The whole concept blew my mind. How could a blind person use a touch screen. It seemed impossible, but I had heard that Apple had made it possible. I never will forget walking into AT&T to purchase my first iPhone. I didn’t know how it would work, or if it would work, but I wanted the challenge of figuring it out.
With the introduction of the iPhone, Apple had revolutionized the concept of the telephone. Now, with the addition of voiceover, they had revolutionized the lives of many blind individuals. Before Apple, visually impaired people would have to purchase a piece of technology, and then purchase extremely expensive speech software that would make it accessible. The iPhone 3GS, however, came with this software built into the operating system. Now, every product Apple puts out has Voiceover on it, making it accessible to the visually impaired.
App developers have taken this technological advancement to the next level. I now have apps that read money, tell me if a light is on, and help me navigate. These apps, along with many others, assist me in accomplishing every day tasks just as normally as someone with sight. It is no exaggeration to say that Apple has revolutionized the lives of many visually impaired people. For that I am grateful, and cannot wait to see what they do next.