Trying to find new hobbies since it's the summer holidays.

Really like the texture of seed beads so figured I could try beading.

Sighted folks pointed out how it might just be too fiddly for a blind person with no vision, so looking to hear from blind beaders before I move on

I bumped into a podcast that had a decent take on Audio Description for TV and movies. I was impressed with such spot on and interesting content on AD from a more mainstream perspective.

https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_8376_ded13963-6552-4d31-b6f9-643f9ef8f2c7&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F8376%2Fclickhere

For those of you that saw my previous post about Braille display recommendations I finally chose the BI 20X as the One I want.
A HumanWhere representative came to demonstrate it a few days ago, and I liked it a lot. It's just like my BI 40X but so much smaller. I could not believe it when I felt how small it really was. I was not expecting it to feel so portable. It's so small that you could put into a jacket pocket, especially when you take it out of the case.
I Thought I'd just tell all of you what I chose. I'm now just waiting to see wether the charity that I applied to will except it. hopefully, I get it.

I recently met someone in a writing forum and started to chat with them. They told me what their condition was and what they needed and didn't need when it came to writing to writing together . They've recently started to make blind jokes and I'm not sure how to respond. I generally do not respond well to self deprecation jokes, it puts me out of sorts, but I am aware that blind jokes are sometimes used as an icebreaker. I'm conflicted about how to respond.

Laughing seems rude or awkward, but at the same time they're aiming for a joke delivery so it seems appropriate. Normally I'd respond in kind relating to the situation but not being able to find something because their blind vs me not finding objects right in front of me because my anxiety makes me look at everything seems not well matched and possibly insecure?

What kind of reaction do folks look for and what reactions wouldn't you want?

Hi, have you guys found any keyboard dictation app with voice over support ? I've tried Whisper and that doesn't work at all with Voice over. Also I'm unable to switch keyboards everytime I need to type manually as that feels frustrating since using a third party keyboard replaces your current keyboard on most apps.

Also for context I speak in German and English and the native dictation tool doesn't work well with my accent.

Thank you for the help

I have Marcus Gunn syndrome (affects my right eye), which isn't supposed to have major complications, but for some reason it's causing me to lose the vision in my right eye. I have amblyopia/strabismus, astigmatism (in my right eye only), myopia (about 20/300 without glasses in my good/left eye), visual distortions (in both eyes), and more that I'm probably forgetting because I have too many conditions to keep track of. I think I have some sort of comorbid condition that is causing my vision problems because Marcus Gunn syndrome is not supposed to do all of this, especially with early intervention, which is what I had (I was seeing an ophthalmologist before I turned one).

For over a decade, I was seeing this one ophthalmologist. He wasn't really the best and ended up retiring me from his care, and he later ended up retiring himself. After he retired me from his care, I went to see an optometrist, and after two years of seeing the optometrist he told me that my brain was letting go of my right eye and that I needed to see an ophthalmologist again. He referred me to an ophthalmologist that was supposed to be really good and holistic (in my experience holistic equals one giant red flag) and he just dismissed all of my problems.

I'm just so frustrated, because I'm obviously losing vision in my right eye. Even with glasses, everything is blurry, no matter the distance, when before it was able to be correct corrected to 20/20 with glasses. And without glasses I was able to see with my right eye, I just had to be really really close to whatever I was trying to see (likes inches/centimeters away), but now even with glasses, I can't see anything clearly with my right eye.

When I was younger, I was very proficient at reading. I was above my grade level and could read for hours on end. Now, I'm 18 and have horrible, horrible, reading comprehension. When I look at a page of words, now it looks like the page is moving in the words are swirling, which was never a problem for me when I was younger. This new ophthalmologist I saw told me that I was just "focusing too much on the weird things everybody sees". I don't think when I look at something dark (including words on a page) then look away, there's supposed to be a flashing/strobing light for multiple seconds in the shape of the dark thing I looked at. I also don't think it's normal to see triple vision.

I'm just so frustrated. And isn't with just my eyesight, this is with literally everything. I once went into the doctor after an episode of severe shortness of breath (I was gasping for air, had chest pain when breathing all the way in, and I had to take breaks from breathing because it took too much energy), and she told me that I just wasn't eating/drinking/sleeping enough, and that I was just too stressed and anxious (I've had anxiety since birth, I think I know what anxiety feels like in my body).

I'm just so incredibly tired of doctors not listening to me. I (a broke college student with borderline medically neglectful parents) spend a crap ton of money just to get told that it's "my anxiety" or "it's probably nothing" or "it's all in my head". I'm just so done and don't know what to do. I finally found a good GP but I need specialists that take me seriously but they're so hard to find. When I pay money to go see a professional, I want to be taken seriously. That's my one fucking ask. It's just so fucking exhausting. I will go in with a list of symptoms, a list of conditions I might have (because if I don't go in with a list of conditions, they won't do any investigative work so I have to do the work for them), and/or try to politely fight them when they write me off as it "being nothing", but I never get what I need and it's so infuriating.

Is asking for a professional that will listen to me and take me seriously too much to ask? I feel like it's the bare fucking minimum.

