BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

'People think you can't be blind and use a phone'

  • Published
    29 January 2019
Share page
About sharing
Woman with cane on her phoneImage source, Wendell Hussey/Facebook
Image caption,

The image has been shared widely with people questioning the woman's visual impairment - but many people have defended her use of a phone

BySarah Jenkins
BBC News

A photo of a woman using a cane while looking at a mobile phone has been widely shared online with many social media users suggesting the woman is faking her visual impairment.

The image, which the BBC has chosen to blur, was posted on Facebook earlier this month with the caption, "If you can see what's wrong say I see it", and has since been shared more than 33,000 times.

It has led to a number of people explaining that mobiles and other technology can be used by visually impaired people, and, in some cases, can be a lifeline.

Three people with visual impairments have spoken to the BBC about when they have been targeted for using technology.

Amy KavanaghImage source, Amy Kavanagh
Image caption,

Amy Kavanagh said disabled people are "frequently" turned into memes or online jokes

Dr Amy Kavanagh is a visually impaired activist. The 29-year-old said the Facebook post left her feeling "disappointed and angry".

"I was deeply hurt that a visually impaired person like me had been photographed without their consent and mocked for just going about their business," she said.

Dr Kavanagh explained that "not all blind people are totally blind" and mobile phone technology is extremely accessible.

"My phone is my lifeline. I use a range of accessible functions and apps to magnify and zoom on my phone. I can order taxis with it, use GPS to plan a route and call my partner when I'm lost or stuck."

The London-based activist said she often experienced people tutting and pointing - and has even been accused of faking her blindness while using her phone.

"It's infuriating that people use Siri or Alexa every day but can't understand how a blind person uses their phone."

Veronica LewisImage source, Veronica Lewis
Image caption,

Veronica Lewis thinks people should educate themselves about assisted technology

Veronica Lewis, 22, is a student living in Fairfax, Virginia, who has low vision and uses a cane full-time.

Ms Lewis said she thought the Facebook post was a "gross invasion of privacy" but added she would not be surprised if someone had taken a picture of her in a similar manner.

The college student was diagnosed with an eye condition when she was three and her sight deteriorated. She also has a brain condition which causes low vision.

Presentational grey line

You may also be interested in:

  • City gridlocked after YouTuber visit

  • The chickens that lay anti-cancer drugs

  • RIP Trevor the 'world's loneliest duck'

  • Rapper's son born months after his death

Presentational grey line

"My phone helps me to adapt," Ms Lewis said.

"I use a smart glasses service which uses the camera on my phone to see through. I also use a volunteer-based app which connects me with a sighted person for help and assistance.

"I'll often use my phone while I'm on the bus to make sure I'm going the right way and people will question how I'm using a cane and looking at my phone."

Ellen Fraser-Barbour and her seeing eye dog InkaImage source, Tian Zhao
Image caption,

Ellen Fraser-Barbour pictured with her seeing eye dog Inka

Ellen Fraser-Barbour, from Adelaide, Australia, is visually impaired and also hard of hearing.

Ms Barbour said she has experienced people accusing her of faking or exaggerating her disability "for extra privileges".

"I get people making comments like, 'Are you really legally blind if you can read your phone?'" she said.

The PhD student said the use of technology has changed her life.

"Before smart phones I was constantly dislocated and lost as I can't see landmarks, and being deaf, I find it really hard to ask for directions.

"With a smart phone I can track every movement by following myself on my map app. It tells me exactly where I'm going. It's given me such incredible independence."

'Blind people use phones'

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said it often hears of people facing prejudice and discrimination for just going about their daily life.

Director of services at the UK-based charity, David Clarke, said: "The reality is that blind people use phones, read Kindles and watch TV in a variety of different ways.

"These include through the use of any residual vision they might have, synthetic voice, digital Braille technology and audio description amongst others.

"We need to educate social media users and wider society as a whole as to the harm that posts like this can cause - ill-informed stories and ignorant reactions to them can really dent the self-confidence of blind and partially sighted people.

