back into things like podcasts, audio books and WhatsApp. Does anyone have recommendations for how to help set this up?

He currently has an iPhone but if android phones are superior for blind users, I would happily help him switch.

View on HN

Couple of things I learned from helping some blind people:

- All used iPhones (Check out https://www.apple.com/accessibility/vision/ )

- Disable passcode if he's okay with it

- Enable VoiceOver (Settings -> Accessibility) and learn how to enable/disable it (triple-tap the side button. Might be difficult for elderly) - Apple video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDm7GiKra28

- Having a learning partner really helps the blind person. Try to learn to use a phone blind with him, it will allow you to help debug his (most definitely occuring) issues

- Watch some videos on how blind people use the iPhone, lots of tips there. For example Molly Burke, or even simple ones like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FVjLXIaBC4

- For elderly, an iPad is really nice. Especially as dexterity gets worse it's easier to use blindly. Also usability between iPhone and iPad is almost the same, so easy transition between both (i.e. on the go)

- For movies, check out Greta. It plays the AD in parallel with a movie via the iPhone - so they can watch movies together with the family, without everyone listening to AD https://www.gretaundstarks.de/starks/GretaAndStarks

And bring lots of patience :)

What is really amazing is how fast people tend to improve: VoiceOver lets you adjust the speech speed etcpp, and so it "grows" with you

You can also use Siri to enable/disable VoiceOver

Either I'm not blind or I'm not using a phone, because I have an android. With pass phrase, thank you very much.

Both IPhone and Android have screen readers, with Android having the ability for alternative sr-s and voices. The Iphone is more integrated as far as I know, but the default google apps are pretty accessible on Android as well. There is a mailing list for blind android users if you want more advice, but if your grandfather is used to the Iphone, there is no reason not to use it. The default apple recourse on the topic is applevis, if I remember correctly.

"Every blind person this person has helped uses an iPhone" doesn't imply "every blind person uses an iPhone."

you are right. the sr pronounced "used" as "use" and I've took it for more generalizating statement than it was. Still, the idea of removing security because people are presumed unable to enter their passwords or because it would make it more convenient for someone else triggered me badly.

I don't know if you're aware of the irony presented by suggesting videos about how to use a phone if you're visually impaired.

The person asking isn’t blind

Is there a website that works like youtube but for audio only? Because otherwise thoughtfully produced videos are going to be the best way for someone who doesn't know how to use a screen reader efficiently to gather information.

Podcasts I guess

Podcasts generally are the audio alternative to YouTube. Thankfully, podcasts remain largely decentralised and aren't restricted to a single website or service.

Podcast search is something of a challenge. There are a few websites that claim to do this though in my experience they do so poorly.

Podcast Republic (Android & iOS) is an app I've used that has an excellent podcast search capability --- both podcasts as a whole and individual episodes, with shownotes indexed (protip to podcast creators: your shownotes are themselves and excellent discovery tool, do not neglect them).

PR isn't my main podcast driver (I use AntennaPod from F-Droid), but I will bring it up to search for specific content when I need to do so.

I read that as a suggestion for (sighted) OP to watch the videos so he could understand how to help his (blind) grandfather better.

I worked under a blind manager when the iPhone first came out. He was a former dev before his vision started to go. He was a power user while blind, and knew twice as many hot keys as I did, had his screen reader speed cranked up to a rate incomprehensible to me.

I remember how happy he was with the iPhone. He said it was the first device he was able to use without special accessibility software, and that was in 2007, I imagine the experience is better today.

I’m sure you’re (OP) already on the ball with ways to help him, but if you haven’t looked into movies with described audio, apparently it makes a whale of a difference.

I was served by a blind person in the Apple Store this year who was using an iPhone as an aid. Absolutely amazing.

One other non-obvious but major thing there for a newly blind person using an iPhone - the Magnifier app can generate basic spoken descriptions of whatever object or text you point it at [1][2], including following your hand to tell you what text is on button labels [3].

[1]: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/receive-image-descrip...

[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI0KrPmS-DI

[3]: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7zHGBkkQGus

Apple accessibility including VoiceOver is amazing and from everything I read second to none. Though I don’t have first hand experience on that, I did spend several hours one time lined up for an iPhone talking with a blind girl - she was showing me how she uses both her Mac and iPhone with voiceover and with the screen totally black. Was a fun night.

Does it turn off the backlight too? I wonder what the battery life you get if you don't need the LCD is!

