Connect with friends and family who have visual impairments 

For many people around the world, video calling can be a real lifeline when it's not possible to visit in person. While it’s no secret that the last year has been difficult for many, people who are blind or have low vision can feel particularly isolated.

Video calling offers another way to be together. It's more than a means of communication. Use it to check in with loved ones and make sure they're safe. You can have a long chat, a quick catch up and share a laugh. Video calling is a remarkable weapon in the fight against loneliness.

Dolphin has launched GuideConnect Video Calling:
Accessible video calling for people with visual impairments.

Video calling services have been the primary method for staying connected to family and friends, teachers, employers and the wider community since the onset of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It could be said that this technology has been one of the saving graces of lockdowns throughout the world.

At this time of year, it’s heartening to make plans for the future. Whether you learn something new, change things from the past or revisit activities you love but have lost along the way.

Taking time for yourself to do something you love or to try something new will benefit your wellbeing, your relationships and your outlook.

This year, Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) are celebrating 100 years of supporting people with a sight impairment to live independent lives - a fantastic achievement of which they are rightfully proud!

We were delighted to train members of the Assistive Technology team at KAB on  Dolphin GuideConnect and to hear about the impact it's had since the training has been put into practice.

KAB recommends Dolphin GuideConnect to their service users - particularly those experiencing sight loss in later life. Their Assistive Technology team is fully trained to demonstrate and advise people how to use the system – and it’s having really positive results.

The positive impact of GuideConnect

There’s so much new and exciting technology available now, and each opens a world of connection, convenience or entertainment. For people who are blind or partially sighted, assistive technology can play an even bigger role. It builds connections, reduces loneliness and helps users retain their independence and privacy.

So, how do you find out which is most suitable for your level of technical ability, your interests and needs?  How might you work out which will be of real value to you, and which would be a waste of your time and money? What if you know nothing about the types of technology available or find the whole thing overwhelming?

Assistive technology experts at Dolphin Computer Access have produced an Essential Guide to Assistive Technology for the Home to help answer all these questions.

Accessible Educational Materials Series Part II

Whether you’re part of a school or other organization and you need to get better at creating accessible content, this blog will arm you with a few new strategies to use right away, so you can create more accessible documents.

School Accessibility Series Part I

Question: How do we deliver alternative formats—accessible educational materials [AEM]—to students with disabilities in a timely manner?

As an educator working with students who are visually impaired, you’re on the forefront of technology, you’re probably what the world views as an “early adopter.” But do you remember your very first smartphone? Do you remember holding that beautiful, probably expensive, piece of technology in your hot little hands? You explored with amazement all of the things you could do—get your email, surf the net, load your music and go to a place you’ve never driven without printing pages and pages of Mapquest directions. It was ALL in there, everything you needed and things you didn’t even know you needed but as it turns out, you did. And if that wasn’t enough, you could walk around with that fantastic, tiny, all-around tech solution in your pocket or purse. It changed your life, and with each new inventive app that’s released, probably continues to do that today. That’s the kind of pivotal technology your students need, and that’s what they get with Connect & Learn.

Navigating a website with a screen reader can be an arduous task for a person who is blind or partially sighted. Every. Single. Element. on the page is read aloud — hidden code, weird characters, ads, and lots of other gobbledygook.

GuideConnect is different! Designed for people with sight loss who are new to technology, GuideConnect’s simple talking menus make everyday tasks super simple. In this blog we’re going to explore 5 ways that GuideConnect helps people with sight loss to avoid the “white noise” and get to the information they need on the web quickly. So if you’re working with a client or someone you love who is struggling to be successful surfing the web, GuideConnect might be just what you’re looking for.

We’re delighted to have GuideConnect featured in the June AND July issues of American Foundation for the Blind’s (AFB’s) wildly popular magazine, AccessWorld.

While AFB was originally formed to serve American Veterans who became blind as a result of World War 1, AFB is known globally for having led the development of standardized English Braille code, developing the first Talking Book and Talking Book Machine and so much more. So when AFB asked to feature GuideConnect in AccessWorld, we were not only honored, but also thrilled with their review.