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One problem I’ve observed with some of the cell phones targeted to seniors
is that they seem to be long on marketing and short on real-world usability.
Sure, there are definite advantages to simplicity, especially if
practicality is not compromised. Unfortunately, though, some of these cell
phones for seniors seem limited to the point of pointlessness. Once you
make a cell phone truly accessible, why take away all of the great features?

It’s really cute how some of the manufactures have lasered directly into the
boomers bracket by associating the phone with be-bop and simpler times gone
by, but I find the marketing somewhat repellant. How about a cell phone for
grown-ups? Yes, I’ve heard the expression, “once a man, twice a child’ as
it pertains to aging, but really, is it necessary to be so blatantly
condescending? If you want to buy your loved ones a gift of cell phone
freedom this year, here are some options that range in function and
flexibility, without
hijacking the 1950’s as though older people are somehow all stuck in a time
warp.

Your choices are between a mainstream cell phone to which you can add
accessible functionality, or a cell phone that is purposefully natively
limited. In the first category, I like the combination of Mobile Speak
software and
the Motorola Q phone. It is what I use. I am not a senior citizen but I do
require speech functionality. Mobile Speak is a software download that
can be installed into a variety of cell phones that use the Smartphone
platform. Simply put, it makes every aspect of the Motorola phone
accessible by making the phone speak each feature and function aloud. It
has a full QWERTY keyboard that is tactile and the buttons are not
miniscule. I can text with the best of them.

There is another text-to-speech option, by Nuance, which is based on a chip
that is
installed into a phone. It is called Talx (for my screen reader friends,
that is spelled with an “x” instead of ‘k s”), and it works in the Nokia
6600 series phones. I’ve used this, too, and while it is also very
functional, the phone itself is not current technology, the software
interface that allows you to sync the phone with your PC is not accessible,
and the cable required to do this is proprietary. that means you cannot use
standard USB connectivity. Finding this cable, called the ‘Pop Port,” is
practically impossible, if you wanted it. Not that it would do you any
good, due to the aforementioned inaccessibility of the sync software
interface.

If you do not require speech, an excellent option for seniors is the Doro
326i cell phone. Nothing to add, install or that requires
sighted assistance. It has large tactile buttons and a large font high
contrast screen. You cannot download software into the phone, but it has
enough features to make the phone appealing without being so feature-rich as
to be overwhelming. Best of all, you don’t have to be on one of those
pre-paid minute plans, or be on some sort of closed network that lacks
coverage in your area. It works with several service providers, and is
reasonably priced.

If sheer simplicity is what you’re after, and all you want is one step above
two cans and a string, there are plenty of those from which to choose, too.
In my opinion, though, if you’re going to go that route, you may as well get
that alert button from the ‘Help I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” people.
It only calls one number, but if that’s all you need…

LL

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Eloquent Insights www.eloquentinsights.com/

If you need an educational speaker who will bring experience, eloquence and
excellence to your next event, go to Eloquent Insights and complete a
request for service today. Laura Legendary is a speaker, author and
educator specializing in disability awareness, advocacy, accessibility and
assistive technology.

In-Home Insights www.inhomeinsights.com

Bits of insight for greater independent living and compassionate care
giving. You’ll find elder care information and products to make life a
little
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caregivers by caregivers. You can even submit your own caregiving tips so
that others can benefit from your expertise.

Accessible Insights www.accessibleinsights.info

A site for sore eyes! Products and publications, resources and
recommendations for people with low or no vision. Check out the Accessible
Insights weblog and Laura’s List for tips on the latest assistive technology
solutions.

Legendary Insights www.legendaryinsights.com

Home of the Legendary Insights Foundation, a small private philanthropic
organization established in loving memory of Billy Ray Legendary.
Please make a donation today. Your contribution will be used to purchase
assistive technology devices to help individuals with vision loss to achieve
their vocational goals.

Follow me on Twitter: @insightsempire

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Be my fan on Facebook: Eloquent Insights

LL

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It took me quite awhile to become an Amazon shopper. It wasn’t because I
didn’t like to save money, or have merchandise delivered to my door, or
because I felt no desire to join the online shopping revolution. It was
that I was intimidated by the Amazon web site, which for someone who uses a
screen
reader, can seem overwhelming. In an effort to sell nearly everything on
Earth, Amazon has made for a serious time commitment for those who are
unfamiliar with the landscape. I’ve heard even sighted users complain about
the mind-boggling number of choices, and that navigating the Amazon web site
can be as formidable as navigating the actual South American Amazon.

Amazon is serious about getting your business. I know that because I
complained to them about a certain inaccessible feature that had prevented
me from using their site. I was subsequently contacted by a very
solicitous person from the executive customer relations department, who
immediately set about the task of correcting the problem. Further, he asked
me to advise him as to
other areas of the site that could use similar improvements. He thanked me
for my
contribution, and left me feeling as though I had made a real difference for
those who would follow in my screen reading footsteps.

