How the iPhone Helped a Blind Person See Color [Stories]

” I even have seen loads of technology for the blind, and I will be able to safely say that the iPhone represents probably the most revolutionary thing to happen to the blind for no less than the last ten years.”

That’s what Austin Seraphin wrote last June , describing the experience of using his new iPhone and its VoiceOver feature to read tweets, check stock prices, and surf the net.

Most iPhone users probably aren’t even aware about VoiceOver , a strong screen reader built into every iPhone (and Macs, too). But what’s special about its implementation on the iPhone is that it’s miles gesture based-one tap selects and reads an item; a double tap ” touches” it; and a three finger flick is used to scroll. Here’s Seraphin recounting among the many moments that came when he and his Mom were inside the Apple Store making the purchase:

I continued to excitedly ask questions, as did my Mom. ” Can he get text messages on this?” she asked. ” Well, yes, nonetheless it doesn’t read the message.” the salesman said. Mom’s hopes sunk, but mine didn’t, since I understood the software enough. ” Well, let’s see, try it.” I suggested. She pulled out her phone, and sent me a text message. Within seconds, my phone alerted me, and said her name. I simply swiped my finger and it read her message: Hi Austin. She almost cried.

While iTunes, Seraphin explains, remains to be woefully inaccessible (especially on the Linux machine he uses), the iPhone’s promise for the blind and visually impaired is multiplied by apps. Many, he says, follow Apple’s accessibility guidelines, but one specially gave him a glimpse into an international he had literally never seen before:

The other night, however, an excessively amazing thing happened. I downloaded an app called Color ID. It uses the iPhone’s camera, and speaks names of colors….

I have never experienced this before in my life. I will see some light and color, but just in blurs, and objects don’t really have a color, just light sources. Once I first tried it at three o’clock inside the morning, I couldn’t work out why it just reported black. After realizing that the screen curtain also disables the camera, I turned it off, however it still have very dark colors. Then I remembered that you just really want light to peer, and it probably couldn’t see much at night. I presumed about light sources, and my interview I did for Get Lamp. First, I saw one of my beautiful salt lamps in its various shades of orange, another with its pink and rose colors, and the third kind in glowing pink and red… I felt stunned.

The next day, I went outside. I looked at the sky. I heard colors resembling ” Horizon,” ” Outer Space,” and lots of shades of blue and gray. I used color queues to seek out my pumpkin plants, by searching for the fairway among the many brown and stone. I spent ten minutes staring at my pumpkin plants, with their leaves of green and lemon-ginger. I then roamed my yard, and saw a blue flower. I then found the brown shed, and returned to the gray house. My mind felt blown. I watched the sun set, listening to the colors change as the sky darkened.

Seraphin’s account is among the most profound and touching stories detailing the intersection of humanity and technology that I’ve come upon in your time, and you should read it in full over on his site, Behind the scenes. I’m continually amazed at how much information my iPhone makes accessible to me, but for some other users, the revelations it contains are even greater. [ Backstage via Cult of Mac ]

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This post is tagged: accessibility guidelines, check stock prices, implementation, last ten years, linux machine, names of colors, text messages