Radio for the Blind and Visually-Impaired: The Low Vision Large Dial Radio

Looking a lot like a Tivoli Model One, the Low Vision Large Dial AM/FM Radio is selling on Amazon for $50. Wouldn't that be something if it gets good radio reception. I haven't heard any reports yet. Nor is it clear from the photo if it comes with a telescopic antenna though I doubt it. It's probably got a pigtail wire FM antenna, the kind I can't stand.

Still for $50, if this radio produces decent sound and has a strong tuner, it's quite a deal.

Comments

[¾ Blind]

I am bemused by what some marketers deem a blind-friendly product. As a bona fide person with low vision, legally blind since conception, ¾ blind when feeling like a pessimist, or ¼ sighted when feeling like an optometrist, I am a self-proclaimed expert on features that make a device easy to use for blind and visually impaired persons. And lemme tell ya, "...an oversized tuning dial that is easy to manipulate" (quoted directly from the Amazon description) does not a low vision radio make. What good is a large knob if the dial pointer and numbers are tiny and low contrast, or lack tactile markings. Besides I have observed that a high percentage of blind people, especially those born blind, tend to be radio nuts who are very familiar with stations on the AM and FM bands and can deftly tune by ear.

Now, menu driven displays, multi function buttons, and heavy use of graphical user interface can be a challenge for blind and visually impaired people. Fortunately these features have not infiltrated the lowly AM/FM radio, except for some car radios. However, the latest generation of high-definition TVs, now that's a different story. Yup, blind people do "watch" TV. But don't worry; the blind aren't driving car radios.

[Jeff McMahon]

Yeah, the low vision radio above seems like a marketing ploy and I doubt the tuner is any good. Jeff