My recommendation (in addition to the specific technology advice on this thread) is to connect (or help him connect) with an organization that helps blind folks adapt to blindness and specializes in using and training folks in using assistive technology.

If you are in the Bay Area, an organization like lighthouse for the blind would be a good place to start: https://lighthouse-sf.org/about/getting-started/ -- there are many regional organizations similar to this filled with good people who want to help.

Or: https://nfb.org/programs-services

Organizations like NFB and Lighthouse for the blind offer rehabilitation services and training, and might be able to provide some recommendations as well.

Also, you likely already know this, but there are many degrees of legal blindness, so the technology tooling varies based on specific challenge to overcome, and only 10% of the blind population knows braille.

If you really want to go down the technology rabbit hole, the CSUN conference in March is like the CES for assistive technology: https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/sessions/

Assistive tech is a pretty fascinating area. I expect this area to grow as we have more aging tech savvy folks who want to keep using technology as they age.

> My recommendation (in addition to the specific technology advice on this thread) is to connect (or help him connect) with an organization that helps blind folks adapt to blindness and specializes in using and training folks in using assistive technology.

If the family member is within the medical system, there would/should be an occupational therapist part of their care team that could identify and provide supports around day-to-day life.

We want to jump in to assist at times like this, but you and they are not alone if the supports are in place.

Hi Owen, I'm also Owen :)

My grandmother went blind in her old age. She is pretty intelligent and wanted to learn new things so I thought I'd try to set up VoiceOver and similar things mentioned in this thread - various assisted screen technologies. Unfortunately it was a complete failure. I think that for whatever reason, in general trying to teach new things to an elderly person who's newly blind is an uphill battle. If you don't think he'll be able to hack it I wouldn't try, it's somewhat demoralizing to fail at something at any age. My grandmother dealt well with it but it was clearly somewhat upsetting to fail to learn something, especially as she was proud of learning other things quickly throughout her life (for example learning to drive, where she passed her test the first try with minimal prior instruction.) If you do think he has a decent chance at learning it I would start slow and build your way up.

What did work was Siri, an audiobook player, and a Google Home connected to speakers. The one she uses most of the time is the audiobook player, it's a large chunky machine that takes CDs that she gets in the mail. Every so often she gets a menu of new available audiobooks and someone sits down with her to pick out which she'd like. The next most used is Siri on her iPhone. I set up her contacts with various easy-to-say names and now she can call whoever she needs whenever. She uses Siri 95% just to call people, the other 5% she occasionally does look something up or ask the weather but it's mostly just calls. The least used is the Google Home, which she uses to play classical music through the speakers.

One thing that's not technology related is that being blind is lonely. The biggest thing that helps with this is regular small interactions. Any way you can facilitate more short visits is good, for example with the mailman, neighbors stopping by, family, et cetera. Even short phone calls help. The best are the visits that happen "automatically" so they don't slow over time. For example if you plan a phone call once a week to pick out some new audiobooks or podcasts to put on his device of choice.

Good luck!

This is the most simple, straight-forward and workable solution.

Trying to teach elderly people involved usage of technology will be frustrating to them and everybody else. All they really need are social connections/emotional support and little bit of entertainment (source: living with and taking care of my Mother for the last decade of her life). Teach them simple things/phrases and have them use it on auto-pilot without too much thought. Automating the calling of people (Audio/Video) is the number one need/requirement. For further safety having a cctv-like setup so somebody can always check on them/interact with them remotely is also best.

Excellent point about training/teaching. I've also found that to be ... challenging. If at all possible, try to work on accessibility option whilst the person still has some sight remaining. It's going to be far easier to do so.

As I understand you're in the US, your grandmother might also benefit by the US Library of Congress NLS / BARD services I mention in another comment on this thread: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38410991>

Great advice so far in this thread. I would just add that the must have apps are Be My Eyes, as already mentioned. This allows him to snap a photo and have it described by ChatGPT4-vision for free. He can also ask for more info etc. And if that doesn't work out, he can call a volunteer for free, 24-7.

Another good one is Seeing AI. This one is from Microsoft, and it has all sorts of useful utilities inside it, including a way to tell how bright a room is (helps to know if you left lights on or not), a barcode scanner that gives you product info (it beeps at you faster or slower to let you know you're getting warmer), a color analyzer that kinda' works sometimes, a document reader with voice guidance to help you get the camera lined up, a currency reader, and I think a few more goodies.

