Apple's iPod and other portable media players have revolutionized the way people access music, videos, books, and other entertainment. What used to require a room-sized entertainment center can now be accessed on a gadget smaller than your thumb.
However, people with vision loss were left out of this revolution because of the inaccessibility of these new devices. They had no speech output to allow a blind person to use their menu systems, and their visual displays were not designed to accommodate a person with low vision. The software used to load music and videos onto these devices was also often inaccessible. This all began to change from 2007 through 2008 when new devices came onto both the assistive technology and mainstream markets that featured talking menus as well as accompanying software that is also accessible. AFB TECH has written a series of articles reviewing these products so that people with vision loss can find the one that will best meet their needs.
Published Results
Now Speaking: Apple Adds Speech Output to the iPod Nano, AccessWorld®, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2009.
Now Playing: A Review of the Accessibility of Digital Audio Players, Part 2: Assistive Technology Players, AccessWorld®, Vol. 9, No. 5, September 2008.
Now Playing: A Review of the Accessibility of Digital Audio Players, Part 1, AccessWorld®, Vol. 9, No. 4, July 2008.
From Vinyl to Digital: My First Experience with Electronic Audio Players, AccessWorld®, Vol. 9, No. 3, May 2008.
