Finding a gift for your mum can be a little daunting. Throwing blindness or low vision in the mix also means that accessibility options become priorities.
Just in time for Mother’s Day on May 8, Vision Australia tech guru David Woodbridge has listed his favourite gift ideas for mums who are blind or have low vision.
Here are his top six gift ideas for Mother’s Day:
Blind Shell Classic 2
What is it? A phone designed specifically for users who are blind or have low vision.
Cost: $790
What David says: “It's got proper arrows and physical buttons to navigate the menus, it's got high contrast and bigger text on the screen.”
Read more and listen to a review here
Sangean accessible radio
What is it? A talking radio – it reads out your station, battery life, menu and other functions.
Cost: $600
What David says: “It's just a nice system that basically is fully accessible with speech output from the word go.”
Vision Australia Talking Microwave
What is it? A talking microwave – it vocalises any buttons you press, and has a circular nob to help with adding more time
Cost: $330
What David says: It is easy to use, only has three steps – set power, time and press start.
Watch his review here:
iPhone SE/Apple Watch
What is it? Apple’s iPhone SE still utilises the home button which is particularly useful when navigating without sight. The Apple Watch is another tactile gadget that pairs well with the iPhone.
Cost: iPhone: $719+, Apple Watch: $429+
What David says: Thee Apple Watch links up to your iPhone which is perfect for tracking steps, and your overall health and fitness.
iPad mini
What is it? An easy-to-use, accessible tablet perfect for watching audio described content and surfing the web.
Cost: $749+
Listen to David’s walk through
See the range: https://www.apple.com/au/ipad-mini/
Apple TV
What is it? A box you can attach to your TV which gives you access to tv shows and movies from numerous streaming platforms and free to air channels. It’s also fully accessible and speaks out commands.
Cost: $249
Listen to the full Talking Tech episode below:
Hear more tech tips from a blind and low vision perspective every week on Talking Tech, Tuesday 4.30pm AEST or catch up with the podcast via Spotify, Omny, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts.