Steady hands are not the only way

I have multiple sclerosis, and one of the ways it shows up for me is in my hands. On a good day they behave. On a bad day my fingers do not go where I send them, and a touchscreen becomes a small daily humiliation. I would try to tap a message to my son and send three wrong ones instead. I am forty-one, and I did not want a phone to make me feel careless.

The Hable Easy is a small remote control that pairs with your phone and sits comfortably in one hand. Instead of chasing tiny targets on a slippery screen, I press firm physical buttons that do not care whether my hand is steady that day. I can answer calls, scroll, and move through my phone without fighting the glass. It was designed with blind and low vision users in mind, as I understand it, but it turns out that firm, reliable buttons help a great many of us for very different reasons.

The difference is not dramatic to look at, and that is rather the point. I send one message, and it is the right one. I answer the phone on the first try. On the days when my hands are not co-operating, I have a way through that does not depend on them behaving. It has quietly taken a layer of frustration out of my life, and when you live with a condition like mine, removing frustration is worth a great deal.