Smart home for blind or low-vision users

What a smart home can and cannot do for low vision

The National Eye Institute describes low vision as a vision problem that makes everyday activities hard and that glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery usually cannot fix. A smart home does not change your eyesight. It can reduce the number of small switches, tiny labels and screens you have to use.

The most useful pieces are voice control, spoken confirmation, buttons you can find by touch and lighting that turns on without a search for a switch. Nothing here replaces advice from your eye doctor or vision rehabilitation specialist, who can also help arrange your home for easier movement.

1. Voice control comes first

Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home (Siri) can all run lights, plugs, locks and thermostats by voice. Choose one and stay with it so your commands are consistent.

• Use short, distinct names. “Kitchen light” and “Hall light” are easier to say and for the assistant to understand than “Kitchen overhead 2.”
• Group by room. “Turn off the bedroom” beats a list of five lights.
• Create routines with spoken triggers. “Good night” can lock the door, turn off lights and set the thermostat, with a spoken confirmation at the end.
• Check the speaker’s feedback. Choose speakers that can confirm actions out loud, not only with a light ring.
• Turn on mute indicators you can hear. A tone when the microphone is muted is more useful than a small red light.

2. Make the phone app work for you

Most smart home apps are built around small icons and color-coded states. Before buying, check whether the app works with your phone’s accessibility tools. On iPhone, Apple lists VoiceOver, a screen reader that describes what is on your screen, along with Magnifier, Zoom and Larger Text. Android has similar tools, including TalkBack.

Look for these in a device’s app:

• Buttons that VoiceOver or TalkBack read aloud with clear labels, not “button 14.”
• Text that grows with your phone’s text-size setting without being cut off.
• High contrast between text and background. The W3C’s accessibility guidance calls for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
• No state shown only by color (red or green). A label such as “Locked” or “Open” is better.

Read the app’s reviews for the word “VoiceOver” or “TalkBack”; users often report problems that the store listing leaves out.

3. Hear and feel the state of the house

For smoke and carbon monoxide, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends interconnected alarms, so when one sounds they all sound, in and outside each bedroom and on every level. See wireless interconnected smoke alarms.

4. Lighting that helps without glare

The National Eye Institute suggests brighter lights at home or work, anti-glare sunglasses outdoors and magnifiers for close tasks. Smart lighting can help with the first one by making the light consistent and automatic.

• Add light where you work. Put smart bulbs or plug-in lamps at the kitchen counter, the desk and the reading chair, and set them to a bright level on a voice command.
• Avoid glare. Use diffused or shaded bulbs. A bare bright LED in your line of sight can make things worse. Matte surfaces and indirect light reduce reflections.
• Automate paths. Motion-activated night lights in the hall, bathroom and stairs mean you do not need to find a switch. See bathroom motion night light.
• Keep switches usable. A smart bulb stops working when the wall switch is off. Tape the switch on, add a switch cover or use a smart switch where wiring allows (see install a smart light switch).
• Use contrast. Dark switch plates on light walls, and a light-colored lock on a dark door, are easier to find than matching colors.

5. Setup tips and what to avoid

• Ask for help with first setup. Many devices pair by scanning a QR code printed on the device. Ask a friend or family member to scan it, or check whether the manufacturer offers a numeric setup code or a setup call line.
• Add one device at a time. Test it with a voice command and with the screen reader on before adding the next.
• Keep a manual option. Locks need a physical key backup, lights need a working wall switch and thermostats should have a physical control.
• Be careful with touch screens. A smart display is only useful if it can read answers aloud and be run by voice.
• Secure the account. Use a unique password and two-factor authentication on the accounts that control your lock and cameras, as advised by the Federal Trade Commission.