TAKE a moment to imagine what it must be like being both deaf and blind – you can’t see and you can’t hear so it makes it very difficult to get around and communicate with other people.
Currently, an estimated 288,000 Australians live with no hearing and sight but there’s something you can do to help their everyday interactions. MobileMuster and Able Australia have teamed up to make it easy to donate old smartphones for deafblind people.
MobileMuster is a not-for-profit government-accredited mobile phone recycling program. It will collect unwanted smartphones until the end of October for Able Australia to improve the digital literacy of the deafblind community.
The phones will be used to educate people with deafblindness on how to use speech recognition and braille readers via mobile technology. Able Australia's Scott Darkin said nine out of ten deafblind people will experience depression and anxiety.
“The simple act of donating an unwanted phone is an easy way to show your support,” he said. “Your old phone could be the vital link that transforms a socially isolated person into an active member of their local community.”
Each phone will be wiped to ensure privacy. Donate your smartphone free of charge by visiting mobilemuster.com.au/able and click on the link there to download the free reply-paid label. Jus package up your old smartphone, and charger if available, attach the label and post it back.