Five New Brunswick public libraries are accepting donations of used smartphones to help individuals who are blind or partially sighted.
Phone It Forward is a partnership with New Brunswick Public Libraries, the CNIB Foundation and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council.
It refurbishes used smart phones and gives them to people who are blind or partially blind to help with independence and every day life.
Forty-six per cent of Canadians who are blind either do not own a smartphone or do not own one that is advanced enough to assist them in daily living. The unemployment rate for persons with sight loss is triple the Canadian average, making it harder for many to afford a mobile device.
In a news release, the government of New Brunswick says smartphones can empower people with sight loss with unprecedented levels of information and independence because they can be used for a multitude of tasks, including navigating with GPS, identifying colours and faces, reading printed text, confirming correct medications and accessing live video assistance from a sighted volunteer.
Used smartphones can be donated to Mgr. W.J. Conway Public Library in Edmundston, Campbellton Centennial Library, Fredericton Public Library, Moncton Public Library, and Saint John Free Public Library.
At the libraries, a Phone It Forward postage-paid envelope will be provided to donate the used smartphone(s). Those who donate will receive a tax receipt from the CNIB Foundation.
More information on the program is available online.
