How Do Blind People Do Everyday Things? 10 Answers

Blind people do everyday things with technique and a few tools: a screen reader that speaks what's on the phone, braille typed on the screen or with a slate and stylus, talking or tactile watches, raised dots on the stove and microwave, a different fold for each bill, and audio description on TV. Many of the tools are free or already built into the phone. Below, one question per section, with the source for each answer.

Key points

• Phones: VoiceOver (iPhone) and TalkBack (Android) read the screen aloud, so you don't need to see it.
• Texting: dictation, or typing braille right on the touchscreen with six fingers.
• Writing: a slate and stylus or a Perkins brailler for braille, and a signature guide for signing.
• Money: US bills are folded a different way for each value, and the US government gives eligible blind people a free currency reader.
• Crying: yes. Tears come from the tear glands, not from sight.

Everyday tasks at a glance

How do blind people use phones?

With a screen reader, which is built into every iPhone and Android phone. Apple describes VoiceOver as a screen reader that lets you use the iPhone "even if you can't see the screen" (Apple). On Android it's TalkBack, which Google says gives "eyes-free control of your device" (Google).

It works like this: you slide a finger across the screen and the phone says what's under it; a double-tap opens it (Google). Swipes move from one item to the next. More on this in screen readers for the blind and the best phones for blind people.

How do blind people text?

Three common ways:

• Dictation: you speak and the phone types. On iPhone you can dictate "anywhere you can type" (Apple).
• Braille on the touchscreen: with Braille Screen Input, you type braille "directly on the iPhone screen, without a physical braille keyboard" (Apple). Android's TalkBack braille keyboard does the same: six fingers on the screen, one per dot (Google).
• The regular keyboard: the screen reader says each letter as you find it.

The phone then reads the replies aloud.

How do blind people write?

In braille, there are two classic tools. A slate and stylus is a small device for writing braille by hand: you press each dot into the paper with the stylus, writing right to left, then flip the page to read it left to right (BANA). Here's how to write braille step by step.

The other is the Perkins brailler, a braille typewriter: three fingers of each hand rest on six keys, one per dot, beside the space bar (AFB). The American Printing House for the Blind calls it the most widely used mechanical brailler, with more than 375,000 machines in over 170 countries (APH). More in the Perkins brailler.

To sign a document in print, many use a signature guide: a plastic card about the size of a credit card, with a rectangular cutout that marks where to sign (APH ConnectCenter). On a computer or phone, they type like anyone else, with a screen reader.

How do blind people tell time?

• Talking watches and clocks say the time when you press a button.
• Tactile watches, often called braille watches, have raised markers and hands you feel (APH ConnectCenter). The Bradley watch uses two magnetized ball bearings instead of hands.
• The phone or smartwatch, with the screen reader or vibrations.

We compare models and prices in watches for the blind.

How do blind people cook?

With the same kitchen and a few adaptations:

• Raised dots on the dials. Bump dots are small self-adhesive dots you stick on buttons and around dials, on the oven or microwave, to mark settings (RNIB).
• Talking tools: thermometers, kitchen timers and scales that say the reading aloud (APH ConnectCenter).
• Listening and touch. APH ConnectCenter's tip: listen for sound changes, like fries that stop sputtering when they're done.
• Labels on cans and spices, in braille or with large print. See braille labels.

How do blind people identify money?

US bills are a problem: no US bill has a raised tactile feature yet. Common solutions:

A different fold for each bill. One widely taught system (APH ConnectCenter):

• $1: flat, unfolded.
• $5: folded in half crosswise, short ends together.
• $10: folded in half lengthwise, long sides together.
• $20: folded lengthwise like the $10, then in half crosswise.

The person folds each bill when they receive it, so they know the value later.

A currency reader. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing gives iBill readers free to eligible blind and visually impaired US citizens and residents (BEP). The BEP also has a free app, EyeNote, and Microsoft's Seeing AI recognizes bills with the camera.

A raised feature on the bills, eventually. In its September 2026 report to the court, the BEP says the redesigned $10 with a raised tactile feature is now scheduled for production in 2027. By law, the $1 can't be changed (BEP).

How do blind people watch TV?

With audio description: a narrator describes what's happening on screen between the dialogue. On a regular TV it comes through the "secondary audio" feature, labeled SAP, and sometimes listed as a language such as "Spanish" (FCC). On Netflix and other streaming services it's an audio option (Netflix).

Here's what audio description is and how to turn it on.

How do blind people pick clothes?

• Tags you read by touch. Braille clothing tags are sewn or pinned on, with two or three braille letters for the color. Color Mates are tags in 16 colors, each a different shape (APH ConnectCenter).
• A color app. Seeing AI can describe the color of clothes in your closet (Microsoft).

Can blind people cry?

Yes. Crying doesn't depend on sight. Tears are made by the lacrimal (tear) glands (Cleveland Clinic), which sit above each eye and keep making tears all the time to keep the eyes moist (University of Miami). Being blind means not seeing; it doesn't switch off the tear glands. Tommy Edison, blind since birth, answers the same question in a video.

How do blind people know when to stop wiping?

The same way sighted people do: by feel. It's the most searched question on this list. Tommy Edison, a blind YouTuber, answered it on his channel: he compares it to wiping a smudge off your face or a spill, things you do without looking. He adds that he uses a little extra toilet paper to be safe (Medical Daily).

Where Braillito fits

Several answers above come back to braille: the slate and stylus, the Perkins, braille typed on the phone screen, clothing tags. All of them use the same six-dot cell. Braillito, our app, teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder.

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

How do blind people use a smartphone?

With the screen reader built into the phone: VoiceOver on iPhone and TalkBack on Android. You slide a finger over the screen, the phone says what's under it, and a double-tap opens it.

Do blind people need braille to use a phone?

No. VoiceOver and TalkBack speak everything aloud. Braille is an option: you can type braille on the touchscreen or connect a braille display.

How do blind people text?

By dictating, by typing braille on the touchscreen with six fingers (Braille Screen Input on iPhone, the TalkBack braille keyboard on Android), or by typing on the regular keyboard with the screen reader. The phone reads replies aloud.

How do blind people know which bill is which?

A common method is to fold each bill differently: the $1 flat, the $5 in half crosswise, the $10 in half lengthwise and the $20 lengthwise and then crosswise. Others use a currency reader, like the free iBill from the US government, or an app like Seeing AI.

Can blind people cry?

Yes. Tears come from the tear glands above each eye, not from sight, so being blind doesn't stop someone from crying.