Seeing AI, developed by Microsoft, is a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to assist the visually impaired in navigating the world around them. The app uses a smartphone’s camera to recognize and describe people, objects, text, and scenes in real-time.
In this video we will see how Paula a lady with Macular Degeneration can use Seeing AI’s document feature to scan, read and ask questions about a resturant menu.
If you find sometimes you struggle to see text as your typing it, maybe in a form or search box then both Hover Type and Typing Feedback may be able to help.
Hover Type is a new feature in iOS 18 which provides a window containing large text as you type. This means you can focus on this textbox rather than hunting around the screen for the text you are typing.
Typing feedback has existed for some time, and will speak either the characters, or words as you type. Helping to prevent you from typing a long passage of text only to realise you made a typing error.
Hover type enlarges the text as you type, and also allow you to customize its appearance. To activate hover type
Now when you type, an enlarged version of the text will appear in a window.
Typing feedback will speak each character and/or word as you type. To turn on typing feedback
The government have announced that a General Election will take place on 4 July 2024. Since May 2023, you will need to produce a photo ID to vote in person. The following type of Photo ID will be acceptable.
You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate from Bradford Council if you don’t have any of these ID items. An alternative is to apply for a postal vote which is now open to anyone over 18 and on the electoral register. For more information, contact Bradford Council Electoral Services at 01274 432287.
You can also get the following help when you are at the polling station, this includes:-
If you would like to request additional support please email electoralservices@bradford.gov.uk or call 01274 43228 or visit https://www.bradford.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/how-to-vote-in-person/
With summer approaching, you may be looking forward to a day out. This article will explore the travel concessions available to blind and partially sighted people living in North and West Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Eligibility: Available to West Yorkshire residents who are (or are eligible to be) registered Blind or severely Sight-Impaired. Entitles you to travel free anytime in West Yorkshire and free off-peak travel anywhere in England.
Eligibility – West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Lancashire residents who are (or are eligible to be) registered blind or partially sighted.
West Yorkshire—Free off-peak travel within West Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire—Free travel within North Yorkshire and York any time of the day except between 6 am and 9 am. Some journeys are exempt from this restriction; you should check with NYCC before travelling.
Lancashire – Free off-peak travel within Lancashire – A flat fare of £1 per journey on local bus travel within Lancashire before 9.30 am.
Note: All local authority passes allow free off-peak travel on a bus anywhere in England. Off-peak is defined as 9.30 am to 11 pm on a weekday, all day Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays. Certain journeys or services are subject to different rules; you should check with your local authority before travelling.
Eligibility: Available to West Yorkshire residents who are (or are eligible to be) registered Blind or severely Sight-Impaired.
The Blind Persons Travel Pass entitles you to free train travel at any time of the day within West Yorkshire.
Eligibility: Available to West Yorkshire residents who are (or are eligible to be) registered sight-impaired or Partially-Sighted.
Half-fare, off-peak train travel within West Yorkshire. Off-peak train travel is Monday to Friday after 0930 until 1600, then from 1830, and all day on weekends and public holidays. If you are travelling by train during the weekday evening peak – 1601 to 1829 – you will need to buy an Anytime Day Single or Anytime Day Return ticket.
Note: The Blind/Disabled Persons travel pass covers journeys within West Yorkshire. For cross-boundary travel, you must pay the fare for the non-West Yorkshire section at the start of your journey—usually the full Adult fare. You should check with WYMetro before travelling.
Eligibility: National – Be registered Blind or Partially Sighted
Visually impaired people receive discounts on National Rail Travel in England, Wales, and Scotland, including 34% off first class/standard anytime singles or returns and 50% off first class/standard anytime day returns. A Disabled Railcard costs £20 for one year or £54 for three years. Options include a physical plastic card or a digital card on your phone.
Companion passes allow a companion to travel with you for free or at a discounted rate.
