That's Jenny with Hanni and me at The Bookstore in Glen Ellyn.
I’m heading to Geneva, IL today to do a presentation at a preschool, then speak at the Geneva Public Library. Geneva is about an hour west of Chicago – Hanni and I will take a commuter train there. My friend Jenny from The Bookstore in Glen Ellyn, IL will bring books to sell after my library presentation, then she’ll take me back to the train station (after stopping somewhere to visit over a glass of wine/beer, of course!).
Anyone living in the 21st century would figure that all these arrangements would require me to own a cell phone. I do. But I rarely use it. I know how to make a phone call with my cell phone, but without being able to see the screen, I only call people with phone numbers I know by heart. I don’t leave my phone on when I’m out an about with Hanni – I need to concentrate on her, I can’t be distracted by phone calls. I use my phone to collect voice messages that I listen to later, and I call 1-800-555-TELL (that’s the “Tell Me” number) when I’m out and about and need to know a baseball score. Other than that, my cell phone lies dormant.
I’ve heard of three companies, Code Factory, Dolphin, and Nuance that have products to make some high-end cell phones fully accessible. If I used a cell phone with this specialized software, I could attach headphones to my phone and listen to music, read text messages, even surf the web on my phone.
Gee, I’d be just like everyone else on the commuter train to the suburbs!
One problem, though. Price. The special software for these phones can cost around $300 or more. I’ve also heard of a screenless cell phone made especially for the blind. Without a screen, there is more room to make the buttons distinguishable from each other.
Supposedly all of the functions on this Owasys phone talk. something tickles me about having a cell phone without a screen – what a novelty!
For now, though, I’m happy to pack my regular cell phone and leave it off for the train ride to Geneva. Instead of text messaging and calling my friends on the hourlong ride, I plan on listening to a book. Maybe talking to the conductor. And definitely petting Hanni.
Sarah, when you say, “I’m not too fond of writing stuff down so I put everything
in my phone” does that mean you can see well enough to track phone numbers and other stuff on the screen? Just curious. Also curious if any readers have tried the Oasis screenless phone…
PS: Sarah, sorry I didn’t think to tell you about our Geneva gig. Just think what the kids in the audience would have thought if there had been *TWO* guide dogs there — wowee!
Hi Beth and Sarah,
When I saw the title of this post, the first thing that came to mind was how pricy the software for cell phones is! Maybe when I win the lottery or have a good paying job I’ll be able to afford it! *smile* Meanwhile, I’ll keep using mine to call people whose numbers I know by heart!
Sandra
Wow! I am learning from you! I am thinking that senior citizens could benefit from this information- but where do they get this information??
Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention in the post about memorizing phone numbers – I have an easier time memorizing them if I make words out of them. You’ve never seen a phone pad, Sandra, but I suppose you know that the numbers between 2 and 9 each hav three letters that correspond? A b c = 2, d e f =
3, g h i = 4, j k l = 5, m n o = 6, p R S = 7, t u v = 8, w x y = 9. If my phone number were 726-3726, for example, it would = SANDRA M.If I can’t switch a phone number into a word on my own, I found a website that helps:
http://www.phonespell.org
Some of you reading these comments must be wondering –who the heck is Sarah?!
Here’s the deal: I ended up getting dozens of spam comments to this post – I suppose I should have known better than to mention the two words “cell phone,” huh? In my rush to get all those yucky spam messages off the comment list, I inadvertently deleted a terrific message from Sarah.
SORRY, Sarah! I went through the back end to try to retrieve your comment and post it again, but no luck.
Those dang spammers. Not only did they clog up my comment list for a bit here, it took up a lot of my time getting rid of the comments, and then, thanks to them, I made a mistake and lost Sarah’s comment. Rats.
Sheesh! You would think that spammers could keep busy on more productive stuff, but I guess not! Some people just can’t find better things to do with their lives! Yeah I did know about the letters corresponding to each number, but I had never thought about that technique for memorizing! I’ll have to take a look at that website.
Sandra
Warning! My husband Mike thinks it is absolutely silly to go through all that trouble to switch a phone number into words. “Isn’t it easier just to memorize the numbers?” he asks.
Maybe it is. Still, it can be fun to figure out the words!
Hi,
Beth asked me to post something on accessible cell phones. Beth is correct that these software companies provide a way to make certain cell phones talk and thus offer a way of performing all the functions such as text messages, directory, calendar, etc. Choosing the right software for a particular phone is a bit of a puzzle. You must look at the following:
1. The operating system of your phone: whether it is symbian, windows mobile, blackberry, etc.
2. Your cell network: GSM or CDMA for example.
3. Whether your phone can run the accessible software.
4. Whether you want a cell phone, pocket pc phone which acts like a computer with MS-windows, smart phone which sort of acts like a computer; specialized pda.
5. Whether you want a cell phone that has a slide out keyboard, tap screen as some PDA’s do.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider. This site is particularly helpful in geting a basic understanding of accessible phones.
http://www.accessiblephones.com/
I know that some of the U.S. companies have arranged special pricing for accessible phones. AT&T along with Codefactory have special pricing on a phone with Mobilespeak. I believe the cost of the package with sofware included is $99.00; please check first. You may also have to sign up for 100 years and commit your estate to 100 more for this special deal. Hope this helps,
Richard
100 years? Do you have to give your first–born son, too?
