Assistive Technology
The world of assistive technology for low vision has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years.
Do you have questions about what's available? Want to share about a product you use and love? Would you like to hear other's opinions on the new cool gadget? Here's the place!
Driving safely with AMD is my biggest challenge, especially on overcast days. My Optician suggested wearing
Polarized sunglasses. I wear the ones that fit over your own glasses and it makes an amazing difference for me.
Hi, I use floor stand lighted magnifying glasses with bendable goose necks that my son gave me for Christmas one year and I liked it so much that I ask for another one the next Christmas, and one the following Christmas. Now I have three. One at my desk, one at my recliner, and one next to my couch. They use LED lights. And I use them frequently for reading frozen food labels, or canned labels, for my apartment newsletter, and mail. I think to myself I would be lost without these magnifiers.
When I went into a restaurant with my family recently it was “romantically lighted” Meaning it was dark to me. My 12-year-old niece put her arm through mine to lead me to the table. But there were 12 people talking and discussing what they wanted to eat and I couldn’t even see the menu. Then I remembered The Blind Life YouTube channel suggested using your phone to take a picture of a menu and then enlarge it so you could read it. Everyone was excited that I was able to read the menu myself. Just think of having to read an Italian menu out loud to someone who’s never been at this restaurant before. Pretty intimidating to anyone reading all the selections…so I use that technique now every time I go to a restaurant day or night. Then I don’t have to remember to take a lighted hand magnifier, I always have my phone with me. I say thanks to Sam at The Blind Life YouTube channel.
My third most valuable tool is Siri and Alexa. Alexa can answer almost anything I want to know, they can read my audiobooks and remember the last sentence before I stopped, play my iTunes music and even remember the music I have played the most and put it into a group of “my favorites”. Siri helps me with TV commands to move channels. I’m just now learning all that Siri can do.Sharon, do you live alone? May I ask how you get to eye dr appts, and for grocery shopping, how do you read the labels, I’m afraid I’d have to stick my head half way in the freezer door to be able to see what I’m buying haha. With several of the delivery companies, they offer an annual fee of less than $50 then no delivery fee with each order. You can go online to many grocery stores or even Target or Walmart and see the pictures of the foods right on your computer. Amazon even has a food pantry to order from. I think of all the things available to me that weren’t available to my mother who also had both AMD and Glaucoma. (She probably wouldn’t have understood the computer at her age tho) She didn’t get AMD until into her 80s.
I also wanted to add that most public libraries have audiobooks that you can download onto your computer and keep for 2 wks or more as well as movies. All free or the cost of an annual library card. Surprisingly, they carry most of the newest audiobooks as they come out, but you may have to wait on a list for an email when it’s available. Our library even has an area where you can request certain books as audiobooks and if geyser are able they will order it. I was amazed at that!
Uber and Lyft have continued to go up in price since I started using them 3 yrs ago. I have requested to get a riders card for public transportation that is subsidized by Fed. Govt funds for the handicapped. They provide door to door transportation either using small buses, vans, or contracting with taxi or Uber, but you only pay $4.00 each way anywhere in our county. That will be a big difference in costs for my dr.visits. If you use any form of transportation like this or even if you record your mileage to/from dr, you can deduct this from your taxes. I live in subsidized housing and am able to reduce my rent by the transportation to/from dr offices.
You mention you don’t have those services where you live, but if there are others like you who need or want this type of services, you should talk with your local political leaders who
get funds for these services (or your local grocery store might hire a high school student to deliver groceries)
Well, I’m sorry I’ve taken so much room up on your board but I hope I’ve been able to offer some helpful information.
Sincerely
ConnieConnie thank you so much for all the information that you shared with me. Thankfully, I do not live alone but with my husband. We live 15 miles from the nearest town. My daughter and brother both live there and are wonderful about taking me to my doctor appointments that are 100 miles each way. We only have one small grocery store, really more like a convenient store. I am still able to drive within the county where I live. It is so sparsely populated we only have two traffic signals in the entire county. I order Staples online from Walmart, Sam’s Club, and from Amazon. These are wonderful services that make my life much easier. I have a library card and I get my library books online. So far my vision is Good enough that I can still read on my iPad where I can enlarge the text. They do have audiobooks when I get to that point. Thank you once again for sharing so much valuable information. Best wishes, Sharon Moore advocate
