How to set up Android device for the visually impaired

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Earlier this year I posted a “Just a lil Think” video called “computers for the blind and visually impaired – my 95 yr old grandfather’s road to new vision.

You see my grandfather has Best Syndrome which is a form of Macular Degeneration. I’m sure you know a few people who can’t see as well as they used to. And so this video will hopefully bring some ideas on how you can help them.

Just to keep you in touch on how my grandfather has done.

Last week he watched Frankenstein on YouTube, he chatted to all his grandchildren and children all around the world through WhatsApp, Played Checkers and has been enjoying keeping up to date with Facebook.

Since I posted the video, I’ve had quite a response from a lot of viewers.

The main question I was asked was “How exactly did I set up the tablet for him”.

And so, I’ve created this video to show you how to set up your

Android device for someone who’s visually impaired.

The tablet I used before was a 10.1 inch or a 25cm Lenovo tablet.

This time we ordered him a NABI Big Tab HD 20inch or 50.8cm.

This tablet costs $250. The NABI Big Tab HD is the world’s biggest HD tablet and is made mainly for children and families.

So, here’s how I turned it from a children’s tablet in to a normal everyday Android tablet for someone who battles to see.

First I took the NABI Big Tablet out of the box to find two cables.

One was a charger and the other was a cable with a USB to transfer data from your computer to the tablet.

Now when you switch on the tablet, you’ll be asked a couple of questions just to help you set it up.

Then is the boring part.

You literally have to wait a good hour or two for all the applications and processes to update and upgrade.

Once that’s all done, the tablet will immediately switch on to Nabi Mode or kid mode.

Don’t feel discouraged just yet. Go to parent mode which will take you to what looks more like an Android tablet.

Once you’re in parent mode you’ll want to set this mode to default for when you switch the tablet on and off.

To do this you’ll go to Settings – Security – and click on the box to set Parent Mode as default mode.

Go back to the home screen by clicking on the middle button.

Then click on Play Store and search for the Google Now Launcher.

Install it and choose the Google Now Launcher mode.

Right next Reset the tablet by pressing the off button and then switch it back on.

How awesome! You now have a normal tablet as it opened on Parent Mode and with Google Now Launcher.

Next you want to remove EVERY icon on the home and other pages except Play Store…

You’ll drag each icon and take it to the corner where the X is.

Your home screen should now look something like this…

Now it’s time to customise the tablet with BIG ICONS with the applications he or she will use.

To do this… Go to Google Play store and type in GigantIcon.

Download it and then you’re ready to add your BIG icon apps on the screen.

Go to the Home Page – Hold your finger down on any open space.

A window will open which will give you three options – Wallpaper, Widgets and Settings.

Click on Widget. Scroll down until you see Giganticon and press it.

Next, you’ll choose the app you want enlarged. And drag it to the home screen.

Then do this the same with all the other apps.

With my grandfather I’ve set up Checkers, YouTube, WhatsApp, Calculator, Gallery, Google News and Facebook.

That green Background is very bright and distracting for someone who can’t really see.

So you’ll want to add a dark background.

Go to Google and look up Black Background and save it as an image.

Then you want to set that Image as your wallpaper.

To do this go to Settings – Display – Wallpaper and then Gallery to choose the image.

Finally, you want a Black keyboard with White keys.

Go to Settings – Language and Input – Theme – then choose the Keyboard That’s Black with white keys.

And that’s it.

Click on the home screen and you’re ready to enjoy the tablet.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this video and feel free to like and subscribe for more videos just like these.

I’ll see you soon.

Social media for the visually impaired - Story about my 95 year old grandfather

Feel free to read the transcript to the above video:

My 95-year-old grandfather's road to a new world of vision

The Just a lil think mission for the month, was to help an inspirational family member in my life enjoy the world of the Internet.

That man is my grandfather Jimmy.

Sometimes we take the smallest things for granted.

Like checking up on our Facebook page, reading the latest news and emails, playing games and just communicating with each other on a daily basis.

Well my grandfather unfortunately has very bad vision. So bad that he’s unable to read small texts and identify pictures very well.

And this is because of a rare condition called “Best Syndrome”.
“Best Syndrome” is a form of macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss.

Anyway, so my grandfather is 95 years of age and he doesn’t have the mobility and vision like he used to. So you can say that he was in a way, living in the dark with hardly any connection to the world.

And so it was my mission to help him enjoy the small pleasures in life that we enjoy every day.

It started off by taking a tablet that we don’t use, and organising it in a way that not only a visually impaired person can use but also someone who can’t see at all.

The process started off by organising all the apps that my grandfather would use on a daily basis.

And there are only 6 APPs.


Checkers – His favourite game

Indigo – A virtual assistant to read out the latest Headline news all around the world.

YouTube – So he can watch and listen to any video he desires.

Skype – So he can video call his family as we are often travelling and separated from each other

Google Voice – Which can help him set a timer, Define a word, Calculate any maths sum, Read out his messages and emails, Send out emails and WhatsApps through voice, answer any general knowledge question he has and many other things.

And finally, WhatsApp so he can send voice notes or voice call his loved ones.

The first challenge was that those six icons on his tablet were far too small to see and press.

And so, I simply downloaded a widget that helped make the icons bigger.

Next, I made sure that all his apps were located on only the Home page.

And if a screen went anywhere else, I simply told him to click on the middle button which will take him back to his home page.

I then sat with papou and showed him how his new tablet works.
On day one he was already playing his checkers and watching YouTube videos.

And every couple of days on Skype, I showed him another thing he can do on his tablet.

This is only the beginning for his improved quality of life as you can only get better with practice.

I’ve done this video because I feel that there are many more people out there who may suffer from macular degeneration and visual impairment.

If you know anybody who you would like to connect with the world and enjoy the small pleasures in life like my grandfather did then maybe now you have some kind of an idea on how you can do to help them.

And that’s what Just a lil think is all about.

If you enjoyed this video then don’t forget to give it the thumbs up and subscribe because there’ll be many more of these Just a lil Think videos coming your way.