suggestions for a 70 years old blind person

Hey,

My dad also had the same issue and you know what we did? We took it to the Apple Store so they can look at it. Then the phone became usable again meaning that the screen is now working.

There are various Braille input devices like Hable One or Orbit Writer that make using the device easier using Braille.

Or, he could use a QUERTY keyboard, if you think he could learn that at this stage.

It might be that something voice-activated, like an Amazon Echo device with Alexa, is the best option, if neither is an option. Using some sort of direct input is necessary with iPhones and iPads. Voice input is possible but not intuitive or terribly accurate.

He can try the Rivo to control the screen. It is a bluetooth device for typing and managing the phone.

As a 70 year old myself, I would recommend the Hable one which is far less complex than the Revo! You can do almost everything starting with unlocking your phone, entering the passcode, navigating, opening and closing apps, writing text, starting Siri et cetera. I have not personally investigated the Hable easy because I have found it fairly straightforward as an adult in later life to learn to type in Braille grade 2, but that could also be an option because the Hable easy is designed exactly for people who want the simplest possible way of navigating But I’m not sure whether the Hable easy can actually enter passcode

I like the Hable One, but I'm not sure how good it would be to use if you didn't know the braille alphabet. It also requires pressing multiple buttons at once which may or may not be good. The Easy mode is supposed to bring one button presses for common tasks but I have also not tried it.

Obviously you can learn the braille alphabet but it all adds to the learning curve.

If he is really struggling with the iPhone, another option would be something like the Blindshell Classic 2 or 3 which is all tactile buttons. It It depends on what he wants from it - if it's email, internet, and the usual accessibility apps then this might be a good option. But probably not if he needs things like online banking and so on.

(I should say I've not used this - just basing my comment on what I've heard from podcasts)

Was he born blind or lost sight recently. If so, Did he used keyboard? If so a nice small keyboard will be helpful. Also You can set up apps to be simple, I think this is a new feature that came out several years for siniors who might over well with apps. Do not recall what it is but someone here probably knows. Also learning to use Siri for sending text or audio message and emails be helpful.

Suggest he check the many podcasts that AppleVis had done about using the iPhone. They are good. Also someone need to help him see the phone as a simple device that he can play with it. when I got my iPhone 4 did not take classes or got someone to help me. Just listened to several podcast on using the phone and after that I just play with it. You truellyhave to do something bad to brake it.

The orbit writer is an awesome keyboard and far better then the Hable one. I highly recommend it.

Have you tried showing your friend how to use his phones? You seem like a pretty bright guy. I feel certain you could get him started.

Well he can think of it as doing 2 touch. One to get VO to say what he is touching the other to activate. He need to play and do not worry about it. Just have fun. It is so easy to use VO even my cat could do it. Using finger to slide left or right to move and up and down to activate a feature. He need to see the phone as a tool to help and not so complicated. Similar to a came, is a tool to help move around, the phone is a tool to use to do things that will set you free. Again encourage him to see it as a tool to play.

In that case, Ramy, your friend might be better served by a combination of SIRI, shortcuts and voice control if you can find someone to set it up for him. Ideally, all he would need to do is talk to his phone.

Alternatively, he might be best served by using a dumb phone with easy to feel buttons for dialing and for text entry. My wife used to have a small flip pone like that before I got her an iPhone.

I would try by teaching your friend one small task at a time. If you try to teach too much too fast, an iOS device can be quite overwhelming. There are so many gestures to use and places to poke around that it can be quite confusing.

For example, I would consider starting by only placing a limited number of apps on the first page of the home screen. Maybe start with the phone app or something that he might want to do every day like Facetime or mail.

Then, starting with one of the apps, teach him to do a single task that he might want to do. For example, with the phone app, show him how to make a call. You can first show him how to swipe from number to number and this way he'll learn the swiping gestures. Then double tap to activate one of the number buttons. Now he knows how to swipe to find what he wants and also how to activate an item.

once he knows how to find an activate an item, he can then find the edit field in the phone app, activate it, and you can teach him the gestures needed for dictation.

Thus, one small step at a time, learning gesture by gesture the simple tasks he might want to accomplish. He can build up from there.

Remember, to walk a mile you have to start with a single step or two!

--Pete

What about something like Assistive Access? It was one of the new accessibility features Apple added in iOS 17. I've never played with it, but it's designed to simplify things for people with cognative difficulties.

You said your friend is blind from birth but just can't wrap his head around the idea of using a touch screen. If you've been able to get together in person with him, have you tried working with him on it? If so, what happens when he actually tries to use the phone?

If he can use the phone, but the apps themselves and everything you can do with an iPhone is overwhelming him, this is where Assistive Access could possibly help. If the idea of a touch screen at all is too intimidating to him, others may be right in that something like the Orbit writer or hable 1, or the Blind Shell or a dumb phone might be the best thing for him.

Not everyone takes to technology as easily as us tech savy people do. I used to teach older people assistive tech, mostly people who had recently lost their vision, and I wasn't successful with all of them. With some, it came down to a different person could teach things in a different way and it made more sense to them than what I did. Other times, a different solution ended up working. I had one guy whose son got him an iPad Pro, but we quickly figured out that VoiceOver itself, never mind the iPad's bigger screen, would be way too overwhelming to him. I convinced his daughter to buy him an echo dot, and while he had a hard time with it sometimes, it made him really happy and it warmed my heart to hear that he was still trying to use it in the days before he passed last year.

Did I read this correctly, that your friend plays, or used to play, the piano?
You could try teaching him the absolute basic touch and swipe gestures by explaining it to him, as if he is brushing his fingers over the ivory portion of the piano keys, that is to say the wider/flatter keys on a piano.

Example:
When he is moving from one note to the next, he likely brushes his fingertips along the keys until he finds what he wants, then with a steady press down, plays that particular note.
The principal is not too much different for a touch screen with VoiceOver.

A light swipe of a fingertip to find the app he wants, then with that same finger on his chosen app, a steady press of another finger to activate that app.

Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part, but I am willing to bet part of the problem is concept. So give him something he knows, and teach him something new based on the same principal.

Just my 2 cents. 🤷

You may have already tried this, but one thing I thought of is when you're with him, attempt to orient him to the physical layout of the iPhone using the charging port on the bottom, volume buttons on the upper left, and Side button on the upper right, as a tactile reference. With VoiceOver on and the iPhone at the Home Screen, instruct him to try to glide a finger around the screen, listening to what VoiceOver speaks as he does. Over time, this may help him get a sense of how items are laid out on the Home Screen, a concept I liken to gradually learning the layout of a physical space using common orientation and mobility skills.

Then, you could try to teach him to double-tap, either directly on the screen when it is locked, or on another flat surface. This could help him get acquainted with the fundamentals of locating and activating items, without actually performing any actions, providing a space for him to learn to navigate using an interplay of speech, touch, and spatial awareness. If he becomes curious about the functions of other VoiceOver gestures, you could introduce him to VoiceOver help, or turn it on when you're with him so you can explore together.

HTH

That is the one I was thinking. Also seriously he just need to remember 3 things for now. Slide left or right to move around and 2 tap to open apps. Also using Siri to send text, email or voice message. She can even open apps. Someone just need to help him set it up.