Does the iPhone shaft the blind?

This post just makes those of us in the blind population who are attempting to live normal lives look bad. If Apple doesn’t make this phone accessible I’ll just buy another one.

You should be ashamed of yourself for exploiting the blind population.

As a woman who happens to be blind I find your comments very bias and misguided. You made your opinion because of a small chunk of time with your glasses off. So your not even blind so don’t start writing about what we knead when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.

Shut up, you’re wasting web space.

Oh, and didn’t Apple just release a desk top computer that has a screen reader included? And didn’t Apple work with a few companies who are now offering speech output programs free of charge for I pods?

One thing to know about writing, get your facts strait before you post how big bad Apple is neglecting the blind.

I don’t feel shafted, I have a life.

I have had this IPhone product described to me by my roommate, who saw it on a TV commercial. C'mon, why can't you do us a favor and make the thing at least somewhat accessible and then build upon that? Other than a couple of Apple computers outfitted with speech which I used many moons ago, I have heard and sometimes witnessed Apple's noncommittal attitude toward accessibility. Voiceover, in my humble opinion and based on an audio demonstration which I heard not too long ago, does not pass muster.

Well ... hmm. I think we're looking at this in the wrong way, its quite feasible that the device could be accessible, its software based, a series of finger combinations could be used for input, voice rec, speech out put, all of which will become the norm for future devices, well maybe not the finger thing.

Maybe the question should be, should computers be used by the hard of thinking, what a swell vision some of you have, blind in your own way. Developments in this field lead to innovations which you yourselves benefit from, and it’s not specific to this situation.

Ok, people who say, "I'm glad they didn't think about the blind user, and compromise the phone" great cool, but don't you think that they had to adapt for your own short comings? Possibly making it idiot proof. Thousands of people work every day to cover up for mass stupidity; unfortunately they seem to be the majority. If only the smart would withdraw their expertise from the stupid’s hands, then you see what evolutions of concepts are all about.

Don't understand what I'm talking about? Well I'm sure the IPhone will be ideal for you.

As for fat guy who posted a message, well I do brissle slightly at the comparison between obeasity and blindness, a deasese? Stop eating, blindness, you don’t say, stop not seeing! Can the IPhone cope with chubby fingers?

PS, I'm blind.

Thanks for post #20. The level of knee-jerk vitriol here is pretty alarming. The point most writers seem to have missed is not that EVERYTHING must be made accessible to EVERYBODY or Life Won't Be Fair. It is that when a company with lots of resources consistently chooses to exclude a group of people that it could easily accommodate, that is an ugly form of discrimination.

Driving cars, enjoying visual art, etc. are indeed visual activities by their nature. Accessing a phone and music are not--Apple just chooses to exclude blind people from its designs because their needs aren't cool enough.

Personally, I don't consider it a big deal because I don't give a flip about the iPhone or any such devices. But I do get upset when people let their innate hostility out on others who have simply asked, Why are we systematically locked out of this club?

Cell phones, unlike MP3, make use of a precious public resource, the limited EM spectrum. Manufacturers are [i]required[/i] to “provide at least one mode that does not require user vision” when “readily achievable”.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/section255.html

I'm legally blind -- not completely blind, but partly so -- and I've been worried about this with the iPod, which I don't own. The fact is, this phone will probably be the prototype for most phones from this point forward, and that does worry me. Using a phone is one of the few daily activities where I don't have a disadvantage, and I'd hate to get to the point where I'd have to explain (or expose) my blindness every time I want to make a phone call.

It does seem as though Apple should have the technology available to make large-type and speech interfaces, and I hope they do; they've had a somewhat decent (but far from perfect) record on disabilities access in the past. I hope, though, that the "screw the blind people" attitude in these comments doesn't reflect a larger societal mentality. Aside from the fact that I'd hate to be the punchline of a joke, I'd remind everyone that vision loss is pretty common in old age. I happened to get hit with it as a kid, but most people have trouble seeing when they get old. It kind of, sort of, affects everyone.

So, in short, thanks for asking this question. It really may have an impact on a lot of lives. And, sure, it's not on the level of starving children in Africa, or global waming, or genocide in the Sudan, but if we take a passive attitude toward the little things, the big things tend to follow, right?

Has anyone bothered to ask several blind people what they think, or are we a bunch of know-it-alls that are speaking FOR blind people on this issue.
BTW, I don't know any blind people to ask this question to...

I totally aggree with Toolman!
Some of you guys seem to pretend that it would hurt you if that iPhone was made usable also for people without vision.

Maybe someone invents some braille device which links to the dock-connector.

The blind would use this phone as many others do as a hands free voice activated device cia a bluetooth headset- however, they wouldn't be needing all those features (web access and camera) unless they just wanted to listen to an iPod that doubles as a phone.

Simply, not the same market.

Richie said: "Before you say, "You can lose weight, but the blind can't do anything about their situation!", keep in mind obesity has been labeled a "disease", as well... :)"

A disease, yes. But a preventable one. A treatable one. A curable one.

Most conditions leading to legal blindness in our society have no preventive, palliative or curing treatments.

Moving on... Lots of comments here correctly refer to the fact that accessibility features in these sort of devices are totally up to the manufacturer, and cannot be enforced. But those comments are a bit too harsh, because they basically say "who cares?".

And those comments referring to cars... seem quite idiotic and shallow to me. Blind and partially sighted people don't drive not because they can´t, but because they are not allowed to do so. One cannot get a driver's license if he or she is blind or partially sighted. That's the reason why car manufacturers don't need to make their cars 'blind friendly'.

On the other hand, anyone is allowed to use a mobile phone, and blind and partially sighted people have to cope with what they find most comfortable to use. There are third party screen readers for Symbian phones, which make life much easier for those who need voice feedback, or for those who want to use more advanced features of their phones.

I think the iPhone holds tremendous possibilities for the blind. It all depends on a simple decision that Apple can make... opening it up for third parties.

Can you imagine? Voice recognition; screen readers; totally different interfaces tailored to different people's needs (blind, partially sighted, hearing impaired, hand impaired, the elderly, etc); built-in camera as a reading aid for partially sighted people or the elderly; compatibility with DAISY audiobooks; etc. (It's late and my mind is starting to slow down, but one could easily continue writing more and more items in this list; the possibilities are endless, and not just for the handicapped of course).

The key point I want to make is that the 'who cares' attitude is not only frowned upon these days, it is **wrong**. Ethically wrong. And by 'enforcing' it, you are also closing the door to new and even more exciting features and possibilities. It's like a child receiving a football ball as a present, and preferring to play alone because he doesn't want others to play with it. Sad, really sad.