Magnifiers for the Visually Impaired

Often people with low vision need extra assistance beyond what standard glasses or contact lenses offer. Eyeglasses can fix certain problems, like near-sightedness and far-sightedness; however, they don’t work for permanent blind spots in the visual field, which can occur from age-related macular degeneration. This is where magnifiers come into play.

How do Magnifiers Help?

When vision loss is experienced in the macula (central part of the retina), natural magnification becomes difficult. A magnifier helps to reduce problems caused by damage to the macula by using more of the healthy surrounding retina to produce visual images.

What Different Types of Magnifiers are there?

If you’re someone who likes to sew, then you don’t want to get a handheld magnifier. On the other hand, you may benefit from one if reading.

A handheld magnifier is portable and easy to use when it comes to simple tasks – checking product labels, for example.

Visit our Magnifier Shopping Guide to find out more about the different types of Magnifiers.

Of course, some people have worse damage than others, and may need a higher magnification power. It wouldn’t be wise to purchase the first magnifier you lay your eyes on.

Feel free to check out our Magnifier Wizard, helping you choose the magnifier you need.

Still Confused?

We’ve got a glossary of magnifier-related concepts on our main website. On this page you can learn about diopter, field of view, magnification, and also learn how to properly use a magnifier.

 

 

Phones for the Hearing Impaired

Those with hearing loss will find that having conversations with a standard telephone can be unpleasant or simply annoying. The volume of a standard telephone receiver cannot compensate for the lack of hearing that many people have.

But why fight this battle? Surely there’s a solution.

Amplified Telephones

Those who aren’t completely deaf may benefit from an amplified telephone. If voices still sound faint when using a standard phone at its highest volume, you may want to consider getting an amplified telephone.

Amplified cordless phones generally cost around $80 to $280, with corded phones being significantly cheaper and amplified cell phones starting at $100.

Can’t decide on which to choose? Keep in mind the benefits of having a cordless phone, and ask yourself if it’s worth the extra money. An amplified cell phone may also be a nice addition if you require one.

TTY Technology (Text Telephones)

More than four million people in the U.S. use a TTY, commonly known as text phones or minicoms. A TTY allows deaf or speech-impaired users to communicate efficiently over phone lines with anyone regardless of whether this person can hear well or not.

TTYs can be used by placing a telephone handset into the TTY’s acoustic couplers, or by directly connecting to an analog telephone line. Letters are converted into electrical signals that are converted back to letters again on screen of the receiving unit.

If one has severe hearing loss or complete deafness, then a TTY may be the answer. Compared to an amplified telephone, the price is a little higher due to the resources required to build the product.

Here at Assistech we’ve got a wide range of TTY phones and accessories.

 

See also: Telephones for the Deaf: A Thing of the Present

 

The Big Button Phone: Eliminating Memorization, Simplifying Communication

From the time of its conception to today, the classic telephone has come a long, long way. What used to be clunky phones with rotating dials have now evolved into many options: cordless models, units that look and function like cellular phones, to even designer models that come with their own built-in tablets. Just like many other gadgets produced in the earlier years, the standard telephone is trying to keep up.

What manufacturers fail to realize is that most people don’t really care for the “bells and whistles” on their standard telephone units ─ they want simple and ergonomic devices that do the job right. And since numbers aren’t the easiest thing to memorize, some memory to store important numbers would be a great feature addition! How about a telephone that retains numbers in the memory even if the unit is unplugged from the phone line?

Most people aren’t too keen on memorizing numbers; and they definitely are not fans of squinting at hard-to-read, tiny buttons. That’s one of the reasons why we appreciate and love the fun and incredibly easy-to-use Big Button Phone with 40dB Handset Volume. This artfully designed unit eliminates the basic problems of standard telephones, such as low volume and small buttons. It has 10 two-touch and 2 one-touch speed dials, as well a distinct red 911 button at the top for easy access during emergencies. Not only is it great for those who want to keep things easier and simpler, but it is actually beneficial to the elderly and those dealing with hearing loss and memory problems.

The Big Button Phone with 40dB Handset Volume keeps the numbers stored in the memory even if there’s a power outage. Never forget an important number again, and never struggle again to dial out and receive calls! The Big Button Phone with 40dB Handset Volume simplifies the art of communication and even does the memorization for you.

The Big Button Phone is hearing-aid compatible, and comes with a 90-day limited manufacturer’s warranty.

