In recent years, the rapid advancement of technology has brought forth a multitude of opportunities for people with disability. Smartphones, equipped with a range of applications (apps), have emerged as powerful tools to enhance accessibility, independence, and quality of life. From aiding communication to promoting mobility and organisation, these disability-friendly apps have revolutionised the way people with disability interact with the world. Let’s look at some of the most useful disability-friendly apps available for smartphones, empowering people to overcome barriers and embrace inclusivity.
The best apps for people with visual impairment
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is a remarkable app that connects people with visual impairment, with sighted volunteers through live video calls. When users need assistance with tasks such as reading labels, identifying objects, or navigating unfamiliar surroundings, volunteers lend their sight to provide real-time support. This app fosters independence and inclusivity, promoting a sense of belonging within the visually impaired community.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
Seeing AI
Developed by Microsoft, Seeing AI harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to assist individuals with visual impairment. The app can identify objects, scan and read documents, recognise people’s faces, describe scenes, and even decipher currency. Seeing AI is a comprehensive vision aid, providing invaluable information and enhancing independence in daily activities.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
Voice Dream Reader
Voice Dream Reader is a versatile app designed to assist people with print impairment, such as dyslexia or visual impairment. It converts text from various sources, including eBooks, web pages, and documents, into spoken words. Additionally, users can customise the reading speed, voice, and highlighting options, making it a highly personalised and empowering reading tool.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
The best apps for people with speech impairment
Proloquo2Go
For people with speech impairment, Proloquo2Go is an app that acts as a portable augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. This user-friendly app allows you to construct sentences by selecting icons or typing text, which is then converted to speech. Proloquo2Go facilitates effective communication, enabling individuals to express their thoughts, needs, and emotions.
Voice4u AAC
Voice4u is a useful app designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals with communication challenges. With its user-friendly interface and diverse features, Voice4u empowers users to express themselves effectively and connect with others. The app offers a wide range of customisable icons and symbols, allowing users to create personalised communication boards and visual schedules. Voice4u also includes a robust text-to-speech feature, enabling users to transform written words into spoken language. Voice4u serves as a powerful tool for fostering independence, enhancing communication skills, and promoting inclusivity in daily life.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
The best apps for people with hearing impairment
Live Transcribe
Live Transcribe is a powerful app designed to aid individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing by converting spoken words into written text in real-time. This innovative application utilises advanced speech recognition technology to capture and transcribe verbal conversations, presentations, or any other spoken content. With Live Transcribe, users can simply launch the app on their mobile device and witness a live display of the transcribed text as it unfolds, enabling them to follow and participate in conversations more effectively. The app also supports multilingual transcriptions, empowering users to communicate in different languages.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
RogerVoice
RogerVoice is an innovative app that provides a communication solution for individuals with hearing impairment. By leveraging speech-to-text technology, this app transcribes phone conversations in real-time, allowing users to read the text instead of relying solely on hearing. Booking a table at a restaurant, making an appointment with your bank, purchasing a train ticket or keeping in touch with our children, parents, grandparents and friends should not be an obstacle course each time. With RogerVoice, individuals with hearing impairments can engage in phone calls with greater ease and independence.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
The best apps for learning impairments
Choiceworks
Choiceworks is an app specifically designed to support people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other cognitive challenges in their daily routines and transitions. The app provides a visual-based system that helps users understand and follow schedules, make choices, and manage their time more effectively. With Choiceworks, users can create personalised visual schedules, step-by-step guides, and social stories to promote structure and predictability. These visual supports aid in reducing anxiety and promoting independence by providing clear and tangible instructions for various activities and tasks.
ModMath
ModMath is an exceptional app designed to provide valuable assistance to people who struggle with math-related tasks and learning difficulties. This innovative app serves as a digital math notebook, specifically tailored to support students with dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or other challenges that affect their ability to write and organise mathematical equations. With its customisable templates and intelligent recognition technology, the app enables users to neatly input equations, symbols, and graphs by typing or using their finger or stylus. ModMath empowers students to excel in their math studies and build confidence in their abilities.
AutiSpark
AutiSpark is an educational program especially made for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It has a range of engaging and interactive learning games that have been tested and approved by special educators and occupational therapists. There is a focus on learning to associate objects via pictures, understand emotions, how to sort, and recognise sounds and words. It has games available that touch on words and spelling, basic math, tracing, memory, puzzles, sorting and matching, decision making, and eye direction. These interactive learning games are a fun way for children with ASD to develop core life skills.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
Otsimo
Otsimo is an app that aims to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by offering a range of educational and therapeutic resources. This comprehensive app provides a personalised learning experience through various interactive activities, games, and exercises designed to improve communication, cognitive skills, and social interaction. Otsimo offers a structured curriculum with a focus on language development, academic skills, and daily living tasks. The app utilises visual aids, positive reinforcement, and repetition to enhance learning and engagement for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It also provides progress tracking and analytics to help parents, teachers, and therapists monitor the user’s development and customise the experience accordingly.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
The best apps for assistance with daily living
MediSafe
The MediSafe Pill Reminder app is beneficial for people with memory or cognitive impairment who may struggle to keep track of medication schedules. This app provides timely reminders, dosage information, family interaction and even medication inventory tracking. MediSafe offers peace of mind, ensuring that important medications are taken on time, reducing the risk of missed doses.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
Sunny
Sunny is an app created by 1800RESPECT that helps women with disability recognise, respond, and get help if they are experiencing violence and abuse. Sunny helps women learn about violence and abuse, their rights, offers learning through stories and allows women to begin to tell their story using an interactive keyboard. The app has been co-designed by women with disability and includes accessible, easy to read information.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
AccessNow
AccessNow is an app that shares accessibility information about places around the world. People can search for specific places like restaurants, hotels or shops, or can simply browse the map to see what’s nearby. If the information isn’t already on the app, they invite people to add it themselves to contribute to building a comprehensive online community. Access now is paving the way to creating a world where people with disability can comfortably take part in activities in the community without the stress of the unknown.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
WheelMate
WheelMate is an invaluable app designed to aid people with disability in locating wheelchair-accessible facilities. This user-friendly app serves as a comprehensive guide for wheelchair users, enabling them to find accessible restrooms, parking spaces, and other essential facilities in their vicinity. WheelMate utilises a crowdsourcing approach, allowing users to contribute and update information about accessible locations, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data.
Download for IOS OR Download for Android
Smartphone apps have opened a world of possibilities for individuals with disability, empowering them to overcome barriers and more comfortably engage in society. The apps mentioned above represent just a fraction of the extensive range available today. From enhancing communication to promoting independence and accessibility, these apps showcase the remarkable potential of technology in fostering inclusivity. As the field continues to evolve, it is essential to recognise and embrace the transformative impact of these disability-friendly apps, ensuring that individuals of all abilities can lead more connected and fulfilling lives.
At Unisson we’re all about working with you to achieve your goals. That could include assisting you to use and set up helpful apps to support you within our social and community, home and living, support coordination or support employment services. If you’d like to talk to someone to find out how we might be able to work together, give us a call on 1300 266 222 or email hello@unisson.org.au.
