“[We] blind folks are no exception. Because Apple has done a spectacular job at integrating accessibility in all of their products in an effort to include the blind and other disabled individuals, [we] blind people can enjoy being a part of these hot trends and feel cool like our sighted peers,” Waldorf PC reports. “This enables us to have something to relate to when it comes to conversing with our sighted counterparts, which to me is huge because I do not enjoy the feeling that I’m so isolated and can only relate to a certain subculture. Thanks so much to Apple; we are not left out in the cold, being forced to wait a long period of time to have some cool gadgets in our hands long after the coolness has died out. And thanks so much to Apple caring enough about our inclusion; I’m able to provide a first person iPad review from a blindness perspective.”
“The Apple iPad is one hundred percent accessible straight out of the box… Blind individuals can glide a finger over the screen, and as they glide their fingers, the options will be spoken aloud. When the users hear an option that they want to select, they can tap their fingers on that option twice, and the option will then be selected. There is no barrier to us blind folks using the Apple iPad’s touch screen,” Waldorf PC reports. “Of course, with me being totally blind, I’m going to give a lot of attention to detail in [how a product feels], as the sense of touch is very important to me. And if things feel nice, then I’m more inclined to pay better attention and be more interested. The iPad feels sleek, smooth, and thin, and I love that a lot.
Waldorf PC reports, “Apple has really changed the lives of many blind individuals by integrating accessibility in all things. I strongly feel that the rest of the electronic industry needs to follow in their footsteps, so [we] blind individuals can continue to enjoy equal usability at an equal price. Because Apple has taken this major step in including us, I’m able to sit and chill out with all of my sighted peers, use my iPad right along with them, and join other blind techs in providing information to our fellow blind peers about the device. Best of all, I did not have to spend hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, to make the device accessible in order for me to use it.”
Full review here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brandon” for the heads up.]
Big kudos to Apple for making accessibility a key and successful part of their product development process!
Wow, this is so cool. I had no idea.
By the way, this is yet another reason to ban Flash, since Flash discriminates against the blind. See more reasons at:
http://www.flashsucks.org
I thought it was a nice review. Apple has always appeared to be accessible and now it is nice to see someone with credibility come out and say it.
And for some of the frigtards here, if you think there is a problem with the eyepad (pun intended) send it off to Apple and suggest they fix it. That would be the positive thing to do.
Well, that’s one guy who won’t be complaining about fingerprints on the iPad.
O, how I am beginning to lust after the iPad. I can’t wait to allow my fingers to caress over every parts of the iPad.
@Predrag “This implies that the blind community somehow doesn’t completely benefit from the device. I have a feeling that the community would be offended by such a statement.”
be quiet and stop being such a stereotyper
How did he turn on VoiceOver?
Fred, I’ll do the thinnin’ around here, and doooon’t you forget e-it!”
@ilovemymom
Get off the tit sonny.
You should have been weaned years ago.
It’s ok really. You can stand on your own feet.
Mummy will understand.
And you will be a happier bunny.
Honest.
Apple has done a really interesting job of allowing a blind user to activate the accessibility features (such as VoiceOver) from iTunes and in that way making the device out of box accessible to the blind. It’s impressive and very well thought out.
Thanks for sharing this article…
64gb iPad
That’s awesome!! I love how it’s accessible for the visually impaired! How is the E-book feature on it? I want an iPad, but I am stuck between getting that or a basic E-book reader! I want to buy one that would be more accessible for me!! I have the iPhone, and the voiceover feature on it is alright!! I’m hoping these features on the iPad are the same, if not, better!
I, too, am blind and rely heavily on Apple products to do my job. I am also the former accessibility advocate for Microsoft. In short, they don’t compare to what Apple has done for our community.
I’m a professional writer and part-time massage therapist. Apple products enable me to be productive and independent in ways I never thought possible. My husband is deaf and also relies on Apple technology to function with the hearing community. Kudos to you, Apple, for being in the forefront of accessible technology.
I gotta favorite this internet site it seems very useful very useful
http://www.castleton.co.uk/caverns/