Mode of Travel: Bus and Train
Eligibility:
A companion is entitled to the same concessions as the Blind/Disabled Travel Pass holder, but only when they travel together. The companion does not receive their own card and cannot use the disabled person’s card to travel without them being present. The companion does not need to be the same person for each journey; however, they must get on and off the bus or train at the same time as the pass holder.
Mode of Travel: Bus
Eligibility:
Certain local authorities have reciprocal agreements that allow cross-boundary bus travel but not travel within that local authority. North and West Yorkshire have reciprocal agreements with North Yorkshire and York, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull, and North and North East Lincolnshire (North Yorkshire).
Your companion can travel for free on a return journey from Keighley to Skipton but not from Skipton to Grassington. If travelling to a non-participating authority, such as from Leeds to Manchester return, your companion is entitled to free travel for the Leeds to Manchester part of the journey but not the Manchester to Leeds part.
Mode of Travel: Train
Eligibility:
The standard Disabled Persons Rail Card automatically entitles a companion to the same discounts as the holder. However, registered sight-impaired (partially sighted) or severely sight-impaired (blind) people can also buy one adult Season ticket that enables a companion to travel with you on National Rail services only at no extra cost (so two people travel for the price of one). It doesn’t have to be the same person travelling with you on every journey.
Phone: Bradford Council Travel Concessions Department – 01274 438723
Email: transport.concessions@bradford.gov.uk
Online: https://www.wymetro.com/tickets-and-passes/blind-disabled/
Phone: 0300 131 2131
Phone: Now Card – 0300 123 6737
Online: https://www.nowcard.org/apply/disabled-persons-application/
“This is an eye clinic; I’m Blind; tell me you’re not pointing!”.
Simon Mahoney, Winging It Blind
Have you ever missed a hospital appointment because you couldn’t read the letter, or maybe you’ve had to ask a friend or relative to read a letter from your consultant, even though you’d rather keep that information private? Or did you miss your appointment slot because you couldn’t see your name flash up on the screen in the waiting room?
In 2016, the NHS Accessible Information Standard was introduced to address these issues. Unfortunately, according to research by the RNIB 2021, “81 per cent of patients reported having an appointment where their communication needs were unmet”, and “77 per cent of people with accessible information needs reported rarely or never receiving information in alternative formats.” The NHS Information standard requires that NHS Hospitals, GPs, and Adult Social Care providers must do the following: –
Tell the person providing your care what your communication needs are and ask that they record this information in compliance with the NHS Accessible Information Standard.
As of the 1 August 2020, the BBC scrapped free TV licences for the over 75s unless they receive pension credit. However, you may be able to apply for the Blind Persons TV Licence Concession.
You can get a Free TV licence if:-
You can get a 50% reduction in the cost of a TV Licence if
You don’t need a TV licence if:-
You are eligible for a 50% reduction in the cost of your TV Licence If you or someone you live with is registered Blind or Severely Sight Impaired. For a Colour TV, that’s £79.50, and for a Black and White TV, it is £26.75 (as of 18 December 2023).
To apply for the Blind Persons TV Licence concession you can contact TV Licensing on 0300 790 6083 or visit their website at https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5
When you first apply for the Blind person concession, you will need to provide proof that you are Blind or Severely Sight Impaired, this can be either a copy of:-
Sight airedale is unable to provide you with proof of your visual impairment. Your GP (they may charge for this) or Hospital should be able to provide you with evidence of your visual status.
If the Blind person is not the licence payer, you will need to transfer the TV licence into their name, assuming they are over 18 for more information on how to do this visit the TV Licensing website or call them on 0300 790 6083. You will need to have your current TV licence number available.
If you are currently paying for a full TV licence, you can apply for a refund from the date that you became registered Blind or April 2000, which is when the scheme started. You will need to be able to show that you were registered blind at the time you purchased the licence.
The Doro 7030 is a simple-to-use mobile phone. While it’s initially aimed at older people, it can be used by anyone who does not want the complexity of a smartphone or prefers real buttons to a touch screen.
In this video, we will show you how to set up and use the Doro 7030. How to change the display to make it easier for people with low vision to see and demonstrate the emergency function.
