Through past experience we are well aware that people who are blind or visually impaired are perfectly capable of using things like smart phones, tablets and other technology that have a touch screen. With the help of a screen reader, people without sight can use these gadgets as comfortably as anyone.

This is not to say however that we are universally gifted when it comes to discovering new technology, and some people need a hand.

A French company, Telorion has created a simple add on for smart phones which combines the advanced technology of smartphones and the physical details of old fashioned phones with large buttons.

Telorion Vox is a plastic cover that goes on top of the screen of the smart phone, physically marking out the location of the various buttons so that a person who is blind can find their way around their touch screen more easily. It also has a screen reader for further guidance.

What else can it do?

Telorion have thrown in a few other useful apps to make day to day life easier including a function that allows the phone to read bar codes off of items. This can allow a visually impaired person to know exactly what they have in their hand, if there is no quicker way of knowing.

They have also included a speech interpretation function that allows the user to dictate text messages directly to their phone, and a talking GPS to enable people to explore areas they aren’t so familiar with without fear of getting hopelessly lost.

You can find out more by clicking here

Does this seem like something that deserves more attention? Leave a comment below.

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