Many countries also have a library service for the blind. In the United States, it's called the National Library Service for the Blind. Definitely get him setup with them, or your other country's library service. The one in the U.S. let's you download an app and download tens-of-thousands of audiobooks for free. They also have a few magazines that they record each month. It's pretty amazing, and all available from his phone. The app is called Bard Mobile in the U.S.

I happen to be blind myself, so feel free to ask anything else you would like. I've been doing this for a while, and there are several more of us here as well.

I know of two HN previous discussions on the topic, I suggest going through them as they're full of good advice:

3 months ago, 133 comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37293002

8 years ago, 81 comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9546311

My mom never got the hang out of using her iPhone with VoiceOver, but she uses Siri regularly ("Hey Siri, send a new WhatsApp message to Tom"). Siri is sometimes annoying because it will answer "this is what I found, take a look" which, unfortunate wording aside, is difficult for her to follow because (again) she never really got the hang of touch-only iPhone and therefore cannot scroll well through the options. It depends on how technical your grandfather is.

I wanted to set an Alexa as a music+podcasts+audiobooks station but the awful integration between Alexa in Spanish and Kindle cut that short. But you may have better luck.

If he lives in the United States see if your state has a coalition of the blind. If you contact them for services and make it clear you are not looking for financial support but help with activities of daily living they may quickly help you with many things including this. If he does need financial support that is fine but be aware that might put him on a waiting list whereas if he has adequate income from social security/pension/401k/etc that makes the whole process significantly easier (usually, this likely varies wildly by state tbf)

Advice in this thread will be helpful but a person who can come to his home on a semi regular basis to help continually train will be far more beneficial. Additionally they can assist with a broader range of tasks like caning, adaptive equipment for meal prep, braille instruction, etc.

I’m a commercial building systems engineering consultant and business owner, and have been visually impaired for >30 years (juvenile type of macular degeneration onset as an early teen). While I’m partially signed, I generally follow this space (though do not claim to be an expert).

+1 for this suggestion of starting by reaching out to your State if you’re in the US (or other government entity if outside) as a starting point for assistance. My state’s division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI) resources have been very helpful over the years. They provide adaptive tech kit for free (e.g., iPads, PCs, large screens) and software/instruction for those who need it).

The OP didn’t indicate whether their grandparent is retired (suspecting so?) but in that case, sometimes the State’s path is a little different—they put a huge effort into workforce development, and sometimes different efforts into adaptive tech & services for folks not intending to return to the workforce. In our state, there is an association for the blind that I believes handles more of those cases (but I don’t know for sure).

I’ll also give a +1 for everyone I know who is blind and visually impaired having an iPhone. It’s possible that platforms could be nearing parity now, but in the early 2010s there was just zero competition. I use iOS built in accessibility features every day and they have (not exaggerating) changed my life from an accessibility standpoint.

TL:DR - Yes go to your state, definitely good with an iPhone, built in accessibility features are amazing.

In case you haven't come across it already I recommend the app https://www.bemyeyes.com/. It allows the user to call a volunteer for assistance, I've volunteered on this for several years and have helped with everything from booking a holiday online, doing a needle prick for a diabetes to help wrap Christmas presents. The app looks to have gotten ChatGPT like AI help as well recently.

I think it is actually ChatGPT – and it's one of the few genuinely beneficial uses of the technology. Sure, you have to watch out for it making up an "explanation" of what's in the image, but if you treat it like a whimsical, self-absorbed prankster, it's so much better than not having it.

I'm looking forward to a system that only describes what it sees (and what can be drawn from it), rather than doing stuff like trying to explain non-visual jokes (that, inevitably, it doesn't get). As I understand, that would require training new models from scratch, on training data that might not yet exist – but unlike the majority of the LLM GenAI hypey nonsense, this is actually a real, useful tool.

Fwiw, I've been on a bunch of these calls and often the first problem is the phone isn't pointed quite right at the thing they are asking about. This would be difficult for a chatbot I think.

I'm blind and I use a 13B LLaVA model locally. I haven't checked with a sighted person about how accurate the image descriptions are, but it seems to generally do okay (described some recent vacation photos pretty well, except sometimes it would list objects that I'm pretty sure aren't actually there in the images). Haven't tried GPT via Be My Eyes because I prefer using my laptop over my phone, but I imagine it'd be a lot better. For now I make regular use of the local model with a shell alias when I want something described, even solved a captcha that I couldn't OCR with it the other day. So yeah, this is one application of ML I'm really excited about, the other being Whisper (speech transcription), because I have profound hearing loss and can use it to transcribe things I can't hear in the audio.

