[nabs-l] accessible cell phones

[Katie Wang]

Hello, all,
 First, I would like to say that I have very much enjoyed the lively
discussion on the role of technology in our lives, and I agree with
the point that balance is key. Technology has no doubt opened many
important doors for blind people, but we also need to be cautious
about not relying on them excessively and not wasting too much our
time on the various social media out there, such as Facebook and
Twitter. I have definitely been guilty of both accounts on one
occasion or another, and I know people, both sighted and blind, who
have had similar experiences, so i'm glad that we are having this
dialogue and raising awareness of this issue.
 On another note, I have noticed from the discussion that many people
are looking for a cell phone with no bells or whistles, and I'm so
happy to learn that I'm not alone in this quest. While I admire
Apple's technology and its high priority in accessibility, I have no
desire to learn to use a touch screen or pay for an expensive data
plan; I also do not picture myself using a phone to do things other
than making calls and send occasional texts. I have, however, been
hard pressed to find such a basic phone that is also accessible. Some
phones like the Samsung Haven Bridget mentioned are great for this
purpose, but they seem to be exclusively carried by Verizon Wireless
(I currently use T-mobile). I know that screen readers like Talks and
Mobile Speaks are compatible with some earlier models of Nokia phones,
but it's hard to locate them in the market as they are so out-of-date
(I'm not interested in investing in the KNFB Mobile Reader at this
point, so one of these phone-reader packages will not work for me).
Has anyone found a good solution for this problem? Any suggestions
would be much appreciated!
  Katie