Bringing Blind Veterans UK together with Microsoft Teams

Making new friendships through technology

Billy has met many other veterans since he joined Blind Veterans UK, and he stays connected with them through Microsoft Teams. Billy refers to himself as “black blind” and has no vision at all, and Teams has enabled him to stay connected. Billy uses Teams on his smartphone. “I can use Teams on my smartphone in two different ways, either by using the built in audio function or I can use voice commands with hand gestures,” says Billy. “With audio, it tells you who's on the call and you really feel like you're all in the same room.” 

Technology has always been fundamental to Blind Veterans UK, from the original Braille watch that the charity’s founder, Sir Arthur Pearson, gave to blind veterans returning from the First World War to using accessible technology such as Microsoft Teams now. Through Teams’ accessibility functions, the charity can induct new Members much faster and keep everyone connected across the country. The average age of Blind Veterans UK Members is 87, and they have lived most of their adult life away from computers and technology. Billy says that despite some initial scepticism, these Members learn very quickly that technology can be a useful tool. After initial training they gain more confidence. Many elderly veterans can access Teams through their landline, meaning they’re not isolated by their technology. There are numerous features in Teams which can help Members, which include a zoom in or out tool on the Teams interface, a text telephone feature, and voice control. “Microsoft Teams helps us foster community and social interaction by connecting all our Members throughout the UK,” says Billy. 

Breaking down misconceptions with Microsoft Teams

A common misconception is that all blind people simply can’t see. In fact, 95% of blind people have some form of vision, it is just that this vision is distorted or impacted to various degrees of severity. Nick Barber, a former police dog handler in the RAF, has retinitis pigmentosa. “I have a small circle of light in the centre of my eye and the rest goes from grey to black,” says Nick. A keen amateur photographer, Nick was worried he’d never be able to enjoy photography again. But Microsoft Teams has helped him find a way to rekindle his passion for photography. “I share my passion for photography with other Members of Blind Veterans UK through Microsoft Teams. We have Members throughout the country, and we have chats, show each other our photos, and have special guest speakers like David Bailey.” 

Nick finds the large cursor and high contrast mode on Teams allows him to differentiate icons more easily. He also uses other accessibility tools such as Magnifier and Text Preferences. Magnifier reads text aloud, which is useful if you are a low vision user. Text Preferences enables users to sustain focus with increased text sizing and spacing between lines, letters, and words. It also has colour choices that include Irlen colours, which increase focus and lessen eye strain.  

Sharing his photographs through Teams has changed Nick’s perspective on his condition, and allowed him to connect with so many different people. “Microsoft Teams is so easy to access. We have Members throughout the country of different ages and different stages of sight loss. And they can all connect to Teams,” says Nick. “This technology takes us to a better place. My outlook is now very positive, because I can do things that I did before.” 

Discovering a hopeful future

Billy, who is now an ambassador for Blind Veterans UK, shares Nick’s sense of optimism about the future. “Using Teams enables people with sight loss. It gives us the eyes to see the world,” says Billy. “Peer support is possibly one of the most significant parts of the rehabilitation process for someone with sight loss or impaired vision. And Teams can be a key part of that process.”

Billy and Nick have found hope since joining Blind Veterans UK, and Microsoft Teams has helped them reconnect with a world they thought they had lost forever. Now they too can help many more veterans discover a hopeful future. Discover how Microsoft is committed to delivering relevant, affordable and innovative cloud solutions to help nonprofits tackle the world’s biggest challenges at www.microsoft.com/nonprofits.