A new 'Phone it Forward' campaign from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind encourages Canadians to donate their old smartphones rather than sell them or leave them in a drawer.
Crystal Gunn, who became blind due to complications from diabetes, uses a smartphone donated to her through the 'Phone it Forward' program.
Even the simple pleasure of enjoying a book was lost to her – at least until a new campaign put a smartphone in her hand and gave her the chance to listen to literature for the first time in years.“Like having a regular book, you can’t put it down.” Donated phones are mailed to a central location where they are wiped clean of their data, then given to Canadians who are blind or have low vision – many of whom might not be able to afford modern devices themselves. It’s estimated that about 55 per cent of blind Canadians own smartphones, compared to 90 per cent of the general population.
“If we can get just 10 per cent of the smart devices that are being decommissioned, we would be able to get a smart device in the hands of every Canadian who is blind or partially sighted – and we’d be able to provide the training for them to know how to use it.”
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