Accessible App Overview: Hadley App Ep. 55

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Blind Life Podcast

Host: Sam Seavey
Episode: Accessible App Overview: Hadley App (Ep. 55)
Date: June 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

Sam Seavey explores the new Hadley app—designed specifically for the visually impaired community—highlighting its features, accessibility, and the various resources it provides. Sam offers a practical walkthrough of the iOS version, discusses key functionalities, and shares personal insights and experiences.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to Hadley and App Purpose

• [00:00] Sam: Introduces Hadley's background as a century-old nonprofit supporting the visually impaired with training, education, technology, and peer support.
• Hadley has launched a dedicated, highly accessible app available for iOS and Android.
• Main goal: Centralize access to Hadley’s rich educational content, support resources, and community engagement.

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2. App Accessibility and Customization

• [01:27] Sam: “The first thing you will notice is the accessibility in the app. And this makes sense. I mean that's what Hadley is known for so I wouldn't expect anything less.”
• The app offers customization (color schemes, text size) for screen reader and low vision users.
• Interface layout: Tabs are at the bottom on iOS and at the top on Android.

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3. Home Tab & Navigation

• [01:09 – 01:19] The Home tab offers quick access to favorite content areas and displays a welcome message for signed-in users.
• Key Buttons: "Living with Vision Loss," "How Tos," "Support and Connect."
• Accessibility: Button labels are clear and VoiceOver-friendly.

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4. The "How To" Tab

• [01:46 – 02:56]

  • Features a wide range of workshops and tutorials:
    • Daily living
    • Adjusting to vision loss
    • Recreation and technology “how to’s”
    • Emotional side of vision loss (grief, feeling like a burden, coping strategies)
  • [02:03] Sam: “This is a fantastic workshop that talks about all of that... grieving the loss of your vision, feeling like a burden to your family and friends.”
  • Technology subcategories: Android, Apple/computer skills, books/TV, Alexa/Zoom.

• Navigation elements: Help and Search buttons are always at the top.

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5. Support Tab

• [03:09 – 04:07]
  • Central hub for peer support and connection opportunities.
  • Access to:
    • Phone line for live support: “You are actually talking to a real person. You're not calling and talking to a computer, which is fantastic.” [03:37]
    • Peer discussion programs like "Adjusting and Coping Together"
    • Workshops addressing isolation and other challenges

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6. Listen Tab (Podcasts)

• [04:07 – 04:48]
  • Streams Hadley's two podcasts direct from the app:
    • "Hadley Presents"
    • "Insights and Sound Bites"
  • [04:30] Sam: “These are fantastic. Lots of great information. I've actually been on both of these podcasts and had a great experience.”
  • Built-in search to quickly find episodes and topics of interest.

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7. In-App Search Functionality

• [04:48 – 06:02]
  • Allows users to find workshops, podcasts, or topics efficiently.
  • Note: Potential bug with dictation input duplicating text in the search field.
    • [05:00] Sam: “I don't know if that's a bug with my iPhone or if it's something to do with dictation... just keep that in mind.”
  • Example searches: "Paperwork and Forms with Vision Loss," "Tech Tools for Vision Loss"

