Accessible Cell Phones for the Blind or the Visually Impaired
Last Updated: December 13, 2004
Disclaimer
All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither the creator of this site, nor its contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use any information presented here. I attempt to be as accurate as possible, but am not guarantying the correctness of the information presented on this site. In short use the following information at your own risk.
Abstract
The goal of this site is to provide a repository where individuals or organizations can get information of products designed to make cell phones accessible for those with some type of visual impairment. This site is a work in progress and should not be considered all inclusive. If I have missed anything or have made any mistakes, I would appreciate if you could let me know. I would also appreciate any input on how to improve the usability and content of the site. At some point I would like to update this site with user reviews of these products. Click here to send me an e-mail. I am also planning to link to other websites that provide information or service regarding accessible cell phones.
Table of Contents
FCC Section 255 – Know Your Rights
Product Evaluations Performed by AccessWorld ®
User Reviews
On December 2, 2004 a message was posted to the Illinois NFB mailing list describing a cell phone Verizon Wireless was promoting. The phone that was being advertised had software installed that made it accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. When I tried to find information about this software I had to join two other mailing lists. I found some information, but not enough to make an informed choice.
On December 6th I contacted my service provider, T-Mobile to find out if they provided accessible phones. I was advised to visit a local store. On December 8th I went to Downtown Chicago to a T-Mobile store that was listed on the T-Mobile website. When I got there, I was told that they would not be ready for business for another two weeks. I called T-Mobile and found another location that was four blocks from that location. I walked to that location to discover that it was a payment center and then told there was another location that was a block away. I walked to that location and waited in line for about 15 minutes. When I asked the salesperson about accessible phones, she had to go to the back and try and get some information. When she came back she said that they did not carry any phones that would meet my needs.
Okay now I am a little upset, but there was nothing I could do. When I stepped out of the store, there was a Cingular Wireless next door. I went in to ask if I could have a demonstration of an accessible phone. I was told I had to visit a corporate office and had to walk a block and a half to get to it. When I got there they had none in stock and would not have any for another week. Now if you think that’s bad, all the walking I did was taking me further and further away from my train stop. Now I had to walk back about 6 to eight blocks to catch a train that would take me about 45 minutes to get home.
When I got home, I started to develop this sight.
FCC Section 255-Know Your Rights
The purpose of this section is to provide you with a brief overview of your basic rights when it comes to accessible cell phone technology. All the information listed here as been obtained from the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau web site.
Background: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules requiring telecommunications manufacturers and service providers to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, if readily achievable. These rules implement Section 255 of the Communications Act. Where it is not readily achievable to provide access, Section 255 requires manufacturers and providers to make their devices and services compatible with peripheral devices and specialized customer premises equipment that are commonly used by people with disabilities, if such compatibility is readily achievable.
The AFB has created a site where you can get additional information on how companies are addressing Section 255. This is not an all enclusive listing of companies and should only be used as a starting point if you need more detailed information.
Product SpeechPAK TALKS™
Company ScanSoft
Authorized Dealers in the United States
Supported Phones as advertised on ScanSoft as of December 20 , 2004
To view a current list of supported phones by ScanSoft click here.
|
Model |
Service Providers |
Manual |
Network |
|
Nokia 3650 |
AT&T, T-Mobile |
Tri-band phone: GSM 900/1800/1900 mHz |
|
|
Nokia 3600 |
Cingular, CorrComm, i wireless |
GSM 850/1900 mHz |
|
|
Nokia 3660 |
T-Mobile |
GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 3620 |
AT%T, NPI, i wireless, First Cellular of Southern Illinois |
GSM 850/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 6600 |
T-Mobile |
GSM/GPRS/HSCSD 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 6620 |
AT&T, Cingular |
GSM/EDGE/GPRS 850/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 7610 |
Cingular |
GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 MHz, or GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 7650 |
Check Service Provider |
WAP 1.2.1 over GSM data, HSCSD, and GPRS EGSM 900, GSM 1800, and GSM 900/1800 dual-band networks; automatic switching between bands |
|
|
Nokia N-Gage |
N/A |
Tri-band, GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia N-Gage QD |
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz or GSM 850/1900 MHz (USA/Canada) |
|
|
Nokia 9210 |
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz (USA/Canada)-- |
|
|
Nokia 9210i |
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz (USA/Canada) |
|
|
Nokia 9290 |
N/A |
Single-band, GSM 1900 MHz |
|
|
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz (USA/Canada) |
Product Mobile Speak
Company Code Factory
Cost 298.00-395.00
Authorized Dealers
Supported Phones as advertised on Code Factory as of December 20, 2004
Click here to view the most recent list of phones as advertised on Code Factory
|
Model |
Service Providers |
Manual |
Network |
|
Nokia 3620 |
AT%T, NPI, i wireless, First Cellular of Southern Illinois |
GSM 850/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 3650 |
AT&T, T-Mobile |
Tri-band phone: GSM 900/1800/1900 mHz |
|
|
Nokia 3660 |
T-Mobile |
GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 6620 |
AT&T, Cingular |
GSM/EDGE/GPRS 850/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 6260 |
N/A |
Tri-band operation: GSM 900/1800/1900 in Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific and GSM 850/1800/1900 in North and South America, where these networks are supported. Automatic switching between bands |
|
|
Nokia 6600 |
T-Mobile |
GSM/GPRS/HSCSD 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 6630 |
N/A |
Dual mode WCDMA/GSM operation and tri-band GSM coverage on up to five continents (GSM 900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 2100 networks) Automatic switching between bands and modes |
|
|
Nokia 6670 |
N/A |
Tri-band coverage on up to five continents (GSM 900/1800/1900 or GSM 850/1800/1900 in the Americas) |
|
|
Nokia 7610 |
Cingular |
GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 MHz, or GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia 7650 |
Check Service Provider |
WAP 1.2.1 over GSM data, HSCSD, and GPRS EGSM 900, GSM 1800, and GSM 900/1800 dual-band networks; automatic switching between bands |
|
|
Nokia N-Gage |
N/A |
Tri-band, GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz |
|
|
Nokia N-Gage QD |
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz or GSM 850/1900 MHz (USA/Canada) |
|
|
N/A |
Dual-band, GSM 900/1800 MHz (USA/Canada) |
Product Evaluations Performed by AccessWorld ®
The articles listed below were published by AccessWorld ® , which is a publication of AFB
A comparison of Mobile Speaks and Talks on the Nokia 6620
The Signal Gets Stronger: Three Cell Phones with Speech Output by Darren Burton, published July 2004
A review of the Owasys 22C and the Talks software on the Nokia 3650 and 3660
A review of Talks on the Nokia 3650
A review of Mobile Speaks on the Nokia 3650
Click here to listen to an interview with the developers
Click here to listen to a demonstration of the software on Nokia 3650 cell phone
Click here to listen to a demonstration of the software on a Nokia 3650
Verizon Wireless home page
Promotion home page
LG VX4500 home page
Sprint Wireless Home Page
They have phones which are accessible but I am having trouble
Finding any information on which phones are available I would greatly
Appreciate any links to a Sprint promotion page..
I will be adding additional information regarding the following service providers.
U.S.Cellular
Cingular
User Reviews
I need user reviews
When you send me a review of a phone I would need:
1 The phone model
2 Software being used to make the phone accessible
3 What you like/don’t like about the phone
4 What you like/don’t like about the software
5 Any additional comments
6 A rating of 1 to 5 where 1 is bad and 5 is great of your experience
7 Whether or not you want your name associated with your review or if you wich to remain anonomous
Created by Abraham A. Sweiss