Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being presented as the next great breakthrough in accessibility. Apple’s Writing Tools, introduced in iOS 26, promise to help users automatically rewrite messages in different tones — professional, friendly, concise and more.
For blind and partially sighted people, this sounds like a major step forward.
Being able to quickly tidy up an email or adjust the tone of a message could remove a significant amount of friction from everyday communication. For professionals who rely on screen readers, editing text can be time-consuming, so AI tools that refine writing automatically could be genuinely transformative.
But the reality is more complicated.
When a Feature Exists — But You Can’t Reach It
At present, blind users relying on Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader cannot easily access the Writing Tools menu in the normal editing interface.
Sighted users can see the menu and simply tap it.
VoiceOver users cannot reliably navigate to it because the screen reader does not announce the option in the standard editing menu.
In practical terms, the tool is there — but for a blind user it can be effectively invisible.
After reporting this to Apple Accessibility, a response received on 6 March 2026 confirmed that the issue is known and under investigation.
Apple suggested a workaround involving the VoiceOver contextual menu. With a Bluetooth keyboard connected to the iPhone, pressing:
Control + Option + Shift + M
can simulate a long press and open a contextual menu.
From there the user must:
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Find the contextual menu on the screen
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Select Forward
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Open a second menu
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Locate Writing Tools
Only then does the AI rewriting feature become accessible.
It works — but it is far from simple.
The Workaround That Requires Extra Equipment
The workaround currently discovered relies on having a Bluetooth keyboard available.
Without it, accessing the Writing Tools feature may not be possible.
There may be other touch-based ways to reach the menu, but discovering those takes time and experimentation — sometimes hours — and many people simply do not have that time available in a busy working day.
For someone running businesses, attending meetings, delivering training and responding to clients, spending hours investigating a software bug is not realistic.
Yet this is often what visually impaired professionals are forced to do.
The Emotional Toll of Technology Barriers
Accessibility issues like this are often discussed in purely technical terms.
But there is also a very real emotional impact.
When you are blind and relying on technology to work independently, every barrier can feel deeply frustrating.
You know what you want to do.
You are intelligent enough to do it.
But the technology is preventing you from achieving it.
Technology is usually described as an enabler.
But sometimes it becomes the barrier.
The frustration can build quickly. What appears to be a simple task — editing an email — can become slow, complicated and stressful.
Over time, those repeated barriers take a toll. They can cause exhaustion, anxiety and sometimes even tears of frustration.
For many blind and partially sighted professionals, this is a daily reality.
Why Support Workers Are Still Essential
This example also highlights why support workers remain essential, even as AI tools develop.
Solving this particular issue required more than simply following instructions.
For example, Apple’s accessibility email suggested using VO-Shift-M, which is a VoiceOver command used on a Mac.
However, that command does not exist on an iPhone in the same form.
A blind user receiving that instruction would immediately face a problem: how do you translate a Mac keyboard command into an iPhone gesture?
To solve this, additional research was required to understand the iPhone equivalent.
But there is another complication.
A blind person cannot easily listen to instructions explaining the workaround while simultaneously navigating the menus on the device. The screen reader audio would conflict with the spoken instructions.
In practice, solving the problem required two people:
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One person to guide the steps
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One person to operate the device and listen to VoiceOver
Once a workaround has been learned it becomes easier to repeat, but discovering it in the first place can be extremely difficult without assistance.
This is exactly the kind of situation where support workers play a vital role.
Why AI Is Not a Silver Bullet
There is growing excitement around AI and assistive technology, and rightly so.
The potential is enormous.
But it is important that policymakers, employers and organisations recognise that AI is not a silver bullet.
Tools may exist in theory but still be difficult to access in practice.
Systems that appear simple in demonstrations may behave very differently for people using assistive technology.
The example of Apple’s Writing Tools is only one small moment in a working day.
Yet it illustrates a wider truth: accessibility gaps can turn simple tasks into complex problems.
This is why human support, accessibility expertise and inclusive design remain essential.
AI Still Needs Human Judgment
Even when the Writing Tools feature works, it still requires careful oversight.
AI can rewrite text in ways that sound unintentionally blunt or even rude.
For example, a rewritten email might say:
“I’m looking to significantly improve the systems currently in place.”
That may be accurate — but if the recipient built the original system, the message could sound dismissive.
Human judgement is still required to ensure tone, context and relationships are handled appropriately.
AI can help with communication, but it cannot replace professional awareness and sensitivity.
A Quote from Seema Flower
“Technology has the potential to transform the lives of blind and partially sighted people. But when accessibility is missing, the very tools designed to help can become another barrier.”
— Seema Flower, Blind Ambition
Why Real-World Accessibility Matters
Stories like this demonstrate why organisations need to understand how disabled people experience technology in real life.
Accessibility is not just about compliance. It is about whether systems actually work for people in their daily jobs.
Blind Ambition works with organisations to help them understand the practical challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people and other disabled users.
Through lived-experience training and consultancy, we help businesses design services, systems and workplaces that genuinely work for everyone.
Work With Blind Ambition
If you would like your organisation to better understand the challenges faced by disabled users of your services, Blind Ambition can help.
We deliver training and consultancy covering:
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Disability awareness for organisations and leadership teams
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Accessibility challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people
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Inclusive design for digital services and workplaces
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Practical steps to remove barriers for disabled employees and customers
If you would like Blind Ambition to deliver training or consultancy for your organisation, please get in touch.
Together we can help ensure that innovation works for everyone.
