[nfbcs] How The Blind Are Re-Inventing the iPhone

Sun May 6 18:24:14 UTC 2012

I agree with you Jim, and I am a fan of Google as well.

I have been using an Android phone for almost a year now and I can say that
it has been a fun yet learning experience.

It is true that Android is not completely accessible as most of us would
like, but what improves the accessibility is the will to explore that device
and find out ways in which it can be improved.

What I find unfortunate for many people with disabilities (as well as the
blind) is that we desire a out-of-box all-in-one device that will make our
lives easier.

However, that out-of-box all-in-one device gradually boxes the user into a
comfort zone to the point where the user refuses other alternatives whether
for better or for worse.

There is nothing wrong with having a comfort zone, but the willingness to
step outside of that comfort zone is what allows a user to turn from
becoming dependent on a single device to becoming independent and have the
vigor to seek other alternatives in case the comfort zone falters.

For example, I use a cluster of apps in addition to Mobile Accessibility in
the everyday use of my phone.

Although it can get a bit clumsy at times, finding out a new way of doing
something on my Android phone is very much like having fun with a new toy.

Also, the finding of new ways to perform tasks on the phone allows me to see
how the cluster of apps complement each other with their own
characteristics, which leads to being able to give feedback as to what can
be improved to make the app(s) better.

If we abandoned other types of alternative technology just because that
all-in-one device works then what is the point of having the various types
of technology that exists?

As Computer Scientists, we continuously seek ways to move forward in life as
well as many other things.

The venture to move forward and become independent is not easy as with many
of the things that we do or are required to do, but that does not mean we
should start relying on a sole way of doing things just to get by.

C.C. Alan

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Barbour
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2012 10:14 AM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] How The Blind Are Re-Inventing the iPhone

Interesting take on this Aaron.  I must say I don't really agree with you
that we're not reinventing the iPhone, just because we're not writing the
apps.

I will absolutely say that the article had this "iPhones are making the
blind independent" flavor to it that I did not like.  The iPhone is a new
piece of technology - like screen readers, canes, and Braille - but it has
never been the technology that makes us independent.  I also thought the
line that said "Chalkias, Tatum's colleague, is not only an iPhone advocate
who breezes through the device faster than a baby with an iPad", was an
unfortunate comparison.

Having said all this, I'd like to point out a few things in the article's
favor.

First, one of the main apps showcased in the article was The Sendero Group's
"Look Around" app, which was created and designed by Mike May who is a blind
person.

Second, many of the apps mentioned in the article were not written for the
blind at all including the weather, audible, and heytell apps.

Also, let's not fall into the trap of believing that we're not having an
impact on these apps because our name isn't on the packaging.  Plenty of
blind people are impacting these apps by doing usability testing,
collaborative idea sharing, bug reporting, participation in forums, etc.

Finally, I think the article got it about right with Android.  I'm a big
Google fan, and would really like to see Android become a solid blindness
accessibility competitor with the iPhone.  However, I see no real progress
in this direction.  I'm happy to discuss that further if someone wants to
bring it up on the list.

I do think it is possible, perhaps even likely, that there will be more
android based appliances for the blind.  APH is building an android based
note taker.  I strongly suspect that someone will figure out how to build a
KNFB reader replacement on an android phone that will out perform existing
attempts to build OCR apps on the iPhone.  I also think that wayfinding
(GPS) would be another place where Android might outshine the iPhone.
However, I suspect these will be most successful as single use devices,
rather than trying to build an all-in-1 iPhone replacement for the blind on
Android. 

Looking forward to hearing lots of comments,

Jim Barbour

On Sun, May 06, 2012 at 09:54:24AM -0500, Aaron Cannon wrote:
> I also thought the article was interesting, but I felt the headline 
> was a bit misleading.  It implied that we were finding new and 
> revolutionary ways to use the iPhone.  Well, quite frankly, we're not.
>  All the apps mentioned, unless I am mistaken, were created for the 
> blind by the sighted.  Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with 
> that.  I love many of the apps mentioned, and am quite grateful to 
> have them.  However, if we are going to truly re-invent the iPhone, 
> then we the blind need to start building apps for the blind, or at the 
> very least, taking the lead on their creation.
> 
> I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope that this article makes 
> us think less about how we are using these devices, and more about how 
> we're not.  What are we not doing yet that we could be with the iPhone 
> and android devices?
> 
> Aaron
> 
> 
> On 5/3/12, Curtis Chong <curtischong at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > Greetings:
> >
> >
> >
> > The article entitled "How the Blind Are Reinventing the iPhone," by 
> > Liat Kornowski, is definitely worth a read.  I may not agree with 
> > every assertion made in the article, but it does underscore the 
> > significant impact that the iPhone has made on the lives of a lot of 
> > blind people.
> >
> >
> >
> > Here is a link to that article:
> >
> >
> >
> > http://bit.ly/JeG4zk
> >
> >
> >
> > Cordially,
> >
> >
> >
> > Curtis Chong
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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