If there is one piece of technology that is ubiquitous in the blind community today, it would have to be the iPhone. Ever since the release of the iPhone 3GS, people with little or no vision have been moving their fingers across a smooth piece of glass and doing things they never thought possible. Whether it's setting calendar appointments, looking at restaurant menus, or reading movie reviews, the iPhone has been a big part of it all.
If there is one thing that matches in intensity the excitement that many felt at being able to do so much with one piece of hardware, it's how frustrating it was to learn how to use this piece of technology that made use of hardly any buttons at all. Fortunately, for many years now there has been a voice of sanity amid the chaos of learning to use a touchscreen device. This voice of calm and reason is that of Anna Dresner, author of several "getting started" books that have helped hundreds, if not thousands, of people with visual impairments learn to use their iPhones with relative ease.
Over the past few years, Apple has begun releasing more and more iPhone models, making it more challenging than ever to decide whether to jump headlong into the world of the Apple ecosystem, and which phone they should purchase. Fortunately, Dresner's "getting started" books have kept pace with the newest iPhone offerings and the latest releases of Apple's iOS mobile operating system. In her latest release, Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 10 from National Braille Press, Dresner addresses the most recently released iPhones. Whether you want a small iPhone, a really large one, a phone with a fingerprint sensor, or you want to make sure your phone has a headphone jack—some do not—Dresner opens her latest book with a brief but thorough description of all the choices available.
Beginning to Use Your iPhone
Once you have decided which iPhone to purchase, Dresner takes you through the process of setting it up. Some people may choose to immediately connect their iPhone to a computer, while others set up their phones in iCloud first. Regardless of which method you choose, you will soon need to enable Apple's VoiceOver screen reader so that you can take advantage of all the accessibility options offered as a part of iOS, the iPhone operating system.
Whether you use a Mac or a Windows PC, Dresner takes care to give step-by-step instructions for syncing your iPhone with iTunes, the program on your computer that you will need in order to transfer data back and forth between your iPhone and computer.
Once everything is up and running, the real fun begins. Dresner starts with a word of encouragement for those who may become frustrated quickly when trying to master the art of moving around and typing on a touchscreen. Next, an exploration of the iPhone's home screen takes into account the fact that layout depends on the size of your phone. After you have become familiar with the many gestures available to you when moving around on the iPhone's various screens, you will learn how to make and answer calls. Finally, setting up voice mail and managing contacts round out this part of the book.
Getting Work Done with Your iPhone
Like many electronic devices, there are several ways to accomplish any task on the iPhone. Dresner discusses various ways of holding your phone, and locking or unlocking the phone's orientation during its use. While many people with visual impairments have become fairly proficient using the iPhone's onscreen keyboard, many others prefer to use a Bluetooth keyboard. Still other proficient braille users have come to love Apple's implementation of braille screen input. Dresner takes the reader through all of the various options for typing and editing text with the iPhone. If you are someone who uses a braille display with your iPhone, this book has you covered as well. Along with detailed descriptions, Dresner provides lists of commands and gestures grouped together for easy reference.
More Advanced Use of the iPhone
Maybe you don't like the way VoiceOver pronounces certain words, or perhaps you would like to rearrange the home screen of your phone so that your favorite apps are grouped into folders for easy access. Dresner takes you step-by-step through the process of doing all of these things.
If there is one piece of technology that has changed the way everyone, visually impaired and sighted alike, use their iPhones, it's Siri. The ability to talk to your phone and have it respond appropriately, sending texts, setting up appointments, and getting directions to the newest restaurant in town, has greatly enhanced proficient use of the iPhone by visually impaired people. Dresner takes the reader on a brief tour of Siri's capabilities, and provides resources for further exploration.
The Back of the Book
Every good reference book has appendices, and Dresner's is no exception.
Appendix A provides a list of all the VoiceOver gestures anyone is likely to need, all arranged in an orderly fashion.
Appendix B provides a list of frequently asked questions related to troubleshooting a phone that is not working properly.
Appendix C lists all the apps mentioned in the book that are of potential interest to iPhone users with visual impairments.
Appendix D provides resources for further study on topics including Siri and iCloud, and lists online forums, podcasts, and written guides for using the iPhone and various apps.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are just learning to use your iPhone for the first time, or you have had an iPhone for some time but want to further your knowledge on the subject, Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 10 has something for you. There is too much for any one person to learn about Apple's iOS operating system, various iPhone choices, and apps that are accessible to people with visual impairments without the help of resources like this book. Dresner has spent years writing about Apple products from iTunes, to Apple Watch, to all things iPhone. Her style is pithy but engaging. All material is presented logically, and is easy to locate.
The only issue I had with the book was that the text-to-speech voice used to record the DAISY audio file I purchased was very choppy sounding. Even when I tried to read the text of the book using another TTS engine, I experienced the same choppiness. I don't know if other electronic formats of the book would exhibit the same behavior.
Braille readers might find either the electronic or hard-copy versions of this book in braille to be a great resource, since they would be easy to read at your leisure and to quickly skim parts of the book that were of less interest.
I found this book to be a great resource, even as an experienced iPhone user. The appendix of gestures alone is quite nice to have around.
Product Information
Book: Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 10 by Anna Dresner
From: National Braille Press
Formats and prices: ASCII text (download), hard copy braille, DAISY download, downloadable eBraille, electronic publication (EPUB), downloadable Word file: $24.00; USB drive with DAISY, eBraille, or Word: $26.50
More from this author:
- 2016: The Year of Braille by Jamie Pauls
- Easier-to-Use Cell Phone Options for People with Vision Loss by Jamie Pauls
- Diabetes Management Devices and Technology for People with Vision Impairment by Jamie Pauls