It's been around for ages, I think the ChatGPT stuff is pretty recent.

One really smart thing they do is localize the volunteers as much as possible, so often if the question is something like "Am I at the corner of X & Y" there is a good change you (the volunteer) know the area, etc.

Things I have learned on the "volunteer" side: keeping track of canned food is often a problem, people worry about their outfits a fair bit, and parks are sometime difficult because there are lots of alternate paths/routes.

There's an Android phone for blind people, https://blindshellusa.com/, which includes an NFC reader+app (https://WayAround.com) for tags that can be attached to clothes, packaged goods, fridge containers, etc.

On iPhones, you can use Shortcuts to make an audio announcement after tapping any NFC tag, even an expired transit ticket! No app needed.

For elderly not already familiar with phones, Alexa can answer or place landline calls, play streaming radio/podcasts, provide directions between rooms (using multiple Alexas), control TVs via IR remote, maintain shopping lists, announce appointments from Google calendar maintained by caregivers, provide timed medication reminders, make audio announcements based on door/motion sensors, ask Tile to locate (ring) objects, control microwaves, turn on/off lights & more, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37295992

From what I can see on the https://blindshellusa.com/ site, there are no large-button models. My friends nearing the sunset of life would appreciate the hardware buttons but be unhappy with their small size.

Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed with and for the blind and low vision community, this ongoing research project harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world by describing nearby people, text and objects.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seeing-ai/id999062298

I am late to this thread... but have years of experience as a volunteer for blind people.

My tips: 1. iPhone 2. The best help comes from other blind people! They all work with the screens turned off and use voiceover. This is a different way of looking at menu's and navigating the phone than what seeing people do. But they perfectly understand each other when explaining navigation of apps.

If he’s like my dad (72) learning siri is the best shot. He also likes books on tape, which you can get a free BARd player for. There’s a USB stick that you can pop in for loading podcasts and other mp3s. The player has big buttons that are easier to interact with than a touchscreen.

My dad’s phone is set up to announce callers and auto answer. Hanging up is a bit of pain. You can set siri to listen to ‘siri hang up’. I think there’s an option to use the side button too.

There’s also a new more accessible home screen in ios 17 that I was going to try setting up for him which might work better with voiceover.

I also tried a bluetooth controller with him instead of the touch screen but at this point he thinks Siri is easier than any option that requires him to touch the screen or use a controller to move through options.

My two cents: learn VoiceOver for iPhone yourself, turn on screen curtain for further realism, and spend tons of time with your relative practicing simple things. I am blind and a couple of years ago I was trying to help a friend to learn VoiceOver - the friend wasn't that tech savvy, and it turns out that even simple concepts like swipe left or two fingers double tap present some difficulty to them. So have a lot of patience, but in the end if they can learn to use apps like Mail or Audible independently - that would be a very rewarding experience.

Fr Francis Ching, possibly the only blind Roman Catholic priest in Canada, explained his setup on iPad. Note that this is an older video from 2015. (I cannot find his current setup at the moment.) The key points in the setup are enabling voice over in iOS and getting a set up earbuds.

https://www.facebook.com/francis.ching.731/videos/1646247715...

Several good technology suggestions already, but I want to emphasize a suggestion of a different kind.

Recalibrate your culture: live with (or very near to) family so you can help your family. We see concerns like these often enough about complex technological solutions to help lonely, elderly, and otherwise impaired family members, and the tech suggestions are nice, but there is no substitute for actually being there for someone, no substitute for actually being a family member in the traditional sense, i.e. to be physically available free of charge, no strings attached, and without technological limitations, to almost immediately help a kinsman, your blood, with whatever it is they need.

Modernity has dealt a serious blow to the traditional family, Anglo cultures in particular. What used to be provided with tender love and care for free from one's kinfolk is now packaged and sold to you as a variety of products and services. I think it's a bad thing for everyone involved, on many levels, financially, liberty-wise, and socially.

I realize this solution is likely an unfeasible change for you, for many, but it really ought to become the norm again, for our children's sake.

> no substitute for actually being a family member in the traditional sense

We can learn much about ourselves from elder family members. To give is to receive. Free time travel!