Okay, I’m kidding. But one legitimate question, Richard: what sort of cell phone do you use?
I currently use the HTC Wizard which is an older pocket pc phone also known as the Cingular 8125 with Mobilespeak Pocket. This phone is no longer supported. I have used in the past the Nokia 3650 and nokia 6620 with Talks. One of the popular phones nowadays is the Nokia N.82 which can support both Talks and Mobilespeak for Symbian phones. This phone can also support that new OCR package that NFB had a hand in creating. With it, you can use the camera on the phone to scan documents such as restaurant menus and have the phone read back the contents of each page. That whole package is a costly proposition. The phone is around $450.00, the NFB software is around $1500 and the speech is about $300.
If my math is correct (often it is not — math is not one of my strong suits) that last phone set-up would cost a total of $2350. Yikes! Just think how you’d feel if you lost it!
Richard, do you know anyone who owns one of those?
I just retired an LGVX4650. Loved that phone. Wasn’t perfect but it had good VoiceCommand on the first three levels of menus. Found an LGVX5400 replacement which, as far as I can tell so far, has a better and more enhanced VoiceCommand system. You need a sighted person to help you get it set up and learn it but once you do that you can be pretty darn independent in using these phones. For the 4650 the Blind Community was able to get Verizon to print the user manual in Braille. Additionally, a very nice person read the manual into an audio file and it was being passed around via email. So even with a plain old phone from plain old Verizon some good things are happening.
Wow! I’ll be honest with you — when I published this blog post I really had no intentions of switching cell phones, but now with all these ideas and suggestions I might give one of these “talking cell phones” a try. THANKS for all the helpful info —
Wow! Thanks for all the info! I’ll definitely keep it in mind! Beth, according to my math, I got 2250 — not that it makes much of a difference. *smile*
Sandra
This is too funny! You may not realize this, Sandra, but when I first met you (that was when you were still in high school, I was writing that story for the Chicago Tribune about how kids who are blind go to regular schools now) the thing that impressed me most about you was, guess what? Your math skills! I dug up that article and will quote an excerpt here:
“In geometry, however, learning can be far more complicated. Using raised line drawings to read graphics, push pens and rubber bands to form angles, and special paper and pens to create diagrams, Sandra is managing a 96% in geometry so far.
“My textbook is 63 volumes!” she exclaimed, opening one page of her Braille textbook to demonstrate how big the raised-line drawings can be.”
Sandra, you rock.
I don’t know of anyone who has paid full price for such a set up but I know of people who have had employers buy them. If your State has coverage, it also could be a way of getting one. What is attractive about the N.82 and scanner is that a blind person could conceivably read labels on cans and packages, menus, and who knows what else while traveling around. There’s also the other school of thought that says it’s just faster to ask someone and I guess a heck of a lot cheaper.
Thanks for the memories! I still have the article somewhere.
Sandra, I can’t remember now — did that article feature a photo of you, too?
Richard, I am of the “have someone else read it aloud to you” school — I know this exposes my “bratty” side, but i feel that when I make someone read aloud to me in public it inconveniences the reader as much as it inconveniences me, makes them understand what a drag it is when things aren’t accessible. On the other hand, there have been many, many times I could have used a handheld reader like this while traveling. One example: hotel rooms often leave abooklet of ammenities, including the room service menu. When I travel alone with Hanni I miss out on some of that information — no one in the room with me to read it aloud!
Wow, lotta info.
No problem Beth!
I do have enough vision to read my phone. It’s just a giant pain to do so. I’d rather listen than use my eyes. I memorize numbers so i don’t have to scroll through the phonebook. I guess you can call me lucky because when people lose their phones, they freak out about their numbers but I have all mine memorized so I guess it wouldn’t be too huge of a deal if I lost my phone. But then again, I’d probably throw a fit. *laugh* Also, the LCD screen for my phone is a killer because it’s so bright. But that’s the only way people can read their phones I suppose.
Like I said before, it’s ridiculous that blind and visually impaired individuals have to pay an obscene amount of cash in order to have phones that are accessible. If I have enough vision to read my phone but have no fun doing so, then why should I struggle if there really shouldn’t be a problem in the first place. I think there should be a serious phone strike. LOL – at least, I think that people should understand. I’m still looking for phones today. I’m almost considering switching companies. Verizon Wireless offers a lot of phones that have built in screen readers. But they cost a lot of money. It all depends.
Hope you’re having a good week. *smile*
-Sarah
No. It just featured a photo of Anna Walsh and my former teacher, Danielle West. There are definitely pros and cons to the reading machines. They are helpful when one is alone and wants to read a print document, but unfortunately they still do not have the capability of reading handwritten materials (someone please correct me if I’m wrong.) I think that in this instance, the human reader does come in handy, but of course a sighted person won’t always be around.
Sandra
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!
! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have got you book marked to look at new stuff you
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Cell Phones for the Blind | Safe & Sound blog
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