Checking out labels on packages

Bar code readers for blind persons have certainly come a very long way. There used to be a time when a blind person, including me, used to have to depend on sighted assistance to get our packages read. Over the years this has improved greatly and now we have a few sources on hand to help us.

There is the bar code reader that you can buy at the websites listed below. There is also a device called the Pen Friend and here is how this works. You record your info on a special tiny label and affix it to your package. You will need sighted assistance to do this the first time. Someone to tell you what is on the package and after recording this you have it all there. You can then go back and use your special pen to read what you have recorded.

If I receive a package in the mail and need to read it, I do this in two ways. First, I could either use the scanning software in my talking cell phone, the KNFB reading software. Or I could put it under my scanner, the IPal Solo, or any other scanner that is similar to this scanner.

Of course, with the evolution of the IPad, there are apps out there to help you with this task as well. You can find apps to do this at a very cheap price. Both the apps and the scanning software utilize a camera that takes a picture of the printed matter and then converts it to voice output. Being able to read the info is becoming more important to everyone and the blind community certainly does not want to be left out of it.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my blogs.
Visit www.maxiaids.com or www.independentlivingaids.com to learn more.

My pen friend

This is a really nifty product that I believe was developed in Britain. I use it to label things. It uses special labels to do its work and here is how it operates.

It is shaped like a pen. There are buttons that you can use to record a few words to create a label. You place the pen friend on the special label and press record. You record what you wish to and then stick the label on your desired box or package. Later you can come back to read it by again placing the pen friend on the label and pressing play. Voila! You hear your voice telling you what you previously recorded.

The pen friend is extremely affordable but I hasten to add that there are other products out there on the market that are very similar in function. You can check out these at www.independentlivingaids.com or at www.maxiaids.com.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about this nifty gadget.

The problem with prescriptions

Prescriptions are definitely a part of our lives and a great blessing to us all, but when you are blind and are unable to read printed labels on boxes or bottles or read what your doctor or physician is asking you to take to your pharmacist, then here is where the challenge occurs.

At the best of times, the majority of the sighted world is unable to read the handwriting of their physician or doctor so just imagine what it would be like for us as blind persons. Whenever we ask a sighted person to read our prescriptions, we are literally at the mercy of how much time they can devote to reading it accurately to us. It may be time for our medical system to come up with some sort of way to enable us to read our own prescriptions. I can only make suggestions and hope for the best so here goes.

For those with computer access, email the prescriptions to us. This can also help sighted persons as well. Or maybe some sort of telephone system that enables us to hear our prescriptions? Or maybe a call for manufacturers to come up with some sort of device to help us read our prescriptions? Maybe some sort of label reader? Maybe we could use the Pen Friend reader to help us label our prescription boxes and bottles but here again, a sighted person’s time and help is needed to read the contents to us.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and discuss our prescription challenges with others. Visit www.maxiaids.com to learn more about the Pen Friend.

My Medicine Cabinet

You got it!  My medicine cabinet is super organized and when you are blind, it makes it even more vital for things to be organized.  I have specific spots for specific things; pills on one shelf, liquids on another, and other things on another.

 

When I had sufficient vision, things were still well organized and I used to use color of bottles and boxes to help me identify but now that my vision is so bad, I use labels to help me.  Or, I use shapes and sizes of bottles and boxes to help me navigate.  Everything is carefully placed.  Liquids by themselves and pills far away in another spot.  My sense of smell also helps to make things easy and smooth running.  Yes, sometimes when I am not sure of what a liquid is, I sniff it in its bottle.  You would even be surprised to know that some pills have a unique smell.

 

If things are well organized then everything is great but if anything either falls out of place or is moved around on me by someone else, then all hell breaks loose!  I label things either with Braille labels or by placing one of those label dots or squares on the bottle or box.  This latter way of labeling is done through a product called the Pen Friend; a product that was developed in Britain some time last year.  It is a lot cheaper than its competitor the bar code reader and if you would like to learn more about it you can visit www.rnib.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the rest of the world how blind persons navigate their medicine cabinets.

Identifying Perfumes

Nothing to it!  I simply use my sense of smell to help me out and it's what probably much of the sighted world does as well.  However, the sighted world has one other technique to help them.  They can read the labels on the bottles of their perfume.

 

When I had enough vision, I used to identify perfumes by the color of the bottle but now I depend totally on smell.  Believe it or not, each perfume does indeed have a unique fragrance but every now and then I run into perfumes that are close enough in fragrance.  So, I shift gears to my next strategy.  I make sure that I memorize the shape of the bottle or better yet; I place tape on one of the bottles that is close in fragrance to the other. 

 

Now, I can use my Pen Friend device to help me identify bottles.  If you would like to learn more about the Pen Friend you can visit www.independentlivingaids.org.  This nifty device was developed in Britain and you can also visit www.rnib.org to learn more.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others how blind persons go about identifying perfumes.

How I Label Things

What I can tell you is this!  It's not really too difficult to imagine when you come down to it.  The rest of the world label things using pens, pencils, and markers.  I do it using Braille, and talking labels. 

 

Before I lost my vision, I use to label things with thick markers; using different colors for different things.  Now that I am unable to do so, I use Braille labels and recently I bought a new device called the Pen Friend.  This nifty little device was developed and manufactured in Britain and its price is a lot cheaper than its more expensive competitor the bar code reader.

 

Here is how it works.  The Pen Friend comes with a package of 120 specially coded blank labels.  You can use the Pen Friend to record anything you want on these labels.  You place the Pen Friend on the label and press the record button.  Then you can play it back and presto!  You can hear the recording of your voice loud and clear.  These labels are reusable.  Nice and easy!  All I need to do is place the Pen Friend on the label the next time I want to know what it is and press the play button.

 

This device is a huge break through for blind persons and if you'd like to learn more about it then you can visit www.rnib.org. 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and share my blogs with the rest of the world.