> What used to be provided with tender love and care for free from one's kinfolk is now packaged and sold to you as a variety of products and services.

Impersonal institutionalized caregiving is something to behold.

> He currently has an iPhone but if android phones are superior for blind users, I would happily help him switch.

They are roughly identical in a11y, there is no point in switching. Apple got there first, and they had full-time blind developers on staff working on it first, so they got first mover a11y advantage, but mostly now it's a wash between the two.

> Does anyone have recommendations for how to help set this up?

If "holidays" mean the weekend, anything more than getting Siri turned on is probably pushing it. If "holidays" mean through New Years, then you have a much better chance of being useful.

Unless you are going to be there in person long-term to help him, you are better off getting him connected with someone that will, preferably a family member close by or an organization dedicated to the blind, that can help him adapt his life.

Otherwise just https://www.apple.com/accessibility/vision/ and turn those things on that make sense for him, make sure he knows how to talk to Siri and access to audiobooks/podcasts, etc.

That may be true with regards to iOS vs Android. But there are a few things you’re missing - a much larger community of blind iOS users, consistency in devices - ie you always know that you’re going to get a minimum quality - longer device operating system updates and Apple Stores for in person support.

I said Apple got 1st mover advantage, which is what that means, they got more blind/deaf/a11y needing users than android first. Most never bothered to switch off, because there is no reason to.

> longer device operating system updates and Apple Stores for in person support

That's outside of a11y stuff, irrelevant for this context. Though I agree, for non-technical users, if you happen to live near an Apple store, it's a way better experience than any Android phone when something goes wrong.

How is it irrelevant? Apple comes out with better accessibility features every year and I’m sure Google does too.

You don’t see any difference between getting feature updates for years on your existing device than not getting updates?

And on top of that, you can pick any iOS device and know you’re going to get a good device where all of the features work well and not have to worry about OEM and carrier installed alternatives that aren’t well supported.

Yes. I successfully set up for my Mom, an Echo device with Alexa, it responds to her commands, it makes and receives calls through Skype, it plays Audible books, Podcasts, and a bunch of Alexa skills. Also, it can access nfb.org with timely access to many newspapers and magazines across the United States.

I remember running into an article praising iOS's features for blind users. Can't find it again, of course, but it was describing how the phone told the user into their headphones whatever was under their finger on the screen.

So you may just have to read on what his existing phone can do and turn it on for him.

setup voice over, siri, BeMyEyes as first things. More details here https://www.applevis.com/guides/beginners-guide-using-ios-vo... and more articles/podcasts here https://www.applevis.com/new-to-ios

For android I do the following things: 1. assign swipe with 4 fingers left and right to FirstItem and LastItem on screen, respectively, in talkback settings > customize gestures

  a. download labels and icons so unlabeled buttons with icons can be guessed and spoken

  b. in advance settings, choose typing preference as hold and double tap (any key). Also turn on "speak passwords"

2. set auto rrotate to off in notification window

3. turn on google assistant by tapping and holding the home key

  a. setup your voice by saying ok google and following the prompts to train on your voice

4. install google keyboard

  a. in its settings > preferences, turn on number row (show always)

  b. make sure suggestion strip is not off in text correction as it won't longer show voice input on the keyboard as well0

  c. make sure in emojis, stickers and gifs, the predictive suggestion content is off

5. install lookout app for object/text/currency/etc recognition

  a. download food labels/images caption/currency (for your country)

6. Place frequently used apps like Whatsapp/Phone/Messages/etc on the bottom favorites tray

Also must learn and practice gestures in the tutorial app.

Additionally, I keep screen lock turned off and instead use Secure Folder (Samsung) for critical apps like banking, though I wouldn't recommend this unless you are sure that you have no prying eyes around at all times.

The difference between the instructions for iOS and Android should be informative.

Does he have any vision at all? When my dad's vision started dwindling years ago, we got him a tabletop magnifier, sort of like this one:

https://cdn.allaboutvision.com/images/ev-merlin-book-750x500...

Dad used his mostly for reading, but it would work equally well for hitting buttons on a phone (but obviously is not portable). He didn't need to use his for the phone since he already had a big button amplified phone for his landline.

Back then it had a camera that fed a CRT, I'm sure there are much better devices today, or you could probably make your own with a webcam and a big screen monitor or TV.

Help him get a free NLS[1] Bard[2][3] account! They provide high quality audiobooks of all sorts. Their library is extensive, and they also have some periodicals. There is no cost to users, but you do have to demonstrate eligibility. He can get a dedicated device, but their iOS app works just fine.

