trying to buy the right mp3player for someone with a disabilty

November 20, 2011 11:52 AM

Looking for a mp3player for someone with a developmental disability - one that is fairly easy to navigate without the ability to read, and not too complicated in general. Any suggestions?

the right suggestion might make someone who loves their cd collection more than most folks and is being left behind because entertainment tech favors the non-disabled so happy on xmas.

posted by donabean to Technology (11 answers total)

Ipod shuffle has one button. Play and shuffle.
posted by empath at 12:00 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

err, it used to have one button, looks like the newer version has a bunch, but it's still pretty simple.
posted by empath at 12:01 PM on November 20, 2011

Would an iPod Shuffle or Nano be straightforward enough? What other factors should we consider? Eyesight, dexterity, short-term/long-term memory?
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 12:02 PM on November 20, 2011

I love my old basic Sony Walkman. Hit one button to turn it on, and hit the same button to play. You can skip to the next track or the beginning of the last track if you want to with buttons above and below the power/play button. Alas, it appears to have been discontinued.

This appears to be the updated version.

I carry it in my pocket, or tucked into my bra while I'm gardening or doing housework. It has a separate 'keylock' button so I can turn it on, start playing music, and lock the keys without even looking at it.

Simplicity personified.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 1:11 PM on November 20, 2011

Sansa makes a player you shake. (You can press to advance songs also.)
posted by Francolin at 1:40 PM on November 20, 2011

Response by poster: the person is going from a cd collection they navigate by knowing the album art, and will want to put his collection so he can pick his favorites, so a shuffle is out. They have good short and long term memory, and can navigate a cell phone by memory to get to their address book and uses the contacts with pictures to find the people to call. So they need something mostly icon driven that shows the cover art and is not too complicated, but able to be a good replacement for a moderate cd collection and portable cd player.
posted by donabean at 1:43 PM on November 20, 2011

Best answer: regular ol' iPod nano then?
It has the album art bit down, plus each function has an icon that can be taught.
posted by ooklala at 1:45 PM on November 20, 2011

My son is autistic, loves his music, and absolutely loves his iPod. He navigates entirely by cover artwork. He currently has an old iPhone (with the phone part disabled), but an iTouch or even the newer Nano with the small screen would be equally easy to use.
posted by Lokheed at 1:46 PM on November 20, 2011

What's the budget? An iPod Touch would fit the bill. You just tap the Music icon and turn the whole thing sideways to go into "Cover Flow" mode, with nice big album artwork that one can flick through easily.
posted by bcwinters at 3:54 PM on November 20, 2011

iPod touch might be the way to go. There is even voice control, so a "play Phil Collins" will play the artist.

At least I am guessing there is voice control, similar to the older iPhones (not Siri)
posted by backwards guitar at 4:03 PM on November 20, 2011

Response by poster: thanks for the ideas-I think an itouch might be too easy to break-but maybe the nano would be a pretty good choice-but the voice control would be really nice. It's a shame that the most expensive is the best in the mp3players, at least for this situation.
posted by donabean at 6:01 PM on November 20, 2011