Wednesday, 28th May 2025
Question 1. When using Apple VoiceOver, what are the top tips for getting the rota to work effectively?
Recommendations: several techniques were suggested including using your index and middle finger in a turn motion on the centre of the screen or holding your iPhone and using both thumbs to spin the imaginary wheel round. The following link has more information regarding using the rota https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph3e2e3a6d/ios
Question 2. What well-being apps have people enjoyed?
Recommendations: there is a huge number to choose from but “Finch, Self Care Pet” (available on both android and Apple) might be worth trying https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/finch-self-care-pet/id1528595748
To do list
question 3. How to put toothpaste on your toothbrush, suggestions please!
Recommendations: if you have useful Vision, putting a black ceramic bowl underneath your toothpaste/toothbrush will give great high contrast and make the task easier. Other suggestions included having your own toothpaste and putting it straight into your mouth or putting your toothbrush on top of the toothpaste tube and squeezing upwards rather than the other way round.
Question 4. Using Apple VoiceOver, two finger swipe down from the top to read screen isn’t working since the latest update; has anyone else been having problems?
Recommendations: suggest contacting Apple Accessibility Support to troubleshoot why this is happening. Their contact number is:
0800 048 0754
Question 5. What is the latest regards to the Meta Ray Ban glasses?
Answer: the long awaited “Look and Tell” feature launched in the UK in April.
This article from the Macular Society website gives a good overview of the glasses: “Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses look like a normal pair of glasses but they have a small camera, speaker, and microphone built in. You can ask them questions such as “What am I looking at?” and they use AI to describe what’s in front of you, read signs or text, or take a photo.
For people with sight loss, they can help with things such as reading bus numbers, bus timetables and even locating street furniture such as bins and other obstacles.
The AI in the glasses can only process still images, not video or real-time footage. Once you instruct it to take a picture, you have to wait for an answer. For things that need quicker help, such as finding something in the supermarket or locating your train platform, you can make a video call through the device.”
BBC Radio 4 “In Touch” program has several episodes dedicated to the glasses. They are easy to find by searching in your web browser, on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your Podcasts.
Question6. What are the best ways to distinguish clothes from one another?
Recommendations: it might be worth investing in a handheld, battery powered colour detector. These are about £70 and available are from the RNIB shop and online retailers.
A “PenFriend” and accompanying labels/washable labels are another way to distinguish items, from one another https://shop.rnib.org.uk/products/rnib-penfriend-3-audio-labeller