Largest Font Size for Macular Mom - Page 2

tomereader · 06-08-2011, 04:54 PM

I'm legally blind and font size (to me) isn't as important as "good" contrast

what windows accessibility options calls high contrast usually hurts my eyes

With a gold font on black background, I find I'm not squinting, can actually hold the ereader in my lap instead of 2 inches from nose comparing the same equivalent font size from an android tablet to my JBL

I have the Kindle dxg it sits unused, the JBL is better for me as one eye is almost totally gone the large size of the kdxg actually works against it _for me_ the constant head turning vs a smaller viewing area

plus it is MUCH heavier than say a jbl or 5-7 inch tablet (and I do 250 curls, 250 push ups daily) and it was uncomfortable when I used it

With an android tablet with something like coolreader http://www.coolreader.org/e-index.htm installed I can go up to size 72 (or 92??) font so the SIZE is never an issue but finding that soothing good contrast might make all the difference for your mom

PLUS -> touch screen page turning, once you have that convenience of touching anywhere on the right side to go to next page (can even use nose

using a fixed button won't be the same

you might check out these threads about vision impaired readers looking for readers:

White Text on Black Background
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90654

Ereader for sufferer of macular degeneration
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=129345

2 many to choose from
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124430

Ebook reader for a visually impaired geek
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=113414

Using my JBL as a "GPS" (low vision navigation)
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98195

Research on ereaders from low vision point of view
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0A...0em00&hl=en_US

more links from one of my pages/posts:

Shows examples of 3 different font background colors
http://www.visionaid.com/demopage/demopos5.htm

APHont™: A Font for Low Vision
http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html

Tips for Computer Users with Low Vision
http://www.afb.org/section.asp?Secti...ocumentID=1452

Visual Disabilities
http://webaim.org/articles/visual/lowvision

Computer Technology and Accessibility for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision
http://www.visionaware.org/accessibility_help

Low Vision FAQ
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Facul...ision_faq.html

text color to background color check tool
http://tofu.corvallis.or.us/color/
http://mrnatural3.tripod.com/tools/colorcheck.html

ereaders info
Best Ebook Reader for Low Vision
http://www.webrn-maculardegeneration...ok-reader.html

The Accessible E-reader by Clytie Siddall
http://oz-e-books.squarespace.com/ne...e-siddall.html

Intel (R) Reader for low vision/blind users
http://www.ctlcorp.com/v4/p-879-intelr-reader.aspx

BookSense text and audio book reader for Low Vision formats
http://www.gwmicro.com/BookSense/Comparison_Chart/

The free NLS Bard talking books (tape and digital)

https://nlsbard.loc.gov/ApplicationInstructions.html

If you haven't heard of it it is a nice service

There's also
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) offers an online catalog of the best audio book and audio learning opportunities on the internet.
www.rfbd.org/ (free)

For the disabled, Bookshare leverages the collections of individuals who scan books. Braille books and tools for downloading.
www.bookshare.org/ (not free, but some libraries have a small assistance program)

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
www.afb.org/
has forums for technology and books that might be of interest

ProfCrash · 06-09-2011, 09:38 AM

I think the ergonomics of any device is going to be highly individual. My 70 year old mother loves her Kindle DXG, so much so that when she lost her first one she told me that she really missed it so I bought her another. She does not find it heavy or clunky and reads with it in an MEdge cover. She plays golf occassionally and walks alot but does 0 push ups, sit ups, and curls each day. (winks)I got her her first DX when she was undergoing radiation and chemo for lung cancer and she never complained about the weight.

I have no doubt that different color fonts and backgrounds could be very helpful. Is that something that could be tested on a computer and see if it helps you Mom? If it does, then maybe you want a device with an LCD screen after all.

The nice thing about the Kindles is that they come with a 30 day trial period. You can get her a DXG and see if it works for her and she is comfortable with it. If she is not, you can return it for a full refund.

The other nice thing about the Kindles is Text to Speech. This will make her life easier if she does get to the point that she cannot read. It will increase the number of books that she can listen to. The one problem with the DXG is that it does not have the audible menus like the K3.

WaltC · 06-09-2011, 01:54 PM

tomereader,
Thanks for all the links. I'm working my through them slowly, but there's definitely a lot of very helpful information there.

WaltC · 06-09-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I got her her first DX when she was undergoing radiation and chemo for lung cancer and she never complained about the weight.

That's good to know about the weight. Mom was worried about the weight, but I gave her a journal with the same weight & she thought that was fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

The other nice thing about the Kindles is Text to Speech. This will make her life easier if she does get to the point that she cannot read. It will increase the number of books that she can listen to. The one problem with the DXG is that it does not have the audible menus like the K3.

She hasn't tried the TTS on her K2 yet, so that's something else we can experiment with.

Thanks all.

ProfCrash · 06-09-2011, 03:07 PM

I think it is less about the weight and more about the balance. I did not like reading my DXG naked, it felt wrong. Once I added the cover, it felt fine. I prefer the weight of the K3 but love the larger reading space on the DXG.

I think this is true for most of the ereaders. There are people who feel that the Nook, Kobo, Sony, Kindle, Powerbook, whatever ereader feels just right and the others feel wrong. I think we blame it on the weight because the e-reader feels wrong due to balance and less due to weight.