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8. Help and App Settings

• [06:30 – 07:33]
  • Help Button: Quick access to Hadley’s support phone number (with business hours) and support email.
  • Donation link for those looking to support Hadley’s mission to assist 1 million people with vision loss.
  • App Settings:
    • Easily adjust color contrast and text size:
      • Examples: Yellow text on black, 100%, 150%, or 200% text size.
    • [07:16] Sam: “You can go in, change the different contrast... lots of different contrast options and when you choose one of those you can change the text size.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Accessibility Highlight:
  • “The first thing you will notice is the accessibility in the app. And this makes sense. I mean that's what Hadley is known for...” — Sam [01:27]
• Support Line Praise:
  • “You are actually talking to a real person. You're not calling and talking to a computer, which is fantastic.” — Sam [03:37]
• On Content Depth:
  • “This is a fantastic workshop that talks about all of that... grieving the loss of your vision, feeling like a burden to your family and friends.” — Sam [02:03]
• Podcast Guest Experience:
  • “These are fantastic. Lots of great information. I've actually been on both of these podcasts and had a great experience.” — Sam [04:30]
• Dictation Bug Note:
  • “I don't know if that's a bug with my iPhone or if it's something to do with dictation... just keep that in mind.” — Sam [05:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Hadley app introduction and setup: [00:00 – 01:19]
• Main navigation and accessibility: [01:19 – 01:46]
• ‘How To’ tab deep dive: [01:46 – 02:56]
• Support features and peer connection: [03:09 – 04:07]
• Podcasts (Listen tab): [04:07 – 04:48]
• Search in action & voice input tips: [04:48 – 06:02]
• Help and app settings (contrast/text size): [06:30 – 07:33]

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Conclusion & Recommendation

Sam enthusiastically recommends the Hadley app for its wealth of accessible resources, personalized support, and robust accessibility options.
Final note: “Definitely check it out if you would like to learn more and if you appreciate the hard work that they put into this, maybe consider donating to the organization.” [07:37]

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This summary captures all major topics and provides a clear guide to what listeners can expect from the Hadley app episode of The Blind Life Podcast.

Transcript

[A]

Hey guys, it's Sam with the Blind Life. Welcome back to the channel. In today's episode of Accessible App Overview, we're going to be looking at the companion app from Hadley. First and foremost. If you're not familiar with Hadley, they are a non profit organization that has been around for over a hundred years helping to support the community. They dive into every aspect of our community, helping with training, education, technology, peer support. Just an overall amazing organization. And now they're making access to their material even easier with their dedicated app. This app is available for Android and iOS. I'm going to be looking at the iOS version, but you should expect a very similar experience on Android. When you launch the app you are able to sign into your account if you have one, and you're able to customize the interface a little bit with colors and text size. However, don't worry, you can adjust all of that in the app later. As usual, we have different tabs or pages across the bottom of the screen on Android. These may be at the top of the screen, but our first page is our homepage. If you are signed in, you get a little welcome note here.

[B]

How can we help you today? Sam Heading Living with Vision Loss How Tos Button Support and Connect button and

[A]

on this page you can quickly launch into some of your favorite areas.

[B]

What's New Heading Workshop Android Low Vision Reading Mode Podcast I still have value Double Tap to play insights and sound

[A]

bites and the first thing you will notice is the accessibility in the app. And this makes sense. I mean that's what Hadley is known for so I wouldn't expect anything less. But great accessibility for both screen readers and low vision users as well. Next tab at the bottom how to button is our how to tab.

[B]

How to Screen Heading Featured Heading Workshop Grief and Loss Double Tap to Play How TOS Heading Daily Living Adjusting to Vision Loss Recreation Technology Expert Opinions Heading Hadley Presence Podcast Double Tap to Open

[A]

Hadley and here is the home for all of the how to's and as you just heard there, we've got technology, we've got recreation, we've got peer support, how to's they just launched a new workshop series talking about the emotional side of vision loss. All of those different topics that come up when someone is new to vision loss. Grieving the loss of your vision, feeling like a burden to your family and friends. This is a fantastic workshop that talks

[B]

about all of that Hadley Expert Opinion technology.

[A]

Let's check out the Technology how to's

[B]

Home button Help button Search button Also

[A]

should mention that always at the top Here you have Help button button, a Help button, search and a Search button.

[B]

Go Back button. Okay, in technology, which topic heading.

[A]

Then of course we have different topics for the technology.

[B]

Android, Apple computer skills, books and tv, Alexa and Zoom.

[A]

And you can dive deeper into each of these different categories and there will be different workshops talking about that topic.

[B]

Home button. Go Back button. Go back how to screen selected how to how to button Support button.

[A]

Next tab is our support page.

[B]

Support screen heading Workshop isolation. Double tap to play Support and Connect heading Talk to Hadley button.

