I have no fam, friends, etcetera. For various reasons, I've always felt like I owed some one something. I seldom had that feeling or sense of being part of a community or communal situation where I had a place and a right to be there. Or the option of reliable company if I wanted or needed it. Sometimes, i feel trapped here in my tiny apartment. I am in the so-called Regular community but not really a part of it. It just makes me think that people in institutions must have, in ways, been more family to each other than they were to their relatives outside. It reminds me of part of an excellent book called TRAIN GO SORRY which details the lives of kids at a residential school for the deaf. When this one group faced the daunting task of leaving the world they trusted and understood so well to go Home for the school's winter break, it was heart-wrenching. When these kids had each other, what they Didn't have mattered less. I just crave that sense of wholesale acceptance in at least one facet of my life. Anyone else? How do you cope?

I have purchased a book and books are kind of hit and miss with font size. Amazon didn’t show the font size so I took a gamble and bought it and of course it’s too small. This is a book I absolutely need to read for my special interest. I am vision impaired and I don’t read Braille. I would like the font blown up in a larger paper like I received my books in school. I am an adult now and got sacked from vocational rehabilitation. I’m located in Phoenix Az and I want to know if I can give my book to a place and they will make it large print for me for free or for a light fee. The book is hear me out by Sarah Harding and there’s no audio book because she passed away shortly after , but if there’s already a large print version please direct me to the link to it as well.

I meet the qualification for having a print disability twice. I have low vision caused by nystagmus that makes focusing my eyes on the words difficult, and a general learning disability in reading. Despite this, I love reading! I just have to use ebooks for larger font or audiobooks (or both! I learned to read via audiobooks.) I should qualify for all these lovely services twice over, but I can't meet the proof of disability.

My optometrist isn't covered by my healthcare, and appointments are expensive with the cost of her doing the paperwork on top. My opthomologist doesn't have time; my appointments with her are five minutes once a year after getting my eyes dialated to make sure my retinas aren't detaching. My GP doesn't feel qualified to do it since she doesn't have anything to do with vision or disagnosing learning disabilities (I'd have to pay for her to do paper work anyway, and again, expensive). I haven't seen a psychiatrist since I was a teenager and none of these programs accept my PsychEd assessment that lists my reading disability as proof; they want a doctor to sign off on the paperwork.

It's just irritating. I want to have access to things but there's just lines and barriers I can't cross. I love reading but my local library doesn't have a lot of audiobooks I want; I'm Canadian and our selection is generally just smaller. I've signed up for Bookshare (which is also super expensive but cheaper than a year of audible I guess) and CELA but I just don't have anyone to do the paperwork for me.

That's all, I just wanted to rant to people who would probably understand the barriers and hoops we have to jump through to get the services designd for us.

I found this website called I can connect and it claims that it's a legitimate place where the def, blind and low vision can apply for laptops, phones etc. Has anyone used this or nose of it? I'm kind of skeptical so I want to know if it's legitimate before I go in and apply and give all my information to some random thing.

Hey all! First and foremost, apologies if this should be under the "technology" flair, I put it under question because the other technology posts seem to be related to news and sharing info. Mods, please feel free to change as needed!

Now to the meat and bones of my post: I have been working on making my Jellyfin home movie server more accessible for my girlfriend. One of the big issues that I have experienced is finding audio description tracks that sync properly with my movie collection. I have been using AudioVault, and it has been truly outstanding for sourcing the audio description tracks, however I still have the problem of syncing them and saving them with the movie file itself.

Does anybody have experience with this? I would like to keep two audio tracks (one for my parents who also watch movies with the Jellyfin app) and one with audio description for when my girlfriend and I watch the movies together. Any help is much appreciated!

Tell me about your hobbiescqnd passions. I'm trying to find new hobbies and interests after losing my vision. Id love to hear about yours!

Hey everyone,I'm reaching out to see if any of you have tackled learning Korean,Or any language like this. especially considering its complexity. As someone who is blind, I've found it particularly challenging over the years.If you've successfully learned Korean, what methods and resources did you find most effective? Did you use specific apps, books, or techniques that helped you along the way? I'd love to hear your experiences and any tips you can share!Thanks!

Has anyone done this while in college? I'm thinking of some ways to make extra money. I'm not sure how it would work for something like programming since I assume I would need to read their code, or to give them instructions most people will probably not understand my instructions. Maybe I could tutor english if the student types their work.

