Preparing for a new cell phone has always been a big deal for me. Traumatic even. I rely on my phone in a way that belies my age; I would pit my usage numbers up against a teenager’s any day.
Since my vision loss, any new element in my life poses extra challenges and none greater than fresh technology. Because of this I have been reluctant to upgrade my iPhone, despite my husband’s assurances that the availability of larger devices now will be so much better for me and my limited sight.
The battery life of my current phone has diminished greatly and I have finally agreed to make the change. In preparation, I have gone through and deleted emails, voice mails and texts and decided what must be transferred to my future communication hub. It reminds me of readying a house for a move and the painful process of making the hard choices as to what gets left behind.
To some this may seem a dramatic comparison but for me, my phone is a lifeline to the outside world that on many days I no longer feel apart of. Without my cell phone I lose touch with my friends and family, the news, the weather, my beloved pop culture, my music, talk radio, my calendar, my notes and to do lists, the time, pictures, a magnifier, and THE INTERNET. It may be an Apple world and we’re all just living in it, but with this one device and its accessibility features, I’ve got the whole world, my world, in my hands.
