For the blind or visually impaired, operating smartphones and tablet computers can be a challenge as their flat touch displays provide no means of reading by touch, unlike Braille.
In response, study groups are examining ways to teach the use of certain functions, such as screen reader and zooming, to at least enable some visually impaired users to better use the gadgets' features and access a broader range of information.
"If the sight-impaired get to learn appropriate iPad functions, they will have far greater access to information," said Hisami Baba, director of harmony-i, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that sponsored an instructional gathering in February.