Texts Offer Voice to the Blind

Vodafone and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind have launched a three year $800,000 USD partnership funding technology training for blind people beyond the foundation’s existing classrooms in Auckland and Wellington.

Blind persons all over have benefited by using the texting technology that converts writing into spoken words. According to Mike Lloyd, a blind musician who runs classes in Auckland, with a standard mobile phone plus software costing around $1000 USD he can pretty much “read” any text he receives.

By linking the program with a computer and a scanner, the same kind of software can be used to do things such as scan a phone bill, so that the computer can read it aloud to a user.

Blind people have attained a great deal of independence with this technology, whether it’s reading a newspaper, making a telephone call or emailing. This has been possible because of the adaptive technology and teaching used at the foundation.

Vodafone’s sponsorship would help with training but won’t be able to give out mobile phones or computers to the country’s 11,500 blind people. There is, however, they a grant fund available for people who can’t afford it.

Source: New Zealand Herald