So I, 26f am blind with some light perception, and just feel quite isolated atm. I struggled a at high school and was so relieved when I finished school, but I now miss those times because the around 10yrs since then have been incredibly lonely and isolating. I think part of the problem is that I lost my sight in a short space of time as a kid and recieved no mental health support for it, so I spent my latter school years dealing with that grief/trauma instead of making important social connections. I’d also be interested to know if finishing school/college, or losing a job was a particularly tough and isolating time for anyone else here? I don’t think it helps that I’m an introvert, it just makes things more difficult. I am a white cane user but lack confidence to go out alone, also my street is full of dog shit, so I can’t even get to the end of my street without standing in it or it getting on the end of my cane. For those of you who’re quite introverted/lack confidence, and/or found yourself being quite isolated from society, did you manage to build meaningful social connections?, what helped you get out of that isolation?,and if you’re still there, I want you to know that you’re not alone and that you’re not a failure. I’m hoping to get therapy when/if I get in a position where i can afford it, and I’ve just developed a real enjoyment of instrumental music which is really helping me RN. Also what are things that have helped you guys enjoy and value the time you spend alone? I’ve found meditation has really helped me find some inner peace, it helped me realise that all life is precious and that my worthiness is inherent, it is not based on having a job, productivity or my contributions to society, I feel that is something we need to be reminding ourselves and each other of, because society is constantly telling us the opposite and it’s impossible for us not to internalise some of that BS. We are living in scary times right now, I want you to know that your fear’s 100% legitimate and you’re not alone in that fear, also it’s ok to give yourself a break and engage in escapism, please know that you don’t always have to keep your head up, no matter what others say.

Dear r/Blind community,

My grandpa is reaching complete blindness, and is looking for a way to take notes, then be able to access them and have them dictated to him by voice commands.

He'd love to learn Braille, but he has advanced Parkinson's which makes it very difficult!

Would you have any software to recommend that could help with this?

He's had an incredible life, and the main reason for this is to record his life stories and some messages to us. I'd really appreciate your help in keeping Grandpas adventures alive!

Thank you :)

So finally, finally, finally finally, my jaws is no longer in 40 minute mode. This means I do not want to switch screen readers every time I fire up a game. How can I kick Jaws in the rear to enable it to cooperate nicely with my games? Does it have a sleep mode function or something like that? Do I need to learn how to make JKM files? What’s the best course of action here? Obviously I’m going to keep in VDA around because there are a few things it just flat out does better, like working with Suno, for instance, but if I’m going to spend money on something, I’m going to use it.

Hi all! So, as the title suggests, I am a first-time user of public buses. I hope to start utilizing this method of transportation, as it will be more cost effective. I am based in the US, so I would really appreciate any tips anyone has for finding their way to the bus stop, choosing a route, knowing which bus to get on and when to get off, and navigating their way to the final destination. Thanks so much in advance!

How to navigate apps with macular degeneration?

Hi! I've had visual snow all my life, but things have gotten much worse lately. My visual field is quite cluttered with "noise," not only the visual snow but also streaking of lights and objects/text that I'm looking at. My night blindness has become quite problematic, and my depth perception is pretty much entirely nonexistent any this point. Therefore, I have been really struggling to move around. I am covered head to toe in bruises because I'm constantly crashing into things and falling.

So, on to the question. I know that white canes are for blind people only (and in my area, it is illegal to use one if you are not blind). However, I really need something to help me navigate with the visual impairments that I do have. Would it be okay for me to turn an old walking pole into a touch tap cane? I was thinking of wrapping it in blue reflective tape (so it's not white or red and isn't mistaken for a white cane). I'm kind of at a loss for other ideas right now, but if you think it would be inappropriate for me to use such a thing, please offer any other suggestions you might have to help me stop smashing into stuff. Thanks everyone!

