Just Went Blind? Start With Your Phone

In short

You do not need to buy anything today. The phone already in your pocket can talk to you — free, already installed. There are two paths: keep your phone and turn the talking on, or get a simpler phone with real buttons. Learn three things first: answering a call, calling your family, and getting help in an emergency. Everything else can wait.

First: you do not need to buy anything

Every smartphone sold in the last decade has a built-in screen reader — software that reads the screen out loud. On an iPhone it is called VoiceOver. On an Android phone (Samsung, Motorola, Pixel, and the rest) it is called TalkBack. (On older Samsung phones it may be called Voice Assistant — same idea.) It costs nothing. It is already on your phone. Nobody here is going to tell you to buy a new phone.

If your phone is an old Android that still turns on and makes calls, that is enough to start.

The first 48 hours

Losing your sight is a shock. That fear is normal — millions of people your age have learned to live well blind, and this page is the first step. Three things, in order. Nothing else matters yet.

  1. Get the talking turned on. Ask a family member, a neighbor, or anyone nearby to do it with you — it takes two minutes and the steps are below. Once it is on, your phone will speak everything you touch. No one nearby? Call Hadley at 800-323-4238 first — they will walk you through it by phone, free.
  2. Make sure you can call for help. 911 works from any phone, talking turned on or not — even a phone with no service plan. You can also dial 911 from the lock screen without unlocking: tap the Emergency button, dial, then press the green Call button (double-tap it with a screen reader on — dialing alone does not place the call on an iPhone). Make sure at least one family member's number is saved where you can reach it.
  3. Call your state's blind services agency. Every state has one, and the training is free — in most states that includes someone coming to your home. This is the start of weeks of training, not a single visit. Find your state's blind services agency.

The rest of the first month — the feelings, the free talking-book library, what not to buy — is in our Newly Blind: the first 30 days guide. This page is only about the phone.

Lane 1: Keep the phone you have

This is the right choice for most people. Your phone, your number, nothing to buy, nothing to learn from scratch.

If you have an Android phone

Press and hold both volume buttons together for three seconds. The phone will vibrate and TalkBack will turn on (your helper taps through the confirmation) and a short tutorial begins automatically. If nothing happens after three seconds, the shortcut is switched off on your phone — say "Hey Google, turn on TalkBack" instead, or ask your helper to switch it on in Settings, then Accessibility, then TalkBack.

It will talk a lot at first — announcing everything you touch. That is normal. It settles down as you learn.

If you have an iPhone

Say "Hey Siri, turn on VoiceOver." If Siri does not respond, ask your helper to open Settings, then Accessibility, then VoiceOver, and switch it on.

The only three things to learn first

Everything else can wait. Learn these three and you are connected:

  1. Answer a call. On an iPhone, double-tap anywhere on the screen with two fingers. On an Android phone, TalkBack will announce the Answer button — tap it, then double-tap it. (On some Samsung phones, double-tap with two fingers instead — TalkBack will say which.) To hang up, tap the End call button, then double-tap it.
  2. Call someone. On an iPhone, say "Hey Siri, call" and the person's name (or press and hold the side button). On an Android phone, say "Hey Google, call" and the person's name.
  3. Get help in an emergency. Dial 911 the same way: tap each number, double-tapping each one to enter it, then press the green Call button — double-tap it with a screen reader on. (Dialing alone does not place the call on an iPhone.)

Once those three feel natural, the built-in tutorial (Android — ask your helper to replay it in Settings, under Accessibility, then TalkBack) or the free VO Starter app on the App Store (iPhone) teaches the rest step by step.

Lane 2: A simpler phone, if the smartphone is too much

Some people try the smartphone and hate it. That is fine. There are phones built specifically for blind users — real buttons you can feel, everything spoken out loud, no touchscreen to fight with.

BlindShell Classic LITE — the simplest option

Around $190–$250 (seen Oct 2026). Big tactile buttons, every menu spoken aloud, calling, texting, alarm, FM radio, and an SOS button for emergencies. No internet, no apps, no touchscreen — deliberately. Honest take: US availability is inconsistent — BlindShell's own shop currently lists it as not available in the USA, but US blind-product vendors have carried it. Check the listing before you get your heart set on it, or call AT Guys at 269-216-4798 and ask.

BlindShell Classic 2 — the step up

Around $630–$650 (seen Oct 2026). Everything the LITE does, plus WhatsApp, internet, email, voice control, and a camera. Still all buttons, still talks. Buy it from BlindShell's US shop or a US blind-product vendor.

Honest take: start with Lane 1. It is free and it is already in your pocket. Only spend money on a BlindShell if the smartphone genuinely is not working for you after a real try.

What about a Jitterbug or other senior phone?

Senior phones with big buttons help people with low vision, but most of them do not talk — and if you cannot see the screen at all, big silent buttons are not enough. A phone that speaks is the requirement, not a nice extra.

Five free apps worth knowing about

You do not need any of these on day one. When you are ready for a little more, these are the ones that matter most:

Free help beyond the phone

If you are the family member reading this

Turn the talking on for them using the steps above, then stop. Do not set up everything, do not rearrange their phone, do not take it away to "fix" it. Sit with them while they learn the three things — answering, calling you, and 911. That one afternoon is worth more than any device you could buy them. When they are ready for more, this page will still be here.

And do not buy them a new iPhone unless they ask. The phone they have is fine.

Last updated: October 19, 2026.