There are countless apps — many of which are free — available to help people who are blind or who have low vision.
Some are single-purpose — for example, apps that magnify and illuminate text and objects, map ATM locations, tell you what time it is audibly, high-powered scanning apps that make text accessible, and applications that describe the content in images.
Others have more complex identification capabilities thanks to artificial intelligence. Microsoft’s Seeing AI (iOS only) can translate a wide range of visual experiences into audio. For example, it can read text in real time; identify the denomination of paper money; scan documents; describe people, including their emotions; identify products by their bar codes; describe images from other apps; identify colors; and more. The apps iDentifi and TapTapSee (both iOS only) allow the user to take a photo and get an instant description.
Other apps connect visually impaired users to sighted volunteers for assistance with things like checking expiration dates on food, distinguishing colors, reading instructions, and more. Be My Eyes connects users and volunteers via live video calls, and it also has an artificial intelligence description feature for photographs. BeSpecular allows users to send a photo and a voice message to a community of volunteers to quickly get a description.
NIDILRR has funded grantees to develop apps for people who are blind or who have low vision. Some examples include, but are not limited to:
- The T3 Tactile Tablet and T3 apps developed by NIDILRR-funded grantee Touch Graphics: New for 2022! T3 is a platform for audio-tactile learning and fun. Users place tactile overlays on the rugged T3 tablet. Users can press down on any feature to hear it described. This system can make maps, diagrams, and other illustrations accessible to those who cannot read traditional visual graphics or print.
- The Tactile Graphics Helper: This product provides auditory assistance for blind students learning to use tactile graphics. Were it not for the work of a NIDILRR-funded grant called the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Inclusive Technologies’ (Wireless RERC) App Factory and the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Low Vision and Blindness, this app would not exist.
The wide range of options makes it possible for users who are blind or visually impaired to create an individual toolbox with apps that meet their needs and help them navigate the world independently.