Obviously, the larger DXG does weigh more then most e-readers and its heaviness could be problematic for some folks. If you Mom is comfortable with a hardback book or a heavy journal than I don't think that the weight will be problematic for her.

06-08-2011, 04:54 PM	#16
tomereader Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 664461 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Coast of Ohio Device: Ectaco JBL, Archos 5, 7, 70, Kindle DXG, Craig 7, Vizio Vtab	I'm legally blind and font size (to me) isn't as important as "good" contrast what windows accessibility options calls high contrast usually hurts my eyes With a gold font on black background, I find I'm not squinting, can actually hold the ereader in my lap instead of 2 inches from nose comparing the same equivalent font size from an android tablet to my JBL I have the Kindle dxg it sits unused, the JBL is better for me as one eye is almost totally gone the large size of the kdxg actually works against it _for me_ the constant head turning vs a smaller viewing area plus it is MUCH heavier than say a jbl or 5-7 inch tablet (and I do 250 curls, 250 push ups daily) and it was uncomfortable when I used it With an android tablet with something like coolreader http://www.coolreader.org/e-index.htm installed I can go up to size 72 (or 92??) font so the SIZE is never an issue but finding that soothing good contrast might make all the difference for your mom PLUS -> touch screen page turning, once you have that convenience of touching anywhere on the right side to go to next page (can even use nose using a fixed button won't be the same you might check out these threads about vision impaired readers looking for readers: White Text on Black Background https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90654 Ereader for sufferer of macular degeneration https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=129345 2 many to choose from https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124430 Ebook reader for a visually impaired geek https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=113414 Using my JBL as a "GPS" (low vision navigation) https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98195 Research on ereaders from low vision point of view https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0A...0em00&hl=en_US more links from one of my pages/posts: Shows examples of 3 different font background colors http://www.visionaid.com/demopage/demopos5.htm APHont™: A Font for Low Vision http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html Tips for Computer Users with Low Vision http://www.afb.org/section.asp?Secti...ocumentID=1452 Visual Disabilities http://webaim.org/articles/visual/lowvision Computer Technology and Accessibility for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision http://www.visionaware.org/accessibility_help Low Vision FAQ http://www.washington.edu/doit/Facul...ision_faq.html text color to background color check tool http://tofu.corvallis.or.us/color/ http://mrnatural3.tripod.com/tools/colorcheck.html ereaders info Best Ebook Reader for Low Vision http://www.webrn-maculardegeneration...ok-reader.html The Accessible E-reader by Clytie Siddall http://oz-e-books.squarespace.com/ne...e-siddall.html Intel (R) Reader for low vision/blind users http://www.ctlcorp.com/v4/p-879-intelr-reader.aspx BookSense text and audio book reader for Low Vision formats http://www.gwmicro.com/BookSense/Comparison_Chart/ The free NLS Bard talking books (tape and digital) https://nlsbard.loc.gov/ApplicationInstructions.html If you haven't heard of it it is a nice service There's also Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) offers an online catalog of the best audio book and audio learning opportunities on the internet. www.rfbd.org/ (free) For the disabled, Bookshare leverages the collections of individuals who scan books. Braille books and tools for downloading. www.bookshare.org/ (not free, but some libraries have a small assistance program) American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) www.afb.org/ has forums for technology and books that might be of interest Last edited by tomereader; 06-08-2011 at 05:41 PM. Reason: added more

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06-09-2011, 09:38 AM	#17
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I think the ergonomics of any device is going to be highly individual. My 70 year old mother loves her Kindle DXG, so much so that when she lost her first one she told me that she really missed it so I bought her another. She does not find it heavy or clunky and reads with it in an MEdge cover. She plays golf occassionally and walks alot but does 0 push ups, sit ups, and curls each day. (winks)I got her her first DX when she was undergoing radiation and chemo for lung cancer and she never complained about the weight. I have no doubt that different color fonts and backgrounds could be very helpful. Is that something that could be tested on a computer and see if it helps you Mom? If it does, then maybe you want a device with an LCD screen after all. The nice thing about the Kindles is that they come with a 30 day trial period. You can get her a DXG and see if it works for her and she is comfortable with it. If she is not, you can return it for a full refund. The other nice thing about the Kindles is Text to Speech. This will make her life easier if she does get to the point that she cannot read. It will increase the number of books that she can listen to. The one problem with the DXG is that it does not have the audible menus like the K3.

06-09-2011, 01:54 PM	#18
WaltC Harmonious Grump Posts: 42 Karma: 506574 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, NM Device: Kindle 2, Kindle Touch, Nook HD, iPad 3, Voyage	tomereader, Thanks for all the links. I'm working my through them slowly, but there's definitely a lot of very helpful information there.

06-09-2011, 03:07 PM	#20
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I think it is less about the weight and more about the balance. I did not like reading my DXG naked, it felt wrong. Once I added the cover, it felt fine. I prefer the weight of the K3 but love the larger reading space on the DXG. I think this is true for most of the ereaders. There are people who feel that the Nook, Kobo, Sony, Kindle, Powerbook, whatever ereader feels just right and the others feel wrong. I think we blame it on the weight because the e-reader feels wrong due to balance and less due to weight. Obviously, the larger DXG does weigh more then most e-readers and its heaviness could be problematic for some folks. If you Mom is comfortable with a hardback book or a heavy journal than I don't think that the weight will be problematic for her.