Recently, Sprint announced its release of a new effort to make the Android more user friendly for those who are blind, visually impaired or have difficulty reading and understanding the content on their smartphone. Developed by Code Factory, Mobile Accessibility is a suite of accessible applications that have been specifically designed for people who are blind or visually impaired. The suite of applications also benefits those who have learning, physical, perceptual, developmental or cognitive disabilities. The newly created package of smartphone applications features a simplified user interface and a sort of voice over feature to aid in the navigation of the device.
The app is free for Sprint customers who have existing postpaid plans with data packages, making it cost effective with the convenience of having the useful apps at your fingertips without having to lug around an excessive amount of assistive technology.
Here is a breakdown of the main features of Mobile Accessibility:
Touch navigation: Users simply slide their fingertip around the screen and the voice synthesis will read the text located under the finger. They can swipe up/down/right/left and tap on the screen to navigate through the interface, and they can enable sound and vibration feedback.
Easy to input text: In or outside the Mobile Accessibility suite users can use the touch QWERTY keyboard or speech recognition to write text quickly and easily – making it possible to write an SMS or email using their voice only.
Voice Synthesis: Provides customers with natural sounding voice feedback.
“Having the ability to gain greater access to information on smartphones through the use of a free suite of applications is a very positive development in the blind community’s quest for more affordable choices,” said Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind (ACB). “The American Council of the Blind commends Sprint for its willingness to take another positive step toward full product accessibility.”