Disability Rights Ukraine Project #57723

Specialized push-button telephone for blind users

by Kharkiv rehabilitation centre 'Pravo vibora'

Project Report | Oct 26, 2023
A phone accessible to the blind

By Valentyna Butenko | Lider projekt

Dear friends,

We thank you for your interest in our project. Thanks to you, we can share information about our project and its accomplishments.

Since July 2023, our team has joined rehabilitation programs for Ukrainian veterans who have lost their vision during the war in Ukraine. Several phones with new and improved software have been allocated for training blind participants in rehabilitation courses on how to use such phones.

Despite the challenges of wartime in Ukraine and the lack of funding in the reporting period, the team of Ukrainian specialists from the NGO "IUS," in partnership with the Resource and Information Center of the Kharkiv Center "Right to Choose," continued to work on improving the software for the button smartphone for the visually impaired, based on the budget-friendly shockproof and waterproof AGM M7 smartphone. We have undertaken the following enhancements:

1. Modernizing the YouTube player.

2. Adapting Internet radio (now supporting around 500 radio stations).

3. Improving the "Guide" application for greater usability.

4. Developing localization in Polish and German languages.

We greatly need your help to enhance the software and teach blind individuals how to use mobile phones more effectively. We aim to assist 50 visually impaired wounded soldiers, providing them with software developed by our team, especially those who have suffered hand injuries. We are confident that this will help them become more independent and improve their psychological and emotional well-being, allowing them to believe in the possibility of a successful life even without sight.

User Reviews:

Victoria: I've been using the AGM M7 phone for about a year. What can I say? It's convenient for a visually impaired user. Making phone calls is easy. The ability to conduct phone conferences is especially convenient. Of course, everyone has their own preferences. I love listening to music and audiobooks on this device. It has a powerful speaker, convenient buttons, and the battery lasts for 3-4 days. It's worth noting that this phone can be operated with one hand.

Oleg: I wished that Telegram and Viber would work with buttons as fully as WhatsApp. I asked the coordinator of the "BlindPhone" project, Nikolay Lagotsky, about this, and he explained that the issue lies with the messengers themselves (Telegram and Viber), which need to make corresponding changes to allow key assignments.

Vasiliy: I exclusively use button phones, so when I learned that the AGM M7 button-touch smartphone, accessible to the blind, was available, I immediately purchased it. It has various messengers and apps that expand my capabilities. I've only just started exploring it, and I'll definitely share my impressions later.

Andrey: I am a blind tester of the phone from the very beginning of the "BlindPhone" project. Therefore, I've had the opportunity not only to observe the project's development but also to actively participate in it. It's pleasant to see that the programmers respond quickly to my and other customer suggestions for additions and fixes. While I am an experienced touchscreen phone user, I also enjoy using a button phone. They complement each other. A button smartphone is convenient for calling, using navigation, and other apps adapted for button control, even in thick winter gloves and noisy environments, thanks to its powerful speaker. I use a touchscreen for messengers and everything else.

Permalink

Jun 28, 2023
We don't stand still.

By BUTENKO VALENTYNA | project Leader

Dear friends!

We thank you for supporting our project during this difficult time for everyone.

Despite the difficulties of wartime in Ukraine during the reporting period, a team of Ukrainian specialists from the NGO "IUS" in partnership with the Resource and Information Center of the Kharkiv Center "Right of Choice" worked hard to improve the software of a push-button smartphone for the blind based on a budget shockproof and waterproof smartphone AGM M7.

The ontacts app has recently been updated, and contacts now load quickly. For example, I have more than 2100 contacts and it is easy for me to work with them. I also like that when new contacts are created, they are stored on the smartphone, and if you check the box for synchronization, then the contacts will also be stored in the Google cloud and will be synchronized with your other devices accordingly.

It is also convenient that when writing contacts in the phone book, or searching for contacts is accompanied by a visual display of the text on the screen. This allows beginners to use the help of sighted people.

Also, after the update, the calculator started working better. Now you can perform actions with the result of previous actions.

Feedback from Yuriy Polishchuk (Sambir, Lviv region): I really like how Votsap works.

Everything can be done with the help of buttons.

This software product makes this smartphone as comfortable as possible for blind users with voice synthesizers in Ukrainian and English.

Thanks to these programs, our participants will be able to use the navigator on their smartphones, help navigate in space, warn of danger, allow them to find the right transport, build a route, ask for help from an interpreter, and even identify people nearby. and objects.

We really need your help to improve the software and teach blind people how to use mobile phones.

In July 2023, our team will join the rehabilitation programs for the Ukrainian military who lost their sight during the war in Ukraine. Several telephones with new and improved software will be allocated to train blind participants in rehabilitation courses to use such telephones.

We are confident that this will help them become more independent and improve their psychological and emotional state.

Permalink

Mar 4, 2023
Steps towards independence of blind refugees from Ukraine

By BUTENKO VALENTYNA | Lider projekt

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.