iPhone on Youtube

For those who missed last Saturday's talk with Mr Kua Cheng Hock, you can view this video of our speaker. He talks a little here about what iPhone can do for the visually handicapped.

Taking the first step

A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, said Mr Kua Cheng Hock, an inspirational figure to the low-vision community of Singapore, earlier today.

The businessman who has blazed a path for the blind and low vision in Singapore, urged Macular Degeneration Society members to take their maiden steps to improve their lives and embrace technology to make low vision a nuisance, but not a handicap.

In a 2-hour long talk at the National University of Singapore, Mr Kua, who set up the Guide Dogs for the Blind Singapore society, candidly shared his life experiences and the struggles he had to go through to make this city state more friendly to the blind. From lobbying for guide dogs to be allowed on public buses to urging telcos to offer priority to the blind when it comes to low-vision mobile phones, he has been at the forefront of the push for greater rights to the visually handicapped.

Mr Kua has always been a strong advocate for independent living and mobile lifestyle for the blind, and he believes that with the advanced technology now, there should be little to hold back the visually handicapped from embracing as active and fulfilling a lifestyle as possible.

In particular, he shared with the 20 MDS members on the benefits that the Apple iPhone 3GS have brought to his life. While blind users had to pay extra in the past for software to make computers and phones usable, the iPhone is a device that is ready for the visually handicapped from the get go.

The phone comes with a built-in "Voice-Over" function that reads out what he selects on the menu. Mr Kua, accompanied by his adorable guide dog Kendra, also demonstrated the "TransSGuide" application which can be downloaded for free onto the phone. The application tells Mr Kua when a bus is arriving as well as the location of the nearest bus stop. The built-in Global Positioning System of the iPhone also helps him to navigate about Singapore.

A light refreshment was served after the talk, allowing the members to further interact with Mr Kua and learnt more tips on how to optimise technology to serve our needs.

New Gadgets for Low Vision

Speaker: Kua Cheng Hock, businessman, entrepreneur, and inspiration to the visually handicapped community.

Location:
Auditorium, Level 1
Clinical Research Centre (CRC)
Blk MD11, 10 Medical Drive
National University of Singapore
(Across from National University Hospital’s main entrance)

Date: May 22 (Sat), 2010

Time: 2 to 4pm

Mobility and movement in our ever more complex environment is a huge independence issue for the visually handicapped. Mr Kua will share with us how he navigates the city with the use of the most modern technology, and his guide dog, Kendra. As we would like this to be an interactive session, please bring along any technology and/or mobility tips that you use in your daily life. Sharing information is important for us all!

Call Anne at 6238-7387, or e-mail alleyes@singnet.com.sg to register.

And if you have not yet renewed your MDS membership ($20 for 2 years), please do so at the meeting.next MDS event will be held on May 22 (Sat) and not April 24, as was previously announced.