How can we turn off Liquid Glass for better accessibility?

Liquid Glass IS the UI, you cannot turn off the UI (User Interface). All you can do is adjust the options and that will depend on the iOS version you are using, not sure which you have installed. Review the information provided here:

Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

There have been 3 major UI changes on the iPhone over the years and with each new design that have always some that don't like it without any means of completely removing it. Even the previous Flat design was hated when it first came out, and now we see some users that want to go back to that design. Here is a history of each UI change:

• Skeuomorphic Design (2007 -2012) - This design added real world textures to icons with glossy, glass looking icons. For example, Game Center used a green felt type icon resembling that of a poker table, the Notes app showed a brown strip on top looking like an official leather bound legal note pad.
• Flat Design (2013 - 2024) - Apple stripped away the textured look, glossy icons, shadows and used a minimalist approach to the icons that included translucent elements to partially see behind any icon or element.
• Liquid Glass (2025 - present) - This added multiple layers to all icons for a 3-D effect and used more motion to resemble real world actions. This kept the translucent elements of the Flat Design while using a more Skeuomorphic approach to the interactions instead of just the look.

Just as in those previous designs, you can send Feedback to Apple and express your concerns. That is what was done following the release of iOS 26, and Liquid Glass was further refined in iOS 27 with a slider to reduce those effects along with the other tinting options to reduce transparency.

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Something else to consider for the elderly/visually impaired that may be having trouble navigating their phone, is Assistive Access. This is a completely different UI that is intended to help those users where the icons are bigger and the screen does not include other distracting elements, and focuses more on want you actually want to do. Check it out.

Assistive Access User Guide - Apple Support (KG)

While you cannot entirely turn it off, you cna make certain modifications to aid in visibility and contrats and reduce the transparency effects.

click here ➜ Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's here to stay - Apple Community

If you would like to see a swithc to completely turn it off, you can offer Apple feedback and if enough people do, they have been knonw to make changes.

click here ➜ Product Feedback - Apple

If you can not see to make the needed changes visit an Apple Store or your cellular carrier's Store and have them make the coarse changes so that you can see it again.

...Or have a friend make the coarse changes for you.

AutoMobiliaResource wrote:

That's just it. My blind friend lives 9 hours away. I cannot pop over and help her. For her to go to an Apple Store is not something easy.

Assistive Access is the answer for you then. No matter what change you are asking for, it is apparently going to requires some kind of help for your friend to make that change.

Here is the description of Assistive Access which seems to be exactly what you are asking for:

• Assistive Access is a distinctive iOS experience that makes it easier for people with cognitive disabilities to use iPhone independently. Essential apps and experiences have been optimized for Assistive Access—onscreen items are bigger, features are more focused, and it’s easier to navigate and understand what actions are possible.

My advice was not intended to make light of the situation.

My role as a senior contributor here is to make divergent suggestions so that Users with a problem at hand can take a whack at the problem and try to get the issues under control.