The legendary Stevie Wonder turned up at a press conference co-hosted by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Sendero Group on 8th January, asking manufacturers to consider the visually impaired when they design mobile phones and other such gadgets.
Stevie spoke of wanting to encourage manufacturers to make technology more accessible to the visually impaired, to allow them to be more independent and to have the chance to take part in the world of technology.
"We don't want to hold up technological progress", Stevie said. "What we're saying is, think about the interface and set it up in such a way that it's simple. The simpler you make the user interface of a product, it's going to reach more people sighted or blind."
Mike May, president and CEO of the Davis, California-based Sendero Group said "There are a lot of cool gadgets out there, and we want to make sure our blind friends and family can use them as well."
One such product showcased at CES is Mobile Geo, GPS navigation software for the visually impaired.
When we're sat playing with our fancy iPhones and touch screen media players, it's easy to take our sight for granted. So it's really great to see technology manufacturers being challenged to make more accessible products.