I need a tech solution for my mom

[drwex]

My mother is nearly blind and has other disabilities of the old, so I need a solution that is as close to no-read/one-button as I can get.

The goal would be to have another family member pre-load podcasts onto some kind of MP3 player and then put that into some kind of tabletop unit for mom that my mother could operate by pressing a simple play button. The standard iPod-type solutions all seem to require reading, or manipulating multiple controls.

Any thoughts? I'm not even sure what to start online searching for.

Comments

[ciani.livejournal.com]

ipod shuffle? I was thinking an older one. one play/pause/etc section, no video.

the new ones have some kind of voice thing

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

Too small

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

And you have to have it oriented in the right direction and too much error factor to hit a back button or forward. Also, you have to attach it to a player and turn that on separately. Yes, you can leave that on but then you have to manage this small thing. I handed her the one I had in my bag and she was unable to manage it.

Re: Too small

[ciani.livejournal.com]

hm. I don't know enough about other mp3 players. there has to be something suitable though.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

The iPod Nano apparently has some voice-output features and fairly simple controls, though I don't know if it would work for what you need necessarily: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw100103

That publication might have some more ideas for you as well.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I searched:
disability ipod music digital blind
and this was the most useful link...

http://abledbody.com/tag/ipod/

Thanks

[drwex]

I'll check it out.

[points.livejournal.com]

Well, if they're not too long - you could always record it to old-fashioned tape. If you want many hours worth, how about one of the 'new' portable CD players that can play MP3 CDs, and just burn a CD with piles of MP3s on it?

The CD idea might work

[drwex]

I had actually thought about dumping things down to cassette tape but was looking for a more elegant solution.

[catya.livejournal.com]

if you don't find something out of all of this advice, i can ask my neighbour who does this stuff professionally

I'd be interested in what your neighbor has to say

[drwex]

Though I'll follow up on some of these suggestions, too.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I'm not at the cutting edge of tech, so I don't have a useful recommendation for you. I did want to wish you and your mom luck, though.

I'm sure there must be online catalogs of stuff for the old and/or the blind, which might give you some ideas.