Million Dollar Answer!
4.29.18
One of the main questions I am asked frequently is, “how do you use your phone?”. Just like many girls my age, my phone is like my best friend. I literally sleep with the thing; it helps me stay connected to the world. Thanks to the advancement of technology, I am able to use my phone to do just about anything my sighted peers are able to do; however, this was not always the case.
The first cellphone I ever owned was very basic. The extent of my use was making and receiving calls. Because I am blind, I wasn’t able to text, and social media activity was not possible. At the time, there were a few screen-reading products that would allow me to text and perform a few other tasks, but the software was only compatible with certain phones, both of which had to be purchased separately. The software, alone, was almost $500! Fortunately, by the time I graduated high school, my cellphone options broadened.
When I graduated, my grandparents surprised mw with my very first iPhone. I’m sure some of you are wondering how I was able to use an iPhone. Don’t worry, when I first received the touch screen device, that was my exact thought. Here’s the million dollar answer- Apple products are produced with an integrated screen-reading software called “Voiceover”. With Voiceover, everything that appears on the screen is described and everything I touch or input on the screen is read aloud. Believe me, learning to navigate the iPhone took some getting used to, but after a few days of playing around with it, I was in business, lol. Now I am able to browse the internet, take notes, and most importantly, use social media to my heart’s content. My phone is like my lifeline.
I never imagined that one day I’d have a touch screen phone, not to mention an iPhone. I hadn’t even seen an iPhone until my senior year of high school. At this point, I’ve owned just about every model that’s been on the market and currently awaiting an upgrade to the 8 or X… hint hint to anyone who’s reading. My first iPhone had to have been one of the best gifts I’ve ever received, not because it was the latest and greatest material item on the market, but because it helped me achieve a greater level of independence.