He left me with a few tips, too. One of which has proved to be useful not
only for shopping at Amazon, but other web sites as well. He pointed out
that the mobile version of the Amazon web site was a more accessible version
of the main site, and it could be used by both desktop and mobile users. He
said it lacked the “bells and whistles” of the main site, which I
interpreted to mean the graphics, flash animation and other visual debris
that can interfere with efficiency.

This was very good news.

As it turns out, the Amazon mobile site is the most wonderfully accessible,
easy to use shopping interface imaginable. I can make a purchase at
lightening speed, probably faster than a sighted person could. Fewer
screens, fewer distractions, fewer “rabbit trails” that take you to a screen
leading to nowhere.

To see this accessible alternative, go to;
www.amazon.com/access.

My brother recently pointed out that Facebook also has a mobile version of
their site. Again, it’s all text, no graphics, and lacks the ads and other
happy hoopla that makes the site appealing to the light-dependent crowd.
Go to: www.m.facebook.com.

More sites are now offering mobile versions of their main web properties,
meant specifically for use with mobile phones. However, used with your
desktop, these alternative versions also provide some great accessible
options for anyone who is visually impaired, time-constrained, or who has
anger-management issues and who detests the graphic flotsam and jetsam of
most shopping or social media destinations.

Know of others? Send them my way!

LL

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Now that I’m all Linked In and Twittering away, I have to face it…I need
to be seen on Facebook. the other day I heard a young person say, “If you
don’t have a Facebook page, you’re just not cool.” Oh, well okay then. We
can’t have that. Besides, Andrea would hear none of it.; “You HAVE to have a
Facebook page! that’s where all your blogging entries and tweets go!”

Since Facebook is apparently the repository for all things social, the
glittering paradigm of coolness, the benchmark by which my worth on the
planet is measured, at least until the next big thing comes along, I must
resign myself. No sooner do I get the words, ‘What?…I have to have a Face
Book page, too?” out of my mouth, the “Welcome to Facebook!” email has
dropped into my inbox. Miss Andrea gathers no moss.

You’ll understand my skepticism…I’m a geek girl from way back, and I’m
doubtful that even the almighty Facebook can fix that. Yet, here I am,
already with five friends, which is more than I had in high school. By
the way, Nutshell Mail can aggregate my Facebook updates and messages, too,
so if you need another reason to try Nutshell Mail, I can say so far, so
good. I’m still doing every bit of my social media marketing from Windows
Mail. Easy, enjoyable, accessible.

LL

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My latest article is aimed at small business owners who question the
necessity of web site accessibility. Granted, it’s just another thing to
think about, along with design, branding, functionality and
“attractibility.” You want everyone to love your web site, right? You want
everyone to buy lots of your goods or services, right?

Well, does everyone really mean everyone?

Sometimes, attitudinal barriers can be more formidable than
architectural barriers. Making your web site accessible to people who have
low or no vision really isn’t that difficult and can be extremely rewarding.
Read “Why You Should Care About Web Site Accessibility” at Eloquent
Insights. Go to: www.eloquentinsights.com/articles

LL

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Today I actually found myself at a web site called hashtags.org. THERE’S
someplace I never thought I would ever be. If you don’t know what a hashtag
is, consider yourself tragically un-hip, but if you are guessing, no, it
isn’t a price sticker for a Hormel product.

A hashtag is a way of calling attention to your tweets to those who
“subscribe” to the tag. I can explain no further.

Okay, I’ll try. First, a hashtag looks like this: #.ff or #jobs, for
example. The hash mark is the number sign, which is shift-3 on the number
row.

This would be a bit tricky if you are on a screen reader, as my screen
reader will attempt a pronunciation whether or not it reads an actual word.
You could slam your fists down on the keyboard and Zoomtext will attempt to
read it aloud. this makes for some really funny moments, especially once
you begin to realize that playing around with certain characters can alter
the way a word or sentence is read. Add a tilda (~) to a sentence, and
hilarity ensues.

There are some good Twitter tutorials out there, go to your favorite search
engine and type in: Twitter in plain English. You’ll get some articles and
primers on the subject. Some Twitter conventions were not implemented by
the Twitterati themselves, rather, the Twitter-obsessed community, now
referred to collectively as ‘Tweeple.” It’s all rather ingenious, once you
find the Twitterosetta stone. For you text-to-speech users, that was
“Twitter Rosetta Stone.”

The endless Twitter puns are pretty fun, too.

LL

One Comment

In an effort to hop on to the social networking bandwagon (an utterly arcane
way to express the need to participate in an utterly of-the-moment form of
online communication), I have recently crept in to Twitter. Already, I have
a Linked In profile, my virtual assistant Andrea is building a Facebook page
for me, I have four web sites and this blog. To manage all of this
activity, keep it current and to attempt to
better communicate with my customers, I have really needed to find an
accessible solution to enable the greatest flexibility and independence.

Recently, I have discovered two accessible insights that may work for you.