[1] https://www.loc.gov/nls/

[2] https://nlsbard.loc.gov/

[3] https://www.loc.gov/nls/how-to-enroll/sign-up-for-bard-and-b...

Just as a side note, the BARD eligibility was expanded recently to include more than pure blindness: people with low vision, dyslexia, and even motor impairments – basically anyone who can’t read a regular book should discuss it with their doctor (e.g. a person with limited use of their hands might have fine vision but still wouldn’t be able to read a book).

Also temporary as well as permanent conditions.

It’s a really rough experience. I saw my grandfather go through something similar 9 years ago. I built him an audio book reader and it made a big difference for him. The problem was that he had never been into technology, so getting him a smartphone at that time would have meant a way too steep learning curve. I wanted to make him something that had almost no learning curve. He had a small percentage of his vision left, so I could use that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8177117

Props to you, great effort and likely life changing for your granddad, to see a grandson step up like that must have made him super happy.

Often an occupational therapist will be available through the health system [0] to help the patient adjust to their new circumstances.

To me, that’s the place to start because they are often familiar with bespoke technical solutions.

Also they are more likely to be around year round.

I’d put it this way, if your grandfather decides to learn braille in six months, the occupational therapist can help if they are involved to a degree you probably can’t.

They can also adjust a phone solution without family dynamics resisting complaints.

Good luck.

[0]: healthcare systems vary so I am being vague, but your grandfather is already navigating it.

Speaking of Android, I haven't used any features for people with eyesight disabilities, but I can tell you the "voice access" experience on Android leaves much to be desired. I have a broken screen where only the bottom half is accepting input.

Whatever you choose, swap the settings on your phone so you can experience it as he would use it. You will be able to talk him through problems easier, and you will see the common issues with the features that aren't mentioned in documentation.

I believe you can set up alternate accounts on both Android (I'm certain) and iOS (I'm pretty sure).

Doing this and setting up an alt account that's matched to a blind / visually-disabled friend's configuration, and using that to learn and walk through tasks and issues might be useful.

Supersense (ios/android) is the app that was recommended for my grandmother and can be used for reading mail, etc. I honestly found it to be buggy and hard for her to use. The main difficulty, though, was she couldn't easily get her phone turned on and open the app in order to actually use it. Eventually she gave up on the smartphone. She does really find Alexa useful for the limited tasks it is capable of. I'm thinking about having her try a nest hub as google's assistant seems to be a bit more capable.

The last time I was in Houston (about a year ago), there was a radio station for the blind on 88.7 KUHF-HD4. It was also carried on KUHT 8.5.

In addition to the usual programs of people reading newspapers and magazines to the blind, it had programs to help blind people use technology. The program I stumbled across was specifically about how to use an iPhone as a blind person. I think it was a daily program.

I don't know if it's still on in Houston, but if it was a national program, you might be able to find it online somewhere.

I ran across a number of podcasts for the blind whilst researching some questions related to this post. Those might have similar (or some of the same) programming.

Internet radio is also available for a tremendous number of stations. It appears that KUHF has a stream, though that appears to be the primary band, not the HD4 subchannel.

Looking at KUHT's website, I don't see DH4 listed among broadcasts: <https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/ways-to-listen/>

Sight Into Sound does have its own podcasts: <https://www.sightintosound.org/podcasts>

As a side note - people ask whether AI is the new crypto (implying fad)

This is a prime example as to why it is not. High quality voice interfaces are a life changing revolution for people like this.

This was on HN two weeks ago:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38157524 - Show HN: LLaVaVision: An AI "Be My Eyes"-like web app with a llama.cpp backend

Probably worth a try. I suspect with the advances in AI the accuracy, performance and UX of these apps would improve significantly in the next few months.

Stay with IOS. consider teaching him to use Siri to text , make reminders etc. I set my phone to announce incoming calls under the phone in settings. Stick with voiceover it’s the internationally accepted tool seeing AI is a free OCR app for paper documents cans etc. if he or you can KNFB reader is the best portable OCR/TTS For $100

Assistive Access is new in iOS 17 and might also be helpful for simplifying the UI: https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/set-...

I don't think that feature is intended for blind users.

This page might be helpful: https://myvision.org/guides/best-apps-for-the-blind/

Echo and Google Home both have the ability to dial out using your voice. They both do a pretty good job without having to voice-train them. It's an additional option. I mention it so the option does not get overlooked.

