Phones for the more mature: Part one

My grandparents are still trying to find their way around their computer. Suddenly their computer has swallowed an icon and it is no longer being displayed on their desktop. For any technology savvy individual it would be painless to replace the missing icon and carry on as normal but for grandparents it is not that easy. Same goes for their mobile phone.

I have been lucky enough to grow up with computers and mobile phones but for my grandparents it is an extremely new experience for them. They are still young at heart and are excited to get involved with this new available technology.

The problem is that these technologies do not seem accessible to seniors. When I recently saw my grandparents they came to me with yet another problem to solve, this time it was their mobile phone. After the problem was quickly solved, I wondered if there were mobile phones that can easily be used by the elderly? My grandparents use only the basic functions on their phone and so they don’t really need the applications or newest mobile phone that most people are pushing for.

Vision for the visually impaired

If my dad has left his eye glasses at home, when the family go out for supper, it is as if a tragedy has struck. Without his eye glasses, he can no longer interrogate the waiter about the bill as he cannot see the minute letters and digits sprawled across the receipt. In most occasions, he will lift the bill up in the air, at arms length, while his eyes squint in an attempt to read it. However, this usually doesn’t work. It is also a bad idea to ask him if he needs help as he might just make you pay for it.

However, he also struggles to read his SMSs, emails and find his applications on his mobile phone, without his eye glasses. I can see that this is very frustrating for him and this made me think about mobile phones and how accessible they are to the visually impaired. 

Nowadays, mobile phones are all about what functions you have and how many applications you can squeeze onto your mobile phone. With mobile phones you can now browse the internet, take photographs, SMS, MMS and much more. However, this can become confusing. My biggest concern was whether mobile phones, that hold multiple functions and applications, can be easily utilised by the visually impaired.