For people living with vision loss, a smartphone or computer can be a gateway to independence — or a source of frustration. A program offered at Lions Services in east Charlotte aims to make sure it’s the former.
At Lions Services, a nonprofit manufacturer that employs people who are blind or visually impaired, participants in its Assistive Technology Instruction program learn how to use everyday technology.
The program is led by Laurie Ledwell, who is visually impaired.
One of the students, Robert Callender, has little remaining vision.
“I have occasional extremely minimal light perception in one eye,” Callender said. “In one eye, the retina is detached, so it doesn’t operate at all. And the other eye occasionally will perceive light briefly.”
Before losing his sight, Callender was comfortable using technology. But after his vision deteriorated, he found himself disconnected from using his devices — something that had been second nature.
“There was a time when I could reprogram my Android phone,” he said. “And once I lost my vision, I was really distant from the phone. I lost a lot of capabilities.”
Through the program, Callender has learned to use accessibility features on his smartphone to order Uber rides, listen to the radio and take photos.
During a demonstration, Callender used his phone to snap a picture. The phone’s accessibility tools described the image aloud, accurately identifying a person.
“The image shows a person sitting on a wooden chair with a cushioned seat and backrest. The individual is wearing headphones and holding a smartphone in one hand, while the other hand holds a small device or object. The person is dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and light colored pants,” the phone said.
For Callender, regaining these skills has meant reclaiming independence.
“Maybe I've lost my sight,” Callender said. “But I'm not giving up life.
The Assistive Technology Instruction program began about a year and a half ago. Ledwell said students — about 60 of whom have been through the program — first learn the basics of navigating touchscreens and accessibility software.
“They have to get the gestures down because, if you don't double-tap correctly, it jumps your focus,” Ledwell said. “If the gestures aren't executed properly, it causes a lot of problems.”
Many iPhone users with vision loss rely on VoiceOver, Apple’s built-in screen reader. Ledwell said some people initially turn to Siri for help, but voice assistants can’t perform many necessary tasks.
“Siri can't call an Uber. Siri can't order DoorDash or order your grocery shopping on Instacart,” Ledwell said while demonstrating the limitations of voice commands.
The program also teaches computer skills.
Ledwell recently worked with student Rufus Crawford, guiding him through email navigation using screen-reading software and keyboard commands.
Crawford, 64, said he enrolled in the program because he wanted to learn how to use a computer independently.
“[Here] I can learn how to operate a computer,” he said. “You have to go through the extra mile since you can’t see the screen.”
Crawford lost much of his vision because of retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease that causes the light-sensing cells in the retina to slowly break down and die. He said learning to live with vision loss can be difficult, both practically and emotionally.
“Being visually impaired can be a depressing thing,” Crawford said. “And you have to learn how to deal with that.
“And this program has basically restored hope that once I learn this program, I can be a more intricate part of society.”
For participants like Crawford and Callender, the lessons go beyond mastering smartphones and computers. The technology training is helping them rebuild confidence, independence, and a stronger connection to everyday life — one thumb and keystroke at a time.