00:00 – Start
01:14 – Installing the Battery and Sim Card
02:05 – Removing the Back Cover
02:28 – Installing the SIM Card
03:51 – Installing the Battery
04:13 – Replace the Back Cover
04:39 – Turning on
05:13 – Charging the phone
05:54 – Orientation
11:11 – Turning the Phone on for the First Time
13:05 – Customising the Display
13:17 – Increasing the Font Size
14:39 – Increase Display Contrast
15:47 – High Contrasting Wallpaper
18:09 – Setting Menu to a List View
19:35 – Customising Sounds
20:25 – Increase Ringtone Volume
21:31 – Setting up the phone Hearing Loss
22:31 – Changing the Ringtone
24:14 – Adding Contacts
25:14 – Turn off predictive text
27:20 – Adding a Contact
28:29 – Calling a Contact
29:17 – Adding a contact to Speed Dial
31:12 – Assign Ringtone to Contact
33:04 – Missed Calls
34:12 – Emergency Button
41:37 – Doro Response
If you don’t normally need VoiceOver but sometimes would like to have text read out to you, then you can use the speak screen/selection feature. In this article and video, we will show you how to activate the speak screen/selection feature and use it to read Kindle Books.
Speak selection/screen is designed to read small blocks of text, and relies on you being able to see enough to choose the block of text you want to see. It does not affect the way in which your apps or gestures work. Whereas VoiceOver is designed to allow you to navigate your iPad without sight and requires that you use additional gestures.
Speak Screen/Selection is ideal for people who can see enough to move around their iPad but sometimes need a little help. VoiceOver is for people who don’t have enough sight to operate their iPad.
Good for family, good for friends and good for charities like ours.
Sight airedale has partnered with Bequeathed to offer an accessible and inclusive service where every supporters can make a free Will For Good. Just follow these simple steps which will take less than an hour of your time:
1. Take our online will interview in as little as 20 minutes Our system creates your will from the answers you give, and we transfer it to one of our partner legal firms.
2. Have a 30-minute telephone or video appointment with a legal professional They will discuss your situation and your wishes and confirm the will caters for your needs.
3. Receive your free will in the post, sign it and have it witnessed You can then return a copy to the legal firm who will check it has been executed correctly.
Having an up to date will is the only way to make sure the people and causes you care about are looked after when you’re gone.
Once you’ve taken care of friends and family, Sight Airedale would be extremely grateful if you would consider supporting them with a gift in your will.
In this article, we’ll look at some things you can do to make the Kindle App on the iPad easier to see.
When adjusting the font size, don’t simply put it to the maximum. Instead, you want to strike a balance between a large font and enough words on one line to make reading comfortable.
Many visually impaired people find reading sans-serif fonts such as Helvetica or Amazon Ember Bold easier than serif fonts. The serif refers to the little tail on letters such as T or a.
Many people find that there is too much glare when reading black text on a white background. The Kindle App for iPad has four themes, black on white, brown on sepia, black on mint green and white on black. Many people with Macular Degeneration find reading white text on a black background more comfortable. You can also adjust the brightness of the kindle screen independently of the rest of the ipad to help reduce glare.
Because of unequal spacing between words, many visually impaired people find fully justified text (text where both margins are straight) difficult to read. Once you reach the end of one line, it is harder to find the following line. Changing the text to left aligned gives a jagged right margin, making it easier to locate the following line.
Increasing the line spacing makes it easier for the reader to stay on the line they are currently reading without drifting on the line above or below.
Many people find reading shorter lines more comfortable than reading long lines of text.
The screen ruler helps the reader focus on the line they are currently reading. It also acts as place holder allowing the user to quickly locate their place on the page if they look away from the iPad. However, it does not remember the location on the page between reading sessions.
To access the screen ruler, tap anywhere on the screen, choose Aa and tap on the more tab, then select reading ruler and switch on the reading ruler. There are several ruler styles, so you can experiment to find which best suits you.