Comparison and Contrast Essay
Mary Williams
Mr. lee ENGL 110-53
19 April 2013

For years, the only accessibility feature cell phones provided for people who are blind or have low vision was a tiny bump on the number five key. Thus, the number five key was used as a starting point for the user to navigate the keypad to make phone calls. This was a helpful aid to start with but there still was the issue of the user being able to know what was on the screen. Reading text messages or screening incoming calls. For a blind user this is impossible without someone with sight to help them. Cell phones were not able to speak or read what was on the screen to the user. Eye strain headaches were the results of a user with low vision trying to read what was on the small screen. The text on a phone screen could not be enlarged to better help them. As the technology of cell phones advanced, the Internet, video games, cameras, and video recorders, along with other features, were added to cell phones for users to enjoy. However, for the blind user the problem still remained on how to find, access, and use the features on a cell phone. With the further advancement of technology, software designers began to address this issue by creating software for cell phones to assist the blind users. They made it possible for the phone to speak to the blind user and enlarge the text on the screen for users with low vision. Recently, the Apple IPhone and the Android Galaxy S have enhanced their accessibility features for blind users, moving the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) to name them the top two phones for users who are blind or have low vision.

The Apple IPhone and Android are both touch screen phones, eliminating the use of the navigation bump. Instead, the user is navigated by a screen reader, which reads aloud everything that is currently showing on the screen. The user can select a specific item or text by tapping it on the screen. The screen reader will tell the user the name of the item they have selected. This way the user will know that they have chosen the correct item. Once this has been confirmed, a quick double tap anywhere on the screen will give the user access to the selected item. If the user is using the keypad to make a call they can select a number, listen for confirmation, double tap to enter the number, and continue the steps until the full number is entered. Then by selecting and double tapping the call button the user can place the call. The user can also locate a number or name in their contacts and make a call by double tapping on it. The screen reader will also read text messages, emails, and tell the name or number of any incoming calls.

Voice command is also a helpful feature that both phones have. This feature allows the user to simply press a button and speak the number or name of the person they wish to call. The number will be automatically dialed by the cell phone. The user can compose a text message by speaking the words into the phone and selecting send. Voice command also allows the user to find any item on the phone by speaking its name. With voice command you can perform any task that is normally done by touch. Both phones however, are limited to certain tasks they can perform by voice only. But, the IPhone does have the Siri voice command, which acts as a personal assistant and will perform some tasks that voice command will not. Siri can provide information to answer most basic questions and will alert you to any problems with the phone. The iPhone also has various push to talk apps such as Zello, Heytell and Voyer that can be added to the phone to expand the use of voice command. In addition, both phones have a zoom text feature. This feature is more for a user with low vision. It allows the user to enlarge the font size of the text on the screen. This allows the user to better see what is on the screen without having to strain or have someone assist them. The font can also be made bolder and the background color can be inverted to have the font standout better for the user to see.

Both phones also have apps that can add accessibility features to the phone. One such app is called Lookie. This app is used as a money identifier to help the user know the denomination of paper money. By placing the camera lens of the phone over the money, the phone will tell the user the denomination of said money within seconds. The barcode scanner is another app that can be used in the same way, for identifying the name of items and their prices when shopping in stores. There is also a GPS app to help the user navigate through their surroundings. When accessing the GPS, it will give the user their exact location. The user can indicate the name of the destination they are trying to reach and the phone will guide them in that direction. The phone will announce street names as the user nears them and indicate whether they should make a right or left turn, or keep straight. The IPhone’s GPS has proved to be more accurate than that of the Android. There are apps available to identify colors for the user and apps that will turn the phones into portable magnifiers. These are examples of personal assistance devices that blind people use in their daily lives at home, work, and school. These devices can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. However, the apps that can allow the two cell phones to perform the tasks of these devices range from ten to forty dollars. Organizations such as the NFB and AFB offer financial aid to help blind users purchase these apps. Carriers like AT&T, offer discounts to customers who can document that they are blind or legally blind.

The Apple IPhone and Android Galaxy S are not only making it possible for blind and low vision users to feel comfortable using cell phones, but they are also providing the users aid in their daily lives. With their features and apps they are taking the tasks of several assistant technology devices and adding them to one mobile device that is at user’s fingertips. As more blind and low vision people begin to use cell phones, the designers at Apple and Android have made sure to provide a compatible product for them to feel at ease with.

References: http://www.nfb.org http://www.afb.org
http://applevision.com