[BlindTlk] getting a cell phone...

[jude dashiell]

On Nov 15, 2025, at 7:18 PM, Ericka via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

I have no idea how old you are Madison. But if a 54 year-old who used to think that cell phones were stupid and I couldn’t use them is now guilty of using it all of the time for talk text Zoom conferences, emails and writing Christmas letters I can tell you that once you get one, and you have patience with yourself to learn it you’ll be glad you did. I am in the process of getting help to use my Braille display effectively with my iPad and iPhone. I don’t read very well but I can read the burial display better than print. I use voiceover. Don’t give up on yourself. Like everyone has said before me anything is possible if you want it bad enough. There are no limits. If you need to learn Braille. Find a way to learn it. You don’t have to be perfect. I have a brilliant BL 20 for the keyboard.

I finally gave in because my independence was disappearing. Once places did not allow people to borrow the phone to make calls for ride rides.


Ericka Nelson
K E9DYN
Proud general class him license owner

> On Nov 3, 2025, at 12:00 AM, madisonolivialanemartin483--- via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> My family keeps bugging me about getting a cell phone and I know I really should
> get with the times and get one but I just can't stand touch screens and don't
> trust dictation. There's a phone that's meant for visually ipaired people who
> don't want/can't use touch screens but it only has numbers so typing would be
> rather difficult and one of the main reasons my parents want me to get a phone
> is for texting. I know you can use a keyboard but I don't really see the point
> in getting a phone just to use a keyboard with it. Like I said I know I really
> should get with the times and have a cell phone but they're just so expensive
> and I highly doubt I'd use it for much more then talk/text so I'm not really
> sure what to do. Any thoughts? Thanks for any thoughts and please don't judge me
> as I'm not trying to knock Apple or Google.
> Madison
> 
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The first cell phone I had was an audiovox450 with keys on it and it was a brick. Then a nokia9920 with keys.  Then an iPhone 4gs.  That was the first iPhone with voiceover on it and it took me two weeks of steady work to adapt to the touch screen. Next was an iPhone 6 and then a Motorola g7 and now a refurbished iphone12.
Two things about being blind.  We are the early adopters of technology and pay the highest prices for that technology in order to level the playing field a little in our favor.