Read more about the Big Button Phone with 40Db Handset Volume

COOL! One-button talking watch with multiple functions

Assistech is pleased to introduce the new Dual Voice Talking Watch by Time Optics™. This one-button watch does it all! Not only does it announce the time, it also announces the day, date, year, has an optional alarm – and dual voices (male and female).

Up until now, a one-button talking watch would give you announcement of the current time only, and you would have two batteries to maintain. Time Optics came up with a breakthrough solution by offering a simple, easy-to-set one-button watch with features that were only found in the traditional four-button models. They tooled up their own voice chip (of great quality, by the way) and engineered their watches to run on a single battery!

The Time Optics Talking Watches are available in an assortment of styles, from casual and sporty to a more classic look. The Youth series is comprised of velcro band watches in many colors: blue, light blue, red & blue, black, and pink. The adult-size styles come with leather band or flex band, and are available in gold, silver, and two-tone.

The Dual Voice Talking Watches have a manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty. You might think these watches would cost a fortune, but that’s not the case. They are very affordable and cost-effective compared to other competing brands on the market. And I must emphasize, they carry a limited lifetime warranty!

The complete line of Dual Voice Talking Watches are available on our website at www.assistech.com/products/Dual-Voice-Talking-Watches.htm. They are now all available and ready to ship!

An alarm clock that responds to your voice commands!

Now you can set an alarm clock – or turn it off – without ever moving from the comfort of your bed. No more small buttons and no more programming. Just speak, and this clock listens!

Meet ivee Flex, the interactive talking alarm clock that can tell you the time, date and temperature – all you need to do is ask. Her built-in FM radio can be turned on by voice and a large LCD offers adjustable lighting, while 6 sleep sounds will put you in a calm, relaxed state, helping you ease into your bedtime and morning routines.

With ivee’s understanding of over 30 simple voice commands, she will become your hands-free personal assistant for telling the time, date and indoor temperature, as well as managing alarms, timers, sleep sounds, the nightlight, and FM radio features. Simply say “hello ivee” to get started. (ivee may also be activated by touching the LCD display.)

ivee Flex is available in your choice of colors:

ivee Flex – Black
ivee Flex – White

Also available is the ivee Digit Interactive with 20 voice commands and no FM radio:

ivee Digit Interactive – Blue
ivee Digit Interactive – White

And here’s a demo video showing how ivee works:

Let’s talk about talking watches

Has your talking watch stopped talking? It could be two things: either the battery for the voice went dead or the watch itself went kaput.

A talking watch normally uses two types of battery: one for the voice and another battery for the movement of the hands. Battery types vary depending on the kind of watch you wear (analog vs. digital, for example). Most of our talking watches are analog and use battery types SR626SW (movement) and CR2016 (sound).

Here are three of the most common questions we hear from people interested in buying a talking watch:

1. How long will the batteries last?

The answer is: It depends on usage. Typically, they should last for months or even more than a year.

2. Where can I buy new battery?

Try wholesaleforeveryone.com. They are available in 5-10 packs, which may save you some money!

3. Where can I have my watch battery replaced?

We do not recommend replacing the batteries yourself. Some watches are a little tricky and may require special tools. Plus, you don’t want to damage the inner parts of your beloved watch! So the best thing is to take it to a local jeweler who knows how to replace the battery.

Most of the watches we sell have a 90-day warranty, but some do carry a lifetime warranty! Sounds interesting? Go to our website and key in “Avalon” for more information. Typically, a manufacturer’s warranty won’t cover battery replacement or cosmetic damage resulting from misuse.

Finally, if you’re having trouble setting your talking watch, this video may be helpful.

Assistech launches shopping rewards program

Assistech has just launched a new shopping rewards program as a way to promote assistive technology awareness on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

As shoppers go through the checkout process, they are now given the option to share their purchases with friends and family on the major social networks as well as by email. No personal information is shared; only a picture of the item, a brief description, and a back link. There’s also a copy and paste code that can be inserted in blogs and personal pages linking back to Assistech’s website.

The company will run occasional coupon promotions as an incentive for customer referrals. By referring a friend or family member you can get a coupon for the same dollar amount. The person who was referred also gets a coupon for the same dollar amount. “This is a win-win situation for everybody,” said Oliver Simoes, Customer Service Manager at Assistech.

Coupons are good for 180 days from the date of purchase and may be redeemed online. Go to Assistech.com/coupons for more information.

If you have any questions about our Rewards Program, please call toll-free 1-866-674-3549 (or 1-520-883-8600 if calling from overseas).