OK, so we all know I was having an issue with the personal care attendance entering my home without announcing and inviting my privacy. I did my love about the lease and the lease stated that I could not get a door chain so instead I bought a door chime and honestly, I thought the problem was solved. Nope, not even a little bit. It was more to it than that. For those of you who didn’t catch my first couple of posts, I am completely blind. I’m 38 years old and I just moved into my own apartment for the first time since being completely blind to little update in. I had a pretty good idea of who it was. It’s the only personal character that doesn’t respond to me when he’s on a shift so let my guest in my order is in. He just doesn’t answer the phone when he sees my number and sometimes he won’t even answer the phone as you see my guest at the gate. I am only stating this after giving him the benefit of the doubt I did speak to my property manager, the first time I felt that way, and she assure me that’s not something that happened around here and they had cameras for that type of thing, but she also assured me that when they have chemistry so she told me that she needs specific dates and time This time I got that as well as videos on the AlfredCamera app the first time I was skeptical about going to the authorities or to management because I was not sure being that I’m completely blind and in a new environment the chance of me being wrong or tripping on or making it all up we’re pretty high not anymore on this night. He came to like several times that they’re indeed was someone in my apartment, but not only that this particular person has been intercepting my guests since I got here for whatever reason he catches him at the gate with them and that’s when he has free one of my apartment to do whatever he’s doing so I don’t know cause I’m blind, but he definitely for sure keeps coming into my apartment. Honestly, it was starting to get really really scary because I was only inviting friends I’ve known for years and I just couldn’t find them how or why they could or would let this stranger follow them into my apartment and not alert me of his presence. Needless to say I am almost out of people that I thought were really good friends and that I could call in the lion on due to this specific situation. My plan is to call property management. Call the program, leader and call disability rights and legal aid in my local area first thing in the morning to explain my situation and definitely get something done about this. It has definitely become a major problem so hopefully I can get something done when I talk to these people in the morning I’m gonna have my dad help me. I do have a few videos from the AlfredCamera app that I was talking about and they have lots of cameras on the property as well. I have my days and times I will be turning them in. I know it’s holiday, but I can get done. I can’t live here with him doing me like that he shouldn’t be allowed to so that has to be something that can be done. Anybody got any ideas? I’m all ears. Thank you in advance oh yeah I left out the times that he was definitely in my house last night. It was between the hours of 8:30 PM and 5:00 AM tonight. I’m sure he was there from 11:14 PM until about 2:30 AM when I notice and put them out honestly I cannot find them with the personal care attendant could be doing in my home at these hours please help if you know of anything or ever experienced anything like it is such to pay rent somewhere and think you finally got your own just to get bullied ran over lied to trespassed invaded and mistreated in what is supposed to be my home.

Does anyone have a list of places u can use the CNIB card. i've asked the person who sent the card out and there reply was just that u should ask businesses if they provide anything. so your just suppose to ask every business or service u deal with if they offer anything to cnib card holders

I'm sure this has been answered in this sub, but i've not had luck searching the archives.

I'm looking for a device or phone app that I can use to read printed books. I have vision issues due to chronic fatigue syndrome, which affects the muscles in my eyes needed to focus/accommodate. One told me to try copying and pasting things into Word for dictation. But many of the resources only exist in printed format with no e-version. Most of the software seems specific to e-books.

Edit: Removed the braille question. But I'd also appreciate any links to good sub best posts on dictation software in general - especially for writing text and e-mail replies. Everyone tells me Siri, and I have the newest Apple Earbuds. I'm not sure if I need a better microphone or what, but I end up spending more energy fixing Siri's dictation errors than just typing myself.

Does anyone else deal with this and if so how do you go about it? I already warned them they were in a space I couldn't see and they laughed and stepped in my way only to scream at me (this was at an amusement park, I'm aware it's crowded and I have my cane with me at all times so they saw it) when I proceeded to bash their ankle in my arc swing. I just kept on walking but the dude wouldn't leave me alone. A park op person kicked him out but is there a better way to deal with it than to act like I can't hear him?

Tells the story of a family of 2 parents and 4 children who come to find three of their children will lose their sight in a matter of a few years. They all embark on a worldwide trip to create a database of memories. Very powerful and moving.

Just wondering if standard card you can buy in shops would work with braille slates and a perkins brailler

My fiancée’s mom has very bad vision due to cataracts from issues related to diabetes.

I won’t post the gofundme here, but we are wondering if there’s any flexible financing yall have maybe heard about, and maybe some resources for her deteriorating mental health?

She lives in DFW, TX so we would love to find her a doctor. She’s having a very difficult time with having lost her vision so rapidly and she often times bawls her eyes out and lashes out at everyone around her. I think she could use some resources to help her deal with the stress and heartache.

Her biggest issue is she lacks health insurance, but she works so she makes just enough to not qualify for assistance.

We would appreciate any guidance from here.

I would just like to get some ideas as to how much you guys would pay for a brailler

Hello everyone, Pokémon Go- the popular game from 2016 is testing screen reader accessibility in the game. For more information please read the following article:

https://pokemongohub.net/post/article/pokemon-go-testing-new-screen-reader-accessibility-prompts/