By John M. Williams
In the last several years, cell phones, or smartphones, have played an ever-increasing role in the lives of people with disabilities as they search for ways to become connected to their families and the Internet. These devices have opened up a new world of communication and convenience to consumers with disabilities worldwide. While a pocket PC or personal digital assistant (PDA) can be used at home or on the move, the touch screen on these devices makes it impossible for blind, visually impaired, cognitively challenged, and amputee consumers with disabilities to use.
Telecommunications companies are aware of the need to provide accessible telecommunications products to consumers with disabilities. One solution they have developed is screen reading software for mainstream Pocket PC devices. For example, a Spanish company, Code Factory, has developed Mobile Speak®, a product that enables a variety of common phones, including numerous Nokia and Siemens models, to “tell” the user what is on the display (www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak/mspeak.htm).
Based on a Windows Mobile® platform (www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/), Mobile Speak and products like it provide unparalleled access to telecommunications services. Among their functions:
• They read the screen of your PDA and convert the visual information into speech.
• They work with different keyboards and Braille devices on the market.
• By tapping on the corners of the screen, users have access to the most common functions.
• They include easy-to-use comprehensive online help.
• They make it easy to use third party applications, such as an audible player.
• They can write scripts for third party applications.
• They come in a variety of languages and voices, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish, and Mandarin Chinese.
How do consumers with disabilities feel about these products? People embrace them worldwide.
For example, William Howard, a visually impaired engineer from Hong Kong, China, says, “With this screen reading software, I can browse the Internet, send and receive e-mails, access my calendar and manage contacts and tasks.”
Parisian-born software developer Henri Jacques Remi, who is dyslexic, says, “The voice on my mobile Pocket Phone permits me to synchronize my Pocket PC so I can exchange data such as e-mails and other documents.” He adds, “I would be lost professionally without this special product.”
Wheelchair user Sharon Beckingsdale of Miami, Florida, adds, “I can use these enhanced devices to chat with my friends and do business when I am away from my office.”
Howard also uses Code Factory’s new Mobile Magnifier®, screen magnification software for mobile phones for the visually impaired. It enlarges and enhances all items of the mobile phone display, automatically detecting and magnifying the area of interest as the user navigates through the phone’s user interface.
Kelly Hsu lost her left arm when she was 12-years-old. Fourteen years later, she is a network administrator in Chicago, Illinois. She wears an artificial hand. Her company handles security contracts for various levels of government. She found it difficult to use a cell phone when walking.
“Dialing a number was impossible when walking or traveling,” she says. She searched for more than a year for the right cell phone. She used one with large buttons, but it was too much out of the ordinary and caused people to stare at her when she used it. After trying numerous voice recognition telelphones she found the right one for her.
“By voice command, I can make calls, access my e-mails, and listen to my messages. With using this cell phone, I am no longer a standout in a crowd,” she says.
Hsu paid $575 for her telephone. She believes the price is high for most individuals with disabilities. She had an advantage when she purchased it and says, “My company eventually paid for it and pays the monthly service charges.”
Hsu, Beckingsdale, and Howard believe the advancements in cell phones, or smartphones, eliminate communications barriers for people with disabilities and are examples of assistive technology providing equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
John M. Williams has been reporting on assistive technology for more than 25 years. He can be contacted at jmmaw@aol.com.