"At RNIB, we urge everyone to see the person, not the sight loss."

More on this story

  • Tech gives remote sight to blind people. Video, 00:01:52Tech gives remote sight to blind people

    • Published
      7 June 2018
    1:52
    Gary O'Donoghue using Aira
  • App helps blind people navigate streets. Video, 00:01:15App helps blind people navigate streets

    • Published
      27 April 2018
    1:15
    Blind man
  • Guide dog with dashcam strikes again. Audio, 00:17:58Guide dog with dashcam strikes again

    • Published
      9 February 2018
    17:58
    Amit Patel and Kika

Related internet links

  • RNIB

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Top stories

  • Live. 

    'One of the lions has passed': Hollywood remembers Robert Redford as he dies aged 89

    • 20986 viewing21k viewing
  • Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Jeremy Bowen: UN genocide report a blunt indictment of Israel's actions in Gaza

    • Published
      7 hours ago

More to explore

  • Robert Redford: The enthralling star whose 'aura' lit up Hollywood

    Robert Redford is seen in his 20s. He is smiling radiantly and looking off to the left.
  • 'The bombing has been insane': Gaza City Palestinians scramble to flee Israeli assault

    A man with a bandaged hand steers the handlebars of a bicycle while two small children lie on the front bars and seat. Some bags hang from the bike's handlebars as they journey in the night, with a bright light shining on to them.
  • Jeremy Bowen: UN genocide report a blunt indictment of Israel's actions in Gaza

    A Palestinian man sits on a trailer behind a car on a road with smoke billowing and destroyed buildings in the background, following an Israeli strike in Jabalia in northern Gaza in May
  • Trump's state visit is mired with potential pitfalls despite careful planning

    A treated image showing Sir Keir and King Charles as smaller figures walking and to the right a larger image of President Trump smiling
  • How long can the UK afford the pension triple lock?

    A medium close up of Glenys in a ballet studio. She is smiling wearing a black t-shirt with the polished wooden floor and a large mirror of the studio in soft focus in the background.
  • Mason: Reform UK amplifies jitters for Labour and Conservatives

    A composite image shows (left to right) Keir Starmer, a grey-haired man in a black jacket and black tie speaks in front of a red backdrop. Kemi Badenoch, a woman with dark braids tied back from her face speaks in front of a union jack. Nigel Farage, a man with grey hair and a purple striped tie speaks in front of a turquoise backdrop.
  • These teens turned their rooms into tech-free zones. This was the result

    A teenage boy stands infront of door with the sign 'tech free zone' attached. He looks unhappy and is pointing downwards with his thumb.
  • Mark Ronson on being a night person - and Lady Gaga trashing his car

    Portrait of Mark Ronson, wearing a brown jacket, green shirt and dark glasses in front of an orange backdrop
  • Why now is time to declutter and four ways to get started

    A white woman  sitting on the floor of her bedroom and sorting out the clothes in the wardrobe
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    King at Duchess of Kent's funeral but ill Queen not attending

  2. 2

    Judge dismisses terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione

  3. 3

    PM orders investigation into MI5 over false evidence

  4. 4

    Former Tory minister Maria Caulfield defects to Reform

  5. 5

    How long can the UK afford the pension triple lock?

  6. 6

    Mandelson red flags were missed or ignored, senior Labour MP says

  7. 7

    Triathlete ready to face life with no limbs after sepsis

  8. 8

    Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says

  9. 9

    Israel launches ground offensive on Gaza City

  10. 10

    Inside the century-old building standing above 400,000 gold bars

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rob and Rylan embark on their own passage to India

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Rob & Rylan's Passage to India
  • What drives young women to risk it all in the MMA cage?

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Girl Fight
  • The life of Gordon Welchman, a WW2 codebreaking hero

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Bletchley Park: Codebreaking's Forgotten Genius
  • A night of frighteningly great film music

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    BBC Proms
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.