Recommendation for mp3 player for physically disabled

[lowVoltage]

I have a close friend who is totally blind. Need a recommendation for a mp3 player that is EASY/INTUITIVE to operate/navigate, and supports Windows Drag ‘n Drop.

Obviously he can’t see the display, and that is the crux of the problem. So we need something really simple! He does not need a FM tuner, or Voice Recording functions. He will be playing only mp3 or WMA formats only. If the player uses Flash Memory, an onboard expansion slot for an SD card would be welcome.

He is quite computer literate. And uses a Microsoft program that converts his video display into audio He navigates the keyboard extremely well. He currently has over 300 gig of mp3’s, that he listens to thru his computer system.

I wanted to broaden his horizons a little. So loaded up an old Rio Forge with some Blues and Jazz along with one of Gary’s PA2V2 headphone amps and some Senn px-100’s and sent him home. He fell in love with it, but it is finicky to operate for the reasons stated above. He is a Grado fan and soon substituted some RS-1’s that he had.

Any recommendations are welcome.

My wife and I are “Puppy Raisers” for the local “Leader Dog for The Blind” organization. We are a foster home for the dogs for the first year of their life. We take them into our home and teach them all of the basic commands and the after a year return them to Leader Dog, for their four month formal training before being assigned to a blind person. As a result we come into contact with the visually impaired on a daily basis. Almost universally, they have a deep love for music. If I can come up with something to make that a little easier for them, that would be neat,

Mike ….LowVoltage

 

[apnk]

I'd say a Apple Shuffle, but no expansion slot.

 

[raid517]

Hi, for large capacity, drag and drop, zero configuration (works just like dragging files to a hard drive) I would recommend the Archos av5100, or av7100 (although the large screen on the second model would probably be wasted). The av5100 is 100GB and can be used with a very simple remote that would be very easy for a blind person to learn.

That's my recommendation - if you want a large capacity, drag and drop, easy to use MP3 player. There is nothing else with that kind of capacity, that is as easy to use. The buttons on the AV5100 are also very tactile - and should be easy to learn.

 

[warrior05]

there's a feature in rockbox that reads out menu items and settings as they are being selected. i've never used it so i can't tell you how good or bad it works but it is an option. that way you can get any of the players that rockbox works with.

you can check it out rockbox.org

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 there's a feature in rockbox that reads out menu items and settings as they are being selected. i've never used it so i can't tell you how good or bad it works but it is an option. that way you can get any of the players that rockbox works with. you can check it out rockbox.org

Rockbox has a very large contingent of blind users, and accessibility for the blind is always a consideration when features are implemented or documented.

Be aware, however, that Rockbox does not yet support WMA.

 

[jpelg]

Wow - fascinating subject! I used to work at a univerisity IT department where I worked very closely with people with various disabilities (physical & learning), and assisted them with various technology solutions to their challenges. It was one of, if not the most rewarding job I've ever had.

Thanks for bringing up something that I've never thought to apply to this hobby (as I slap my forehead "Duh!").

Cool about Rockbox too! Didn't know that. I hope others have more to contribute on this as well.