 

Assistech.com makes international shopping easier

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new language interface to our website that will make it easier for non-English language customers to shop with us.

The new language interface adds to our international customer service experience and is initially available in Spanish and Portuguese. When a customer of either language decides to buy something on our website, he/she simply selects the appropriate language on the title bar to get an instant, natural translation of the shopping cart pages.

The new Spanish/Portuguese translation interface is available throughout the checkout process. All you have to do is to make your selection once and the shopping cart will keep it in the language of your choice until the very end. If for some reason you have trouble when switching between languages, please make sure to refresh your page. This will reset the online forms and allow you to fill them out in your language with ease!

Besides the new translation interface, we offer selected portions of our website in Spanish and Portuguese. They are a click away — simply select the appropriate country flag at the top of the web page(s) to access them!

Assistech.com makes international shopping easier

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new language interface to our website that will make it easier for non-English language customers to shop with us.

The new language interface adds to our international customer service experience and is initially available in Spanish and Portuguese. When a customer of either language decides to buy something on our website, he/she simply selects the appropriate language on the title bar to get an instant, natural translation of the shopping cart pages.

The new Spanish/Portuguese translation interface is available throughout the checkout process. All you have to do is to make your selection once and the shopping cart will keep it in the language of your choice until the very end. If for some reason you have trouble when switching between languages, please make sure to refresh your page. This will reset the online forms and allow you to fill them out in your language with ease!

Besides the new translation interface, we offer selected portions of our website in Spanish and Portuguese. They are a click away — simply select the appropriate country flag at the top of the web page(s) to access them!

What does FedEx ‘box tossing’ have to do with my business?

Recently we heard in the news how a FedEx driver supposedly tossed a box containing a 42-inch flat screen TV over a fence. I can’t help but wonder how the recipient of that poor box felt about the way his/her flat screen TV was handled and how other consumers have reacted to the news.

What does the FedEx ‘box tossing’ have to do with my business? Well, I could just pretend that I have nothing to do with FedEx (I use UPS for most of my shipping needs) and this would be the end of the story. But the very next day, as I glanced over Yahoo News, I remember reading something about a UPS driver’s mishandling of some sort. As I was busy fulfilling my customers’ orders, I didn’t pay much attention, but the names FedEx and UPS stuck to my mind.

In this day and age of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, stories like these have the potential of going viral and becoming a sore spot for the companies involved. Sure enough, Christmas is not even over, and another news story pops up, this time broadcast by Reuters. It reads, U.S. Shoppers less than merry after online glitches. Ooops, now they are talking about e-commerce and, as an online merchant, I must listen carefully because they could be talking about me.

What struck me most when reading this news story is how shoppers are likely not to forget a company that ruined their Christmas shopping experience. In the words of Patty Edwards, “People have a long memory. And when a retailer ruins Christmas by not delivering little Jimmy’s present on time, they’ve placed themselves on the permanent ‘naughty’ list.” What does this have to do with my business? Everything. And if you are an online retailer, it better have to do with yours too!

No matter how much attention I pay to my Christmas orders and how much I try to avoid last-minute “glitches”, it seems like there always will be some unhappy camper, someone who was not informed of a back-ordered or discontinued item until it’s too late. At a time when a big chunk of Amazon orders are fulfilled by third party companies, this becomes a serious issue indeed. Such is the predicament when we merchants have to rely on suppliers/carriers to get our orders shipped/delivered.

So the question is, how do we avoid those glitches or minimize their unintended consequences? To me, the answer is simple. We never lose sight of the customer in the first place, and we always put ourselves in their shoes. When we make a mistake, we don’t simply take a defensive approach and try to justify. We use more than just empty cliches such as “I understand your frustration blah blah blah…” To quote someone, “we make amends for our shortcomings”. Most customers will appreciate an additional discount or free shipping for a next-day order that was not delivered until 2-3 days later!

Besides apologizing and making amends, we take proactive steps to keep the problems from reoccurring. We train our employees to become more Customer Service oriented and to understand how an apparently harmless data entry error, for example, may have a long-lasting impact on the consumer and by default on our business and the industry as a whole.

The numbers are staggering, as reported by Reuters: “Only six of the 25 largest U.S. Retailers received top marks for online customer service, including website performance, between this year’s November 25 Black Friday and the following Cyber Monday, according to STELLAService.”

I wonder how much explaining FedEx had to do about their employees’ apparent misconduct. The question remains, what does that poor box have to do with my business? The answer is: everything.