Like many of us, 65-year-old William Koh doesn't leave home without his iPhone. He also doesn't leave home without his talking GPS and talking barcode reader.
The difference is William needs his iPhone and these other gadgets because he’s blind. He has the eye condition glaucoma and over the last five years has lost all of his sight.
William was born sighted but 14 years ago was diagnosed with glaucoma. For almost a decade he lived with low vision and in the last five years has been adjusting to complete blindness.
Thanks to his local Vision Australia centre, in Kensington, William has received help with independent living.
William has learned the touch-typing and screen reader software Jaws at Vision Australia. He also undertook a five week Vision Australia course on iPhone and iPad use. William found the iPhone short course extremely useful in his day-to-day living.
He says that while Jaws screen reader software would be of great use to working people, his own needs as a retired person are simpler. He finds his iPhone an easy and effective way to write emails and do internet searches.
William said that Vision Australia had been of profound help to him through training and assisting him with adaptive technology.
Vision Australia staff made an assessment of Williams’s needs and recommended items that would be useful to him.
On October 10 and 11, Vision Australia will open its doors to Texpo, the organisation’s open days.
Texpo is a free event, which is open to the general public, people who are blind or have low vision, their friends and family, and industry professionals.
It’s an opportunity to experience first-hand the range of services and technology that are available to the 90,000 Victorians who are blind or have low vision.
The latest technology for people who are blind or have low vision will also be on display with exhibitors travelling from around the country and internationally to attend the open days.
For more information, visit www.visionaustralia.org/texpo