Sandy’s View: Experiencing Accessibility Through Amazon’s Smart Devices

Last year, Amazon generously donated over 350 smart devices to Lighthouse employees with disabilities and to tenants at The Foglia Residences. In addition to enjoying all the convenience and accessibility of the devices, those of us who received them have the unique opportunity to give Amazon direct feedback so they can improve future products. In November, I received an Echo Show, a Blink doorbell and a smart plug as part of this project, and here are a few of my initial thoughts.

I am completely blind and was surprised by how easy the setup was. Usually when I get a new tech gadget, a sighted person needs to help me from start to finish. Setting up the Amazon devices was straightforward and accessible. Both the Amazon Alexa and Blink apps were accessible on my iPhone and walked me through every step.

Hint: to set up the Echo Show, turning on Voice View – Amazon’s built-in screen-reader – is particularly helpful for people with little or no vision since it walks us through all the set-up prompts on the screen.

The Blink Video Doorbell has a feature where you can manually set it up, avoiding the need to scan a barcode (which can be difficult for those with vision loss). The Smart Plug was also easily configured through the Alexa app. With these devices set up, I can ask whoever rings the bell who it is through the Echo Show or the Blink app, and I can tell Alexa to turn off my smart plug once my devices are charged.

One feature that has come in really handy is the “show and tell” accessibility feature on the Echo Show devices. By simply asking Alexa what I’m holding close to the camera, it tells me the names and ingredients of canned foods and other product packages. Alexa also gives me audible tones, so I know how to point the product toward the camera. This is certainly much easier than having to move my smartphone around trying to capture a product’s barcode.

I have used assistive technology since the 1990s and am still amazed at how it can make my day-to-day life more accessible. A big thank you and kudos to Amazon for striving to make products that are usable and accessible to people of all abilities.