If anyone has an ophthalmologist they see/know of that's in or near Seattle, please let me know. I'm at my wits end and desperately need an ophthalmologist before it's too late and my vision is gone.

Sorry about any mistakes or if my post was unclear. I'm on the verge of tears and I don't have the capacity to read it over a 3rd time.

I am in the USA. I have Myopic Retinal Degeneration. I am also in a power wheelchair. I have two blind spots in my vision and honestly my vision is pretty distorted. I have also been diagnosed with Visual Snow Syndrome to add onto the eye stuff.

I have very little depth perception and recently I tipped my chair because I thought the curb was flush with the road and it was actually about 3 inches off the ground and I fell and scraped myself up pretty badly. Thankfully my chair did not fall on me.

My vision is corrected 20/40 and 20/60 with my glasses. I have a clip on magnifier for reading and a monocular telescope for spot reading distance. The low vision clinic stated that bioptic glasses and bifocals would make my depth perception issues worse.

Ok sorry for all the details now into my question. I am considering a white cane to help with depth perception. I asked the low vision clinic and they told me I might benefit from one but I wasn't 'that bad off yet really' and 'you're really on the edge of needing one' and 'a lot of white cane users are totally blind.'

However my blind friends have been telling me to do it if it helps and since my vision loss seems progressive starting now is a good idea.

I don't want to.... I don't know. I feel like I'm not bad enough for a white cane. And I don't want to use one if it's inappropriate but I've had a lot of falls and scares because of my depth perception issues in areas that are new to me.

Is it ok for me to use one?

(I know all about O&M so no worries on that. I have an OT I can ask to refer me if I take this step)

my dad is blind and we have an old laptop at home and he wants to install a good OS on it so he could use it as his second PC to get things done at home

the problem is that we do not know what OS we should install so he can use is

the laptop is a dell inspiron 1545 with 4GB ram and a dual core intel CPU and im not sure about the GPU and to be honest i dont know if it has one

he is completely new to the linux world and he absolutely needs a screen reader like NVDA

thanks.

As I'll be moving to somewhere less familiar, I'm thinking of getting some Meta glasses, and am interested in people's experiences as visually impaired users. I am legally blind but have some vision, in case that's relevant.

Obviously I will try some first but ihave some questions.

* Can I get them to tell me when a certain bus is approaching the stop (say, tell me when a number 5 is approaching)

* How good are they at reading specific things in a busy city - such as signs across the road? Can I tell them to read a particular sign rather than simply describing my surroundings?

* What do you think I need to know before trying or buying?

* I'm generally interested in uses people have for them and how these experiences unfold. I'll probably use them to read sometimes, but mainly for navigation in a busy city, and I travel everywhere by bus

* Less importantly, do people tend to object to them in shops, libraries, etc? Obviously there are concerns and I know a lot of people (especially those who don't understand their use as an accessibility tool) don't like them.

Thanks for your insight.

Location: Central Europe, OS: IOS. I'm looking for an alternative to Google Maps, because in recent months, it has stopped announcing the initial direction of travel when using walking directions to go to a place. This means I often have to go by tryal and error going down the wrong roads until I find one that starts getting me closer to the destination. I tried Apple Maps a cupple times. I like how it has you turn yourself in the direction of your destination, but what I don't like is the map view taking up the screen. In google Maps, this didn't exist, and I only saw the nav controls. On Apple Maps, I see the entire map and voiceOver is able to scroll to and select places on it, but that's way too much info, and it clutters up the screen when all I'm trying to do is figure out where my next turn is, or how far I have to go still. I also tried Lazarillo. I have two big problems with it: first, it seems to list less places than Apple or Google, and second, the audio is broken. when a guidance is played, it is played at very low volume, even though the volume is set to 100% in the app. does anyone have suggestions for other accessible nav apps to try, or a way to fix any of the issues with my current ones?

NVDA 2026.2 Beta 8 is now available for testing. Beta 8 includes:

- Updates to translations

- Improve magnifier behaviour when using higher DPI scaling

- Fix magnifier from interfering with opening dictionary dialogs

- Improve the handling of failing to activate the magnifier

- Block touch screen input when using the magnifier where possible, as it is not supported yet

Read more and download at: https://www.nvaccess.org/post/nvda-2026-2beta8/

Hey. I'm currently teaching myself Braille using Perky Duck and the standard QWERTY keyboard. However, it's a bit difficult to use and I'm looking at an Orbit Writer, so I can Braille without touching the other keys. My question is would the Orbit Writer work with Perky Duck or other similar software?

Thank you.

P.S. I'm learning Braille by sight.

Every woman I ask out rejects me. Think it has much to do with my blindness. So yeah how did you make it?

