Blind Low Vision New Zealand (BLVNZ) have recently upgraded their audio library technology, it is now digital.
What does this mean?
Clients who used media devices such as cassettes or CDs to listen to their audio books and magazines have been phased out for Alexa Smart Speakers. This is great news as it makes all the material accessible, but this does not come without challenges!
My role as an Optometrist means I understand the struggles and grief that comes with vision loss. This commonly occurs with age-related eye conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. For many individuals, the most significant loss is driving, reading and most importantly, an associated loss of independence. Although we might not be able to support individuals with their driving, we can restore books and literature into someone's life, which is still an amazing feat.
Helping visually impaired elderly embrace new technology requires patience and it pays to have a good sense of humor.
So how does the Alexa Smart Speaker work?
Individuals can access the BLVNZ library and follow a series of menus and prompts that enable the user to select from thousands of books, articles or magazines. Learning the succinct prompts takes some practice, but it is extremely delightful hearing elderly people conversing politely with 'Alexa'.
For individuals with low vision, Alexa can offer other features to bring independence back into their life, such as setting reminders, alarms or simply telling the time. These smart speakers replace many of the previous BLVNZ tools, such as talking clocks.
Give voice-activation a try. For example, have you tried the Siri command on your phone? Or listened to an audio book? - You can try one from the Auckland Digital Library. Including some non-visual ways to do every day things could be a glimpse into the future and help you understand the limitations for individuals who have low vision.
Our Low Vision Support Group meets monthly at Summerset Village Mondays @ 1:30pm.
Please recommend this to anyone who is struggling with vision loss.
Meeting Dates for 2022 are:
16 May, 20 June, 18 July, 15 August, 19 September, 17 October, 21 November.
Claire McDonald