Omnifer adds Braille, makes iPad useful for the blind

I am visually impaired and work with totally blind users. I use VoiceOver myself, on occasion, so I know the interface very well. I cannot imagine a useful purpose for this case. This would set a blind user back several years from what they already have. I suggest these vendors redirect their attention toward Android, WebOS, and others who are lightyears behind in accessibility. In iOS land, I consider this device an insult.

On another note, the title of this post is also an insult and should be immediately changed, as the iPad is fully accessible to blind people out of the box.

I wonder if the 'inventor' of this device is aware of the fact that iOS devices are already the most accessible mobile devices on the market right now.

Actually, I'm pretty confident that the iPad is much more 'useful' to the blind as it is right now (thanks to the excellent built-in screenreader, touch gestures, high-quality TTS, Bluetooth connectivity for virtually all third party braille displays) than with this Omnifer case applied. I know many blind users who are very happy with their iPhones and iPads right now.

I don't think the wording for this device is that it makes it "useful" for the blind as VoiceOver has been incredibly useful for blind users since it first made it to iOS devices. It's more it makes it even more useful for blind users, kind of like using a SD card reader.

iOS is actually extremely accessible to visually impaired folks. See for example: http://behindthecurtain.us/2010/06/12/my-first-week-with-the-iphone/

"Last Wednesday, my life changed forever. I got an iPhone. I consider it the greatest thing to happen to the blind for a very long time, possibly ever. It offers unparalleled access to properly made applications, and changed my life in twenty-four hours."