Jim, a retired children’s books author, still enjoys creative writing to keep his grandchildren entertained. However, the onset of macular degeneration, combined with a detached retina, has made this pastime increasingly difficult for Jim to enjoy in his retirement. He initially joined our Camden social group to meet new friends and enjoy the group craft activities and was delighted to be introduced to our ‘Connecting Lives’ project.
“You have made all the difference for me being able to continue to use my computer…”
Over the course of the last year, we have worked with Jim to re-enable the digital independence that he once took for granted.
“I could no longer read the screen but showing me simple Windows magnification keystrokes, together with the built in screen reader support, is proving indispensable.”
He has also learned how to the built-in accessibility features on his PC, such as manipulating sharper background colour contrasts, configuring simpler file view formats and setting advanced Word editing options. All this has helped Jim to rekindle the art of emailing with his friends and family, view his treasured family photos, backup this all important data and even reminisce watching old video cuts of his independent filmmaking exploits in Africa in the 1950’s, where he produce award winning community development films.
“A huge thank you to Deafblind UK for all the useful adaptations you have helped me with on my PC… we really appreciate all the time you have managed to spend with me over the last year… I truly hope you are able to continue with this very useful work in the future…”
