Two helpful features include global time and date and global weather. Both tools are available on the RealSAM Pocket—and yes, they are accessible by voice.

Global Time & Date

RealSAM can tell you what time it is where you are and anywhere else in the world.

Just press the “tap to talk” button and ask, “What time is it?” RealSAM will automatically know that you’re asking for your location and will tell you the time date where you are.

Ask what time it is in major cities. Press “tap to talk” and ask, “What time is it in New York?” “What time is it in London?” “What time is it Tokyo?”

Even if it’s not a popular city, add the name of the state or country and RealSAM will be able to give you the time and date for that location. Ask, ‘What time is it in Colorado Springs, Colorado?” “What time is it in Hackensack New Jersey?” “What time is it in Port Antonio Jamaca?”

RealSAM will tell you the time and date like this, “The time is 17 minutes past 5 AM on Wednesday, June 28, at Washing District of Columbia, United States.”

Do you have family and friends around the world? You’ll be able to get in touch at just the right moment when you use Pocket to find out what time it is where they are.

Global Weather

Will the weather be right for a walk in the park? Get the forecast from your RealSAM Pocket and make your plans for the day.

Press the “tap to talk” button and ask, “What is the weather?” RealSAM can tell you the weather where you are and the forecast for the day.

Do you have plans for the week? You can plan your activities accordingly when you ask, “What is the forecast?” RealSAM can provide five-day weather forecasts. You’ll be able to find out if it’s clear or rainy and all the highs and lows for the next five days.

If you’re taking off for vacation, it’s just as easy to ask RealSAM for the weather forecast anywhere around the globe. Just “tap to talk” and ask, “What is the forecast for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?” RealSAM will take just a moment to find the coordinates then give you the specific forecasts for the location you’re inquiring about.

RealSAM aims to make information accessible

RealSAM aims to help people with easy-to-use devices that make the world more accessible. If you’re living with sight loss or other disabilities, you can use your voice to find out more with the RealSAM Pocket.

By Guenivir Kendrick

The post Acessible Global Time, Date & Weather on your RealSAM Pocket appeared first on RealSAM USA.

Prescription labels contain critical information such as the patient’s name, the name of the medicine, the dosage, instructions on how often to take the medicine and the contact information of the pharmacy filling the prescription. In the past, all this information only existed in one format, namely as a sticker label printed with small font.

People who are blind or visually impaired either had difficulty or were completely unable to read these labels and had to rely on the help of sighted assistance or on guesswork. This posed a significant safety risk and many became seriously ill because they took the wrong medication or the wrong dose.

Fortunately, with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, pharmacies were required to provide auxiliary aids and services to customers with disabilities, including accessible prescription labels.

Labels in Alternative Formats

Today, pharmacies can fill prescriptions with labels in alternative formats such as Braille, large print and audio labels.

Braille labels are embossed on long transparent stickers that are partially overlayed on the bottles’ original printed labels. In this way the information is accessible by touch for the blind person, and still readable for sighted family members, pharmacists, and medical providers.

Large print labels are available for people who have low vision. Since the information takes up more space depending on the font size, large print labels are created as booklets that are placed on medicine bottles.

Audio labels make it possible for blind and visually impaired customers to listen to what is on the prescription labels. RFID tags containing the prescription information are attached to medication bottles. Then a specially designed device or app on a smartphone can be used to scan the tag and read the information aloud.

Technology and Visual Interpreters

Text-to-speech technology is also improving prescription label accessibility. There are many different apps that can extract text from images, so someone can simply take a picture of their prescription label and have it read aloud on their smartphone.

Lastly, services that provide visual interpretation are another option. Instead of waiting for a sighted person to be physically present, a blind or visually impaired person can get on the phone, at any time, with a trained agent that will use the phone’s camera to read them the information. Ask your pharmacy today about additional programs that can help you or someone you care for take their medication safely and independently.’

By Guenivir Kendrick with help from ChatGPT

REFERENCES:

American Council of the Blind. (2023). President’s Message: More on Accessible Prescription Labels. American Council of the Blind. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.acb.org/content/president%E2%80%99s-message-more-accessible-prescription-labels-kim-charlson

American Council of the Blind. (2023). Spoken Rx™ “Talking” Prescription Labels Now Available in all CVS Pharmacy Locations. Spoken Rx™ “Talking” Prescription Labels Now Available in All CVS Pharmacy Locations | American Council of the Blind. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://acb.org/cvs-spoken-rx

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