US mobile phone industry turns a deaf ear to blind mobile phone customers

The AFB says that in the US mobile industry in general, handset manufacturers in particular do not take the ADA law or handset “accessibility” seriously as is evidenced by the fact that the overwhelming majority of phones are not fully usable for low-vision or no-vision users. According to the AFB some of the chief obstacles posed by cell phone for the visually impaired run the gamut from 1) having no audio output of information displayed on the screen, 2) having hard to read displays, 3) having keys that are not easy to distinguish by touch, and 4) having product manuals and phone bills that are not available in Braille, large print or other easier-to-read formats. The aging US baby-boomer population is now in its sixties and many individuals are suffering natural attrition of their vision. This inevitability is driving massive demand for so-called “vision loss-friendly phones” with large font screens or voice output of menus or text messages. Paul Schroeder, the vp of Programs and Policy Group at AFB says there is no excuse for not meeting the needs of a major section of the population. He says, "Given today's technological advancements, advertised constantly by cell phone carriers, it is particularly shameful that access features are not being made available.” Blind callers are indeed becoming increasingly frustrated with the mobile industry’s apparent indifference to the issue. Complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which enforces Section 255, a part of the Federal Communications Act requiring all phones to be made usable for people with disabilities, are reportedly flooding in from across the United States.