To start the week, people with visual impairment discover on Monday and Tuesday how to use a smartphone, but also the ten most useful applications of the moment. The iPhone, for example, has an integrated “voice-over” option, while the Belgian OKO application makes it possible to read traffic lights or the destinations written on buses using the phone’s camera.
“A Broken Fire”
“A person complained because the buzzer of a traffic light was faulty. Six months later, it still had not been repaired. People with visual impairments are so dependent on heavy structures whereas this kind of application directly solves the problem”, explains Flore Nollet, occupational therapist at the Braille League.
Digitization also has an impact on the autonomy of visually impaired people, “whether it’s reading a letter, setting a timer or carrying out banking transactions”, recalls Jean-Marie Nachtergaele of the support service of the Braille League.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Braille League will therefore allow interested people to test and compare assistance tools in its Brussels premises. More than 1,000 visitors have already registered to handle adapted mobile phones, optical magnifiers, aloud reading systems, magnification software and other voice reproduction systems.