Some people who are legally blind can still see a little. I've helped legally blind student zoom in on text so a single letter was 15 inches tall and they could read it.

Does this newly blind person have any sight?

Unfortunately, this used to be his situation but the blindness now limits all reading.

Thank you for asking the question, it may one day have relevance for me.

Is there AI that does continuous camera to spoken description?

If your goal is to provide access to audiobooks and similar text, I'd strongly suggest not using a smartphone or tablet. Smooth flat glass without tactile feedback, advertising-focused producer intent, and frequently-changing UI/UX are all the antithesis of high usability for the visually-disabled and elderly.

Android is not particularly good for the visually or otherwise disabled, in part because there's simply so much variance amongst devices and vendors. I'm not sure that iOS is particularly better but it is at least far more consistent.

I'd strongly suggest looking into physical players. One of the best in the US (presuming from your "in town for the holidays" remark) is the US Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Print-Disabled:

<https://www.loc.gov/nls/>

In particular this piece of shinay kit:

<https://www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/equipment-for...>

That's the NLS Talking Book Player. What you'll note is that it has large, physically-differentiated, Braille-labeled buttons. Less obvious are other features:

- Physical headphone jack.

- Cartridge and USB slots. The player will support up to ~16 GB USB sticks, which can hold well over 100 books at a time.

- An integrated, audio, information and help guide which will walk the user through all the features and functions, as well as give current player information (book position, book title, elapsed, remaining, total time, power/battery status).

- "Bookshelf mode" permitting navigation through multi-book cartridges and USB sticks.

- Excellent and detailed printed documentation including a user manual (<https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Digital-T...>) and service manual (https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Digital-T...).

What that will play are the 300,000+ items in the National Library Service's BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) collection: <https://www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/catalog-and-b...>. That includes recent and classic publications, magazines, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, and more.

BARD will send selections unprompted, though these tend to be highly arbitrary. I strongly recommend directly requesting materials directly through the NLS Catalog: <https://nlscatalog.loc.gov/>

Price is free, to any US resident or citizen with a qualifying temporary or permanent reading disability as certified by a qualifying authority: <https://www.loc.gov/nls/how-to-enroll/apply-for-nls-services...>

Another option is, again, a dedicated audio playback device with physical buttons. I've just learned that boom-boxes are still A Thing, and that dedicated MP3 / audio players exist. From Best Buy:

Boom Boxes (and related devices): <https://www.bestbuy.com/site/docks-radios-boomboxes/boomboxe...>

"MP3 Players": <https://www.bestbuy.com/site/audio/mp3-players/abcat0201010....>

(Most will of course play from many available audio formats.)

Other than that ...

- There are dedicated Internet Radio devices which can play from any streaming broadcast worldwide.

- I'm not aware of dedicated podcast player devices, though that would also be of interest. I will strongly recommend podcasts as another form of information and entertainment. There are many which cover short stories, either contemporary or classical, inclusing "Selected Shorts" (https://symphonyspace.org/selected-shorts), a whole slew of short-story collections from Librivox (e.g., <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/short-story-collection...> ... there are over 40 collections with 10--20 stories each), and "1001 Classic Short Stories and Tales" <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-sto...>.

- Libravox also has iOS and Android apps: <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-sto...> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paid.libri...>

And since the context is phones, I'd also strongly recommend at least one physical, large-button, telephone within the house.

> I'm not aware of dedicated podcast player devices

Alexa can be made to work for podcasts. Once you figure out the magic incantation to launch a specific podcast, that can be mapped to human-friendly short name via a Routine in the Alexa app.

Fair point, and that will apply to any surveillance-equipped microphone device (MS Cortana, Apple Siri, Google, etc.).

Thought also occurred to me after posting my comment above that the original hardware-based podcasting device was ... the iPod. I'd be surprised if MP3-based players didn't have the capability to manage and play podcast episodes somehow, though there might be some issues navigating through those for someone who's blind.

BARD lists some commercial vendors for devices and accessories, though I've not explored their suggestions.

Turns out there's at least one audiobook player intended for blind / visually-disabled persons, or at least was in 2009:

<https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/an-audiobook-pl...>

Then again, this was the original portable audiobook player:

<https://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/AQ1001_05/portable-cassette-pl...>

  66yyy

just enable voiceover

deft

Reply on news.ycombinator.com