Phones and Accessibility

When the iPhone was first announced in 2007, the one aspect I thought could be a bad idea for at least one group of people was the lack of any keypad. The all glass interface seemed most unfriendly in terms of not being able to feel the keys – at the time, an essential method for people with poor or no sight.

But there have been other developments in that time too. Below is an amazing video of a blind person using his iPhone to take pictures and post them to Facebook. Keypad interaction not required. But what’s most beautiful is the comment ‘I never had a camera before’. It’s a great example of how technology can be a great leveller and bring equality in so many different ways.

Video source: Kottke org – How blind people use Instagram