I’d say the ease of text messaging would be a major plus. The on-screen multitouch keyboard, as opposed to 9-button texting.

Not sure about hard of hearing people but the iPhone helped one blind guy.

Huh?

From what I’ve been looking at, the reviews have been kind of mixed, but iPhones, at least now seem to have support for closed captioning and a few other features. There could be more out there information out there, I just really don’t know.

I can’t add to the info @lillycoyote has provided, but if anyone has any first or second-hand experience about how well the Apple or other products work, I would be glad to learn of their experiences. I have to provide materials for a large number of people with various disabilities and often they require expensive and hard to access software/technology. Anything that is cheap and accessible would be fantastic.

Great question @flo.

yes

The advances they made in video chatting is pretty significant. Being able to see each other when they use sign language is a big step forward. Apple was at the forefront of this technology being cheap and accessible with iChat and the iSight that came out in the early 2000’s. Now we have face time on iPhones, so the technology is moving to mobile devices.

Thanks all.
Thanks @Bellatrix for the compliment.

So, let’s say you happen to be at a library, (with computers for the public), and you’re without your Apple product or any other computer. As a deaf person or someone who just needs to get the accurate words in a video (and it is not a song), what can you do?

@flo I really don’t know for sure, but my first step would be to ask the reference librarian. They may not be trained in American Sign Language or dealing with the hearing impaired but someone could get their message across to them. Reference librarians are an amazing and sadly, too often, unsung resource that we all have access to. They know a lot of stuff, and if they don’t they know how to find it, and it is not just their job but they are usually eager to help you and if they’re not, feel free to tell them that you don’t think they’re very good reference librarians. The cranky ones really are few and far between, but I have no trouble telling them when they’re not being helpful.

@lillycoyote that is wise advice. I will do that. Although I’m guessing they will ask me who is this deaf person so we can accomodate him/her. I was lamenting how at this stage, it requires asking individual libraries a “favor”.

So, you never needed to use the caption on a video?

Accessibility is a huge issue for places like universities (and I am sure libraries too) @flo. They might have a specific staff member whose job it is to make sure their materials are accessible and to provide information for those who need assistance.

Yes it is a huge issue, you’re right @Bellatrix.
I posted this before this OP.

@flo Libraries are public institutions paid for with your and my and everyone’s tax dollars. They are there to serve the public. They either have the capacity, the ability, to provide the services you or someone else needs or they don’t. You are not asking them for a “favor.”

@lillycoyote I know it, – intellectually.

I asked the question because I heard Steve Jobs changed so mamy people’s lives, his name being mentioned along with John Lenon once in the last few days, so I thought I must be missing something.

I have seen some videos with cc lately, but they are a mess. They are not live but lots of errors.