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Audio Players for the Vision Impared?

Posted by Cliff on from the music-for-those-who-aren't-quite-blind dept.

Panz asks: "Over Easter my 86 year-old grandmother asked my parents to help her buy a CD player. Normally, there would just be a technology barrier to overcome. Unfortunately, my grandmother has macular degeneration which prevents her from using traditional consumer electronics. What, if any, low-vision friendly CD/MP3/audio players are available? Is there such a thing on the market?" What CD/MP3 players have interfaces suitable for people who have less-than-stellar eyesight? Features that would be nice to have would be backlit displays, and larger than normal text displays.

4 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. DVD player by cybermace5 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Most DVD players these days will play just about anything, including MP3 CDs and audio CDs. They are also very inexpensive, and tend to have more or less readable large displays, given the fact that they work on a TV.

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  2. Remotes by hswerdfe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    any thng that works with a good remote.

    Remotes are Amazing...they are designed so you don't have to look at them you can feel the buttons. and know where to press.

    except the pesky EJECT button....which is missing from most remotes.

    other than that simple sugestion I am usless to you.

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    --meh--
  3. Check out your local Frys by zulux · · Score: 2, Insightful



    There was this line of brightly colored DVD players designed for kids near the Kareoke section. It had only a few, large, high-contrast buttons.

    Would be great for the hard of sight as was onlt $60 or so.

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    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  4. Cost effective solution... by paploo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A good idea that would also be more cost effective than doing something like buying her a whole computer just to play CDs (to which a computer would create more problems for her than it would solve) would be a two step solution:
    1. Find a CD player with the least amount of buttons on the front. It should also have the biggest buttons possible.
    2. Colour code each of the buttons (and if possible, texture code them too).

    Now you'll have to teach her how to use it in terms of things like: Press the red button to open the tray and press the green button to play the disc, but that isn't so bad.