How the iPhone Helped a Blind Person See Color


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 web.

Most iPhone users probably aren't even aware of VoiceOver, a powerful screen reader built into every iPhone (and Macs, too). But what's special about its implementation on the iPhone is that it is 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 one of the moments that came when he and his Mom were in 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, but 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, is still 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 in particular gave him a glimpse into a world he had literally never seen before:

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



Seraphin's account is one of the most profound and touching stories detailing the intersection of humanity and technology that I've come across in some time, and you should definitely read it in full over on his site, Behind the Curtain. 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. [Behind the Curtain via Cult of Mac]