[A]

And this is all of Hadley's peer support options and one option here.

[B]

Support and connect talk to Hadley.

[A]

One option is to talk to Hadley

[B]

alert call 1-800-323-4238 button cancel button Hadley

[A]

home Now I'm not going to call them, but that is a quick way to call Hadley and speak to an actual person. This is a great service that they provide is an actual phone line to talk to someone at Hadley and you are actually talking to a real person. You're not calling and talking to a computer, which is fantastic.

[B]

Support and Connect heading Talk to join a discussion Connect to Peers button Adjusting and Coping Together button.

[A]

You can connect to Hadley peers.

[B]

You can Adjusting and Coping Together button.

[A]

You can check out the Adjusting and Coping Together series. That's that new workshop I was just talking about. So lots of great options in here for support Listen screen and then the final tab is Listen. This is their podcasts.

[B]

Listen to podcasts from Hadley and others who share your interests. Heading Hadley Presence podcast Double tap to open Hadley Presence Insights and Sound Bites podcast.

[A]

So Hadley has two podcasts, the Hadley Presents and the Insights and Sound Bites podcast. These are fantastic. Lots of great information. I've actually been on both of these podcasts and had a great experience. Always love joining the Hadley podcast.

[B]

Help button Search button.

[A]

In fact, let me show you how the search works here.

[B]

Ellipsis text field is editing search the app Sam CV inserted Sam CV E

[A]

Sam Cap S Now one thing to note, I don't know if it's a bug, but whenever I put in a search using dictation, it seems to put it in there twice. I've seen this on other apps and it's doing it here. I don't know if that's a bug with my iPhone or if it's something to do with dictation. Voiceover. I don't know. So just keep that in mind. You might want to double check to make sure your entry didn't get put in there twice.

[B]

Search button Search tackling Paperwork and Forms with Vision Loss from doctor's offices to taxes, forms and paperwork are just part of everyday life. Filling them out can take more time and patience when you're living with vision loss. In this episode, we're joined by Sam's Sevy of the Blind Life as we share tips, tricks and words of wisdom to make this common headache a little less frustrating. Tech Tools for Vision Loss From Low to High Tech Ever wonder which tools professionals with vision loss use in their daily lives? Wonder no more. Join Sam Seavey, creator of The Blind Life YouTube channel.

[A]

So these are a couple podcast episodes I did with Hadley talking about technology and you can search up things like that super easily. And if I just double tap on

[B]

it Home button Tech Tools for Vision

[A]

Loss takes me right to the podcast episode and I can listen to the

[B]

description Episode 141of159 Find out the episode number Media Progress bar current value 0

[A]

seconds check my progress button and I can play Pause.

[B]

When technology isn't your favorite thing, it can be hard to find tools to make your life easier without the frustration of learning something complicated.

[A]

Clay and that was the amazing Ricky Enger. Such a fantastic podcast host. So the only other thing I want to talk about is the Help button in the upper right corner. We double tap on that need some help heading.

[B]

Call Hadley at one eight zero, we

[A]

can call Hadley again in this area.

[B]

Working hours Monday to Friday information about a.m. to 6pm or email to info@help our mission heading. Our goal help 1 million people with vision loss.

[A]

We can help Hadley by donating here

[B]

page 2 of 3 donate other amount App Settings heading or we can go

[A]

in and check out app settings.

[B]

Do you want to change the contrast or size of the text on the Hadley site? Change text settings button Home button and

[A]

this is the only thing I wanted to show in here really is that you can go in, change the different

[B]

contrast yellow skip button yellow text on

[A]

black button and we have lots of different contrast options and when you choose one of those you can go in

[B]

100%, 150%, 200% text size and change

[A]

the text size Go back button.

[B]

Go back home button.

[A]

So that was a look at the Hadley app, a free application available on iOS and Android. Definitely check it out if you would like to learn more and if you appreciate the hard work that they put into this, maybe consider donating to the organization. Thank you guys so much for watching as always. This is Sam with the Blind Life. I will see you in the next one.