"So far very impressed": Molly Watt, who is deaf and blind, says the Apple Watch has helped her navigate city streets. Ms Watt has Usher syndrome, a genetic condition characterised by deafness and escalating loss of vision. She was born deaf and registered as blind when 14. Previously, she had worn a Bradley timepiece - a watch designed for blind people that uses a moving ball bearing to indicate the time. The Apple Watch's new feature is called the "taptic engine", which produces what Apple calls "haptic feedback". Haptics, derived from the Greek , refers to any form of interaction or communication by touch. The watch's engine allows wearers to set vibrations for various alerts and at adjustable intensity - or to send messages by taps to other users. Ms Watt says the integration of haptics with the watch's map function is its most useful feature and is "definitely awesome for me as a deafblind person". It allows her to be directed around London's complex web of streets and alleys without hearing or sight. Her review after five days of using the device is not entirely glowing - the audio could be louder, she says, and the price point more accessible. But "the positives far outweigh the negatives" overall.

According to a 2011 report by Able Australia, there are between 7000 and 9000 deafblind Australians under 65. There are also about 281,000 people over 65 with both blindness and deafness if you include those with mild hearing loss, the report said. Claire Tellefson, co-ordinator of digital literacy at Ablelink, said the watch promised "transformational change". Deafblind people often keep to rehearsed routes because of the difficulty of navigation, she said - not to mention the hazards of traffic and other pedestrians. They also commonly use bluetooth braille devices connected to a smartphone to communicate with others. A watch strapped to the wrist would free up people's hands and enable them to use their braille device more easily. "To have a secondary vibrating thing on their arm would be sensational," she said. "We're pretty excited about it coming in." The Apple Watch was released in Australia last month but there is a backlog of pre-orders, and new orders could be on hold for months before delivery. Ms Tellefson said her clients were aware of the device and, although none were using one yet, she expected them to embrace it once it became more easily available. "They're pretty excited," she said. "Overnight they'll all just start using it, I think."

Chris Rehn, chief executive of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, said the advent of mobile technologies had been "brilliant" for disabled people in a way that able-bodied people would likely not fully appreciate. One of the biggest challenges for the deaf and blind was navigating unfamiliar territory and avoiding the danger of getting lost. "With this sort of technology, they can't be lost," Mr Rehn said. "It's just phenomenal in terms of how far it goes [and] it's so much more convenient because it's on your wrist." The institute's technology consultant will soon road-test the Apple Watch, he said.