Swipe Right for Access: A SmartPhone Guide for Social Workers

by Tara Wilcox, MLIS, and Lauren Tucker, Ed.D.

     How many of your clients depend on technology every day? Increasing access to necessary resources for clients can be as easy as the swipe of a finger. As referenced in the Grand Challenges for Social Work, harnessing technology is crucial to increasing opportunities and promoting equity.  Awareness of the accessibility tools that are available on smartphones can help social workers provide access to apps, resources, and providers that clients may not have utilized before. Working in the field of assistive technology, we are consistently reminded of the power appropriate access provides.

     The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to navigate technology to access vital resources such as counseling and healthcare, as well as signing up for essential services such as unemployment benefits and Social Security. Accessibility features can be crucial in this process for individuals to complete these tasks independently. They can also make daily tasks such as reading a menu or keeping in touch with friends and family easier. In this article, we will share our top accessibility features of smartphones and the corresponding tasks they can assist with.

Getting Started - Which Model?

     Clients will have different models of smartphones, and some of these instructions may vary from device to device. For example, the Android platform can run on a variety of devices. Also, newer iPhones such as the iPhone 12 and up have increased capabilities, such as person detection and door detection, that are unavailable on older models. For the purposes of this article, we will discuss the basic features available across Android and iPhone models.

Virtual Assistants Can Help!

     It can be difficult to remember all of the ways to access the apps and accessibility features of a phone. Virtual assistants are a great introduction to accessibility features. Voice activated assistants  can make phone calls, schedule reminders, and share locations. A user's voice  can also turn on features such as the flashlight and camera.

     Apple's Siri comes included with the iPhone and can be accessed by holding the side button or home button and saying “Hey Siri.” To access Siri hands-free, even when your phone is locked, navigate to Settings and choose “Always Listen” for “Hey Siri.”  Siri can also work via text by turning on “Type to Siri.”  Practicing Siri’s capabilities is a fun way for clients to get to know their phone’s capabilities. Some practice commands for Siri:

• Hey Siri, call Home.
• Hey Siri, where am I?
• Hey Siri, when is the next bus to...
• Hey Siri, open the camera.

     On an Android, “Hey Google” can be used in the same manner as “Hey Siri” on an iPhone. To access “Hey Google,” users should open their Google app, go to their profile, choose Settings, click on Voice, tap “Hey Google” and “Voice Match,” and then turn on “Hey Google.” Some practice commands for “Hey Google” can be:

• Hey Google, when is my next dentist appointment?
• Hey Google, call Mom.
• Hey Google, what movies are playing nearby?

     “Hey Google” can also be used with other apps, such as Walmart, Instacart, and WhatsApp.

I Can’t See It!

     Have a client with increased screen time and eye fatigue? Frequent headaches? Display accommodations might be a feature to explore. For an Apple device, under Settings, Accessibility, and Display and Text Size, this menu allows the user to adjust the visual settings within the device. On Android devices, display and text size features can be found by going to the Settings app and clicking on Display. Having trouble seeing the text? Bold it! Enlarge it! One of our favorite features is the color filter, which tints the screen with a specific color hue. This accommodation can reduce eye fatigue and strain for many users. 

Settings Before Display Accommodations                                     

Text After Display Accommodations

Just Listen

     Text to Speech allows written content to be spoken aloud. Users can adjust the voice, speed, and text highlighting to their preferences. This support can be used to read text messages, articles, emails, and more. Not only is this feature crucial for individuals with reading difficulties, but it can also help with multitasking or visual challenges.

     On iPhones, navigate to Settings, then Accessibility. Then go to Vision, choose Spoken Content, and turn on Speak Selection.

     On Android, select Settings, Accessibility, Text to Speech output. Although each of the platforms might provide text to speech a bit differently, demonstrating it for a client and exploring the support on their device can remove significant obstacles.

Take a Closer Look

     Prescription labels can be difficult to read, even for those with 20/20 vision. The Magnifier feature on smartphones uses the camera to enlarge and illuminate objects. The magnifier is a useful tool for viewing labels, menu items, and any other hard-to-see objects.

     iPhone’s Magnifier can be found by going to the Settings icon and tapping on the Control Center.  The iPhone Magnifier also has a flashlight feature and can capture photos of the object the user is zooming in on. Once the image is captured by the camera, the color, brightness, and contrast can also be customized.

     Android’s Magnifier can be turned on by going to Settings, choosing Accessibility, then turning on Magnifier. This feature would be very useful for a client who has questions about instructions on a prescription label and wants to share them with a doctor or pharmacist. 

Keep it Together

     Have your clients found the accessibility features that are right for them? Keep access tools together through two great resources. With a triple click on the Home or side button, depending on the iPhone model, clients can activate their accessibility features on the home screen. To set up the accessibility shortcut, go to Settings, choose Accessibility, choose Accessibility Shortcuts, and select the functions they want to have.

     To keep everything in one place on the Android side, the Accessibility Suite, which can be found in the Google Play Store, keeps the Accessibility menu, TalkBack, and Select to Speak all together.

Android Accessibility Suite Screenshot

Taken from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.marvin.talkback&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

iPhone Accessibility Shortcut

Where Are You?

     Many smartphone users use location apps to find their devices if they are lost. However, the location apps can also be used to locate users themselves if they are lost or in distress. Using the Family Sharing feature in the Find My app on iPhone to enable location sharing with trusted family and friends can provide added peace of mind for clients who are living independently. Clients can choose to share their location to let their loved ones know where they are at any given time. Alerts to locations such as home and work can be turned on in the Find My app to share safe arrival and departure from specific locations. Users can also get directions to the location being shared.

     To enable location sharing, go to the Find My app, tap on People, and add friends and family from your contact list. An amazing shortcut for this feature on iPhone is if the user types “I’m at” in a message, a link to “Current Location” appears to automatically share the user location. Locations can be shared on an Android phone by going to Google Maps, tapping on Settings, choosing Location Settings, and choosing Share Location. Location can also be shared in Google Messages on Android by tapping the + sign in the lower left corner and choosing Location.

Sharing Location on Android

Sharing Location on iPhone

Swiping Into the Future

     Interested in stepping it up a notch? There are some more advanced accessibility features for hearing and visual support. For example, with door detection, blind or low-vision clients can more easily access exits and entrances in unfamiliar surroundings. Apple is also making improvements to its captioning and screen reading features for users with hearing and vision impairments.

     For more information about Apple’s newest software features:  https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ 

     For more information about Google’s accessibility features:  https://www.android.com/accessibility/

Updates for Days

     The world of technology changes rapidly. New updates, versions, and features appear constantly, and some users might need additional support to navigate their devices. Directing them to the platform help services is a great place to start. 

Apple Support:

https://getsupport.apple.com/?caller=arshw

Android Support:

https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en

That’s a Wrap.

     Smartphones have become lifelines in our society. Ensuring that clients have access to this technology and the ability to use it is an essential skill in a social worker’s toolkit. What better way to learn these tools than to use them yourself? Maybe some of the features we described here will also be helpful in your daily life. As we all know, with technology, the more you use it, the more proficient you become. We hope that by highlighting these features we have helped you to assist your clients in utilizing their personal technology to its fullest potential.

Tara Wilcox, MLIS, currently works as a school technology specialist. As part of her studies in the field of assistive technology, she has become aware of the wide variety of assistive technologies that can increase accessibility and help people gain access to resources as well as make daily tasks easier. 

Lauren Tucker, Ed.D., works as a special education professor and assistive technology specialist.  Lauren works closely with local organizations to provide accessibility training for social workers, senior center directors, and other professionals to promote inclusion and technology implementation.