Haven't seen one of these in a while, so let's share our low tech tips and tricks for being blind. After being blind for a good while, I've found the low tech solutions are far superior to any high tech solutions, which is weird considering I've been a software engineer my whole life. Anyway, here's some of mine:

• When pouring hot tea / coffee, use a ping pong ball so you know when the cup is full.
• For spices, cut small squares from 4x6 blank flash cards, punch holes in them, affix to sprice bottles with elastic bands. Remember what patterns goes with what spice.
• For bottles like soap / conditioner / whatever, elastic bands -- different number and size of bands for each bottle.
• Bank cards, clip tiny corner off so you know what right side up is. Then small holes in the bottom corners to specify which card.
• For frozen foods, group all the same items into large freezer bags. Then punch holes in the seam of the bag, remember number and pattern of holes to differentiate items.
• Cash when in country with no tactile markers, there's only 5 denominations to worry about. Wallet has a middle seperator so there's four compartments "underneath" where the cards go. Two most common denominations go into the normal money slot, one normally flat and the other folded in half. The other two denominations get folded up and tucked away in different compartments, while the smallest denomination just goes in a change jar.
• When travelling, wrap colored nylon netting around a chunk of your bag for easy identification by others.

Add yours, let's share.

I've been trying my hardest to stay positive through my visual impairment journey. Going to have my 5th surgery next week. Just curious how others have stayed positive through their journey? Thank you so much for any advice in advance.

I’m looking for recommendations for a straightforward radio alarm clock for someone with a visual impairment.

Ideally, it would have as few buttons as possible, with large, easy-to-feel controls and a simple alarm and radio setup. A large clear display and ease of use is the main priority. We’re not looking for anything with lots of menus, apps or complicated features.

Ideally something available to buy in the UK/ Ireland from Amazon or similar.

Has anyone found a particular model that works well?

Thanks!

So today I made dinner for my wife and I. Sausages and macaroni & cheese. After my wife spooned out what she wanted of the Mac I wanted to add to it. I added some ranch seasoning and what I THOUGHT was bacon bits. I start eating and it didn’t taste right. I go back to the kitchen and double check. Turns out it wasn’t bacon bits. It was cranberries! It was strange tasting but not horrible lol. They were both in the same type of pouch. I had not seen the cranberries there before so I just grabbed the pouch without reading it. Oh well lesson learned lol. At least I didn’t mess up my wife’s dinner.

Hello there. Me and my husband are expecting! Our baby is due in January. We are really excited but a bit overwhelmed with all the planning. I wanted to learn from other blind parents suggestions for mobility with a baby. My husband is blind and I am sighted, we do not own a car and rely a lot on Uber since the public transportation in our city is kinda lacking. We initially came up with the idea of a stroller and car seats combos but we would love to hear other alternatives or tips from more experienced parents. Thank you.

In-Process is out, featuring:

- the loss of a community legend

- the latest NVDA 2026.2 beta updates

- what IS the "Characters per line" setting?

- Introducing "Access Point"

- and the System Accessibility Repair Tool

https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-20th-july-2026/

So I’ve tried regular razors, electric razors, and now Nair and I always end up splotchy/missing stuff. Any advice? It’s frustrating because I can’t see it and often can’t feel it but I’m told it’s there.

I finally came out as a trans woman and am trying to take better care of myself and present myself better. So it’s a big thing for me.

Edit: I forgot to say it’s not facial hair. I’m good on that for some reason. It’s just the rest of the body that I’m having trouble with.

So, I am fully blind myself, and has been since the age of 2.

Now, I have been raised as the type of person where my blindness is my friend. I am comfortable being blind, and I fully understand people who are not there yet.

However, I am wondering if we, in general, are too sensitive?

The reason why i am asking is to hear what others think, and because lately, especially in public forums on reddit and facebook, every time I see a question aimed at blind people, and if it is from a sighted person, the question or comment always ends with, I apologize if this offends anyone.

I am of the opinion that people are entitled to ask. It is my responsibility to answer in such a way to make it clear that a: I do not wish to answer this. Or B: Your question is totally fine, here is the answer.

What do you think?

I hope that it’s okay that I post here? I’m only vision impaired and not blind. The vision impairment sub doesn’t seem to be active, from what I saw when I checked it a few weeks ago. Anyways, given my diagnoses and history I would not be surprised if I end up blind someday.

I want a lightweight, affordable magnifying glass with three times magnification for reading books. I want to enjoy the feeling of reading a real book in my hands while I still can. I’m losing central vision in one eye badly and the other shows signs of it as well according to the doctor, but I only see symptoms in one eye so far.

I have a 2x one I got from the store but I think I need something just a little bit stronger. It doesn’t need to have LEDs, I have a good reading lamp already.

I tried looking on Amazon but even being specific I keep getting so, so many results that are not what I’m looking for.

hey my blind and low vision community. I am writing this post because I have been recently having bad and fearful thoughts. I recently got fired but luckly found another job, all in previous post. I have a good paying job a loving and supportive family but I feel so alone and sad and scared. I feel guilty because I should be happy but I just don’t. what goes through my mind is fear of getting fired again and how hard it is to find a job especially with a disability. I’m scared of never finding love because no one wants to date a blind girl and be a care taker. I think about how the future is and what will I do once my parents get too old to help me. I worry about constently losing my job. I try and live in the moment and take it day by day but the fear and worries over come me. of course the biggest fear is losing more vision and going completely blind. does anyone else think like this ? what is wrong with me why cant I just be happy