Looking for apps for my blind sister.

By jimee.b, 16 February, 2014

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Hello all. My name is jimmy. I myself am not visually impaired however I have two blind sister,one of which just purchased an i phone 4 s. Siri works well for opening itunes and allowing her to select stations,and allowing her to text message which she is loving.. I am going to work with her on how to use the voice over function which I think once she learns her way around the phone will work well for her,however I would like to find an app or apps that wil allow her to give voice commands for things such as answering calls announcing caller I D, making facebook posts etc....I have searched google for these apps but the choices seem to be vast and I want the best ones the first try instead of the whole trial and error thing,so I come searching for the advise from the experienced. Any and all info is greatly appreciated. If this works for Kim we are going to get my other sister an I phone. thanks again.

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Comments

By MarkSarch on Sunday, February 16, 2014 - 08:13

Hi Jimmy Well voiceOver by it self learning Gestures will allow do most of commands to use the iPhone. There are voiceOver commands using One, two, three, and four finger Also there using single, double, triple and using each finger. There is an area where you can practice those gestures Go to Settings// general// accessibility// voiceOver// voiceOver practiced First voiceOver need to be on You can enable voiceOver follow the instructions above or If the iPhone is running iOS 7 Launch Siri and say Turn voiceOver on Also using Two finger double tab will answer calls, play or pause media and more Right here some list Include list of apps and description http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios-apps-for-blind-and-vision-impaired

By Ahmed Hamdy on Sunday, February 16, 2014 - 10:02

actually what You want is already available with Siri and Voiceover; by double tap with 2 fingers, She can answer any call, She can place a call as well by asking Siri concerning Facebook, She can post a status by telling Siri to post to Facebook and tell her the status She want there are a lot of other apps which will help Her alot, but being aware of Voiceover features and Siri as well is very important before looking for other apps revies this great site where You will find alot of info and podcasts to help You learn that and I'm pleased to ask me for any assistant :) best regards Ahmed

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, February 16, 2014 - 22:51

I myself have no experience with and know nothing in regards to social media web sites, apps and both of their inner workings, but I do know SIRI makes it painstakingly trivial for most of your aforementioned tasks to be successfully performed without third-party intervention. GPS navigation is a whole 'nother bag but that will come later and so will the optional third-party assistance for anything you neglected to mention. Learning the gestures specific to VoiceOver is paramount; this should be the first thing any VoiceOver user learns. It is analogous to a future independent traveller perfecting proper cane technique inside for hours of instruction at a time for days till it has been mastered to be used effectively outside in the real world, anywhere.

By Michael Hansen on Sunday, February 16, 2014 - 22:50

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
Hello Jimmy, Welcome to AppleVis! As the users above have already said, Siri works well for many of the tasks you mentioned. You can find a full list of iOS 7 Siri commands at http://www.applevis.com/guides/ios/ios-7-siri-command-list. Learning to use VoiceOver on an iOS device is quite easy, and the touchscreen is definitely not as intimidating as it first appears. AppleVis has a section of the website dedicated specifically for new iOS device users, and this section includes how-to guides and podcasts specifically on learning to use VoiceOver. You can find the Getting Started with your First iOS Device section at http://www.applevis.com//new-to-ios. Once your sister has the basics of using VoiceOver mastered (I myself did not wait to master VoiceOver before I started downloading apps), she may wish to visit our list of good starter apps. These apps cover a wide range of categories from social networking to productivity, and the list can be found at http://www.applevis.com/blog/ios-apps/32-apps-help-you-get-started-new-ios-device. We also have a listing of apps developed specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired, which can be found at http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios-apps-for-blind-and-vision-impaired. While a lot of mainstream apps are accessible using VoiceOver, the apps in this list provide different functionalities specific to the needs of people who are blind or who have low vision. We also have an iOS App Hall of Fame, where we showcase the hard work developers have put into making great and accessible apps. While it is only a small sampling, the Hall of Fame is another good place to begin your search for accessible apps. You can find the iOS App Hall of Fame at http://www.applevis.com/apps/hall-of-fame. The above resources should help your sister get well on her way. If she wishes to do more app exploration, the iOS App Directory (http://www.applevis.com/ios-app-directory/browse) provides a complete listing of all of the iOS apps submitted to AppleVis--from those exemplifying VoiceOver accessibility to those which are totally unusable. As always, if you or your sister have any questions, do please feel free to post them to the site. Regards, Michael Hansen AppleVis Editorial Team

By djflex90 on Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 22:48

I am very experienced with I devices, and have been teaching voiceover for four years. I can help if you like.