Amazon Adds New Features to Kindle App

App for Blind & Visually Impaired Users
By Matthew Bullis

Amazon recently announced the accessibility features added to their Kindle app. Previously, blind users have had to struggle with Kindles’ hardware platform. The PC Kindle program was a step forward, but you still had to use the text-to-speech voices supplied in the program itself. With the accessibility features implemented in the iPhone app now, you are able to enjoy Kindle material in any of the iPhone voices, or even with a paired braille display. Although you cannot buy Kindle books from this app, as it’s only a reader, this task is easily handled from the Amazon web site. Within the app, you must select the Cloud link to collect your Kindle materials and sync them to your i-device. Tap on a book to download it. Once the book is loaded, swipe down with two fingers and it will read continuously, with a little swish sound when it changes pages. Single tap with two fingers to start and stop reading, and three finger swipe right to go back a page, and left to advance a page. Double tap to get out of the book and into the menu to switch sections or go elsewhere in the app. Other than that, it’s pretty much straight forward, and ready to enjoy.

Walmart Makes It Easier for the Blind to Identify Medicine

By Jordan Moon

Ever have trouble remembering which prescription container was which or the directions for a certain medicine? A new prescription service designed for the blind and visually impaired shows Walmart understands.

Since June 2012, Walmart started testing a program with En-Vision America, called ScripTalk, to help those who cannot read the small print that comes standard on most prescription labels.

ScripTalk is being offered to customers with visual impairments across the country through Walmart Mail Order and in one test store in the Valley—the Christown location at 1703 West Bethany Home Road. The program is free to Walmart pharmacy customers who are blind or visually-impaired.

“Walmart is pioneering a service for the visually impaired,” Marc Ashton, CEO of Foundation for Blind Children said. “With more than 20 million Americans living with significant vision loss, it’s easy to see how many people will benefit.”

Using ScripTalk, a person hears information about the prescription , including the dose, directions and number of refills. A prescription provided with ScripTalk features an electric chip embedded in the standard print label. To hear the information on the chip, users place the prescription contained over the ScripTalk and push the "Read" button. Users can move through the information by using the "Prev" and the "Next" buttons.

“We have customers who are very, very happy with this program,” said Stefany Collins, a pharmacist at the Christown Walmart. “There are a number of people who very much benefit from the ScripTalk service.”

To order ScripTalk, a Walmart pharmacy customer must first call En-Vision America at 800-890-1180 and a device will be mailed to them, free of charge. Once the device is received, the customer lets the Walmart pharmacist know he/she wants the talking prescription label. In order to reach the Walmart Mail Order prescription service, call (800) 273-3455. Christown customers can pick up the ScripTalk device and the prescriptions with the electric chip in the store.

“Hopefully it will continue to grow so that even more people who need it can receive the service, ” Collins said.

Contact information:

Walmart - Christown location

Address: 1703 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85015

PH: (602) 246-6601

Walmart Mail Order service:

PH: (800) 273-3455

Website: http://www.walmart.com/cp/Pharmacy-Home-Delivery/1042239

En-Vision America

PH: (800) 890-1180

Website: http://www.envisionamerica.com/