The first is what I use to send updates to the Accessible Insights blog.
the blogging platform I’m using is Word Press, which is actually pretty
accessible all on it’s own. Again, it was my virtual assistant, Andrea of
Action Jackson virtual Assistants who set up the account and “pointed” it to
my site, but I found while exploring Word Press that there were many
features that I could use without sighted assistance, with only the use of
my screen reader software, Zoomtext. However, I spend a great deal of time
parked in front of my email inbox, and I wanted to find a way that I could
quickly and easily post blog entries from my totally accessible, familiar
and well-worn Windows Mail interface.

What I discovered was a neat little web-based “handshake” between my email
inbox and blog, called Blog Mailr. No, that is not a spelling error. If
you are using a screen reader to read this, you should know that “Mailer” is
spelled without the ‘e.” Their special little piece of unique, I guess.
everybody’s got to have a thing, right?

Go to www.blogmailr.com and read about how it works. The technical
aspect is beyond me, but the upshot is that you can send blog posts from
your email program. It’s a beautiful thing.

Accessible solution 2: Same idea different context. If you are one of the
millions of ‘Tweeple” out there who camp out on the Twitter site chirping
and tweeting away, take a look at Nutshell Mail. Go to
www.nutshellmail.com. You can get regularly scheduled (you choose)
email updates that allow you to keep track of your various social networking
activities, both incoming and outgoing. You can receive your tweets and
email messages from Twitter, My Space, Facebook and more. You can send
tweets, retweets, direct messages and perform other functions right from
your email inbox. Read the nutshell Mail site thoroughly, including the
blog. It’s entertaining and informative. To paraphrase one of the Nutshell
Mail blog entries: If you would prefer to live in the meatspace rather than
the geek-o-sphere, then you need Nutshell Mail. I agree. It’s another way
to make your life a little easier, more accessible and therefore, more
enjoyable and less stressful.

LL

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Having already admitted that I have my brilliant virtual assistant, Andrea,
to thank for my current state of cyber-exposure, I can also safely blame her
for convincing me that I need to further expose myself on the various social
networking platforms. Cringing, I have agreed, although reluctantly. The
latest “conquisition” (I just made that up) of this last is Twitter.

Some of the social networking sites seem to be more accessible than others,
and I felt sure that Twitter would be in the “not” category, but I was
mistaken. While Andrea actually set up the account for me, I have easily
been able to post a couple of tweets and poke around on the site without
much difficulty.

As with many things new, however, there is a whole vocabulary associated
with it’s use, a language that seems pervasive among Twitter devotees, most
of whom I’m assuming are under the age of 25. Perhaps I’m wrong there, I’ll
soon find out. Learning the language of Twitter has so far proved
mystifying.

What is even more mystifying, though, is the avalanche of “follower” notices
that poured into my email inbox immediately upon my Twitter debut. Who are
these people? I have no idea who they are. How do they know me? Do they
simply lurk about some new member porthole (although in this case, perhaps
it’s more appropriate to call it a “nest”), and when a new member pops out
(hatches?), they attach like digital Velcro? Is there some sort of prize
for following
the most people? ,

It’s like being a voluntary stalking victim. Why am I doing this again?

Well, if you follow me on twitter, and use one of those cryptic screen
names, drop me a note and tell me who you are, unless of course, the point
is that I’m not supposed to know.

I’m considering the possibility of starting a new social networking site
just for the inept called Stumble Around.
LL

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Greetings, friends. My name is Laura Legendary, and I am the unlikely
entrepreneur who is the author of the Accessible Insights blog, as well as
the owner of what I affectionately refer to as The Insights Empire.

Since that’s ALL I own, I have to aggrandize it, you understand.

Composing the inaugural post took some careful thought. It also took the
collective genius of the Action Jackson Virtual Assistance team. Headed by
Andrea Jackson, this amazing group of women is the support trifecta behind
the redesign and grand reopening of the four web destinations that comprise
Legendary Insights.

Since I owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude, paying tribute to their
efforts is my first order of business. If you are looking for virtual
assistance at your fingertips, go to:

www.actionjacksonva.com

Now, for the vision behind Accessible Insights:

You can look forward to illuminating content that focuses on accessibility,
awareness and assistive technology. My audience is not the tech-savvy,
sophisticated consumer who is blind and who has mastered the realm of all
things audio and digital. Rather, the reader who will get the most from
this blog is someone who is just beginning to explore their new world with
low or no vision. Accessible Insights offers products and publications,
links and tips, news and reviews of assistive technology gadgets and gizmos.
I’ll tell you all about my discoveries at conferences and tech events, and
I’ll keep you up to date on new ways to make your life a little easier using
the most ingenious devices for your home or workplace.

If there is anything in particular you would like to see on the web site or
blog, please feel free to send me an email. If you would like to write an
article for the blog about your own experiences using a particular low
vision aid or service, let me know your interest and I’ll do my best to post
your insights.

Thank you for stopping by, and I look forward to hearing from you.

With Gratitude,

Laura Legendary

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Coming soon!

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