Ability

Ability is an app that helps people with any type of disability successfully navigate public places and search for accessible features at any public space (example: store, restaurant, park, etc.)

Access Note

AccessNote is a sophisticated note-taking app designed to support visually impaired students and working professionals. AccessNote is compatible with VoiceOver.

Availability: iOS 

Aipoly Vision

Aipoly Vision utilizes artificial intelligence to help low-vision people better understand what’s around them. Users point the app at an object and simply press a recognition button.

Availability: Android, iOS

Ariadne GPS

Ariadne GPS allows visually impaired users to navigate directions using talking maps and an innovative interface. Ariadne works anywhere accessible by Google Maps. 

Availability: Android, iOS

Audible

Audible provides a wide selection of audible books, including recent popular titles, classics, and academic text. 

Availability: Android, iOS

Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes is an app that connects visually impaired people with sighted volunteers who provide virtual assistance through a live video call. Be My Eyes is available in 180 languages. 

Availability: Android, iOS

Big Digital Clock

Big Digital Clock is the perfect time-telling app for the visually impaired! This app tells digital time using the entire phone screen; brightness and colors can be adjusted according to the user’s preference.

Availability: Android, iOS

Blind Bargains

Blind Bargains assists the visually impaired community by providing the latest deals in one place. Users can purchase Braille printers, screen readers, and other accessible products. 

Availability: Android, iOS

A Blind Legend

A Blind Legend is one of the first audio-only mobile video games available to both sighted and non-sighted players. Using three-dimensional sound, the game features a blind knight who must journey to the High Castle Kingdom to rescue his wife with his daughter Louise’s help. Players navigate and interact with the game using the touchscreen.

Blind Square

Blind Square is a highly accessible GPS app designed for the visually impaired. It describes the surrounding terrain and announces street intersections.

Availability: iOS

Color ID

Color ID assists the visually impaired by distinguishing the colors in various items around them. Color ID works by identifying colors around the user and speaking those colors aloud. A visually impaired user could use this app when making clothing selections or tell if the fruit is ripe.

Availability: iOS

Digit Eyes

Digit Eyes was created with the visually impaired shopper in mind. This app reads a manufacturer’s barcode and audibly the name of the product. Users can also record their labels for household items. 

Availability: iOS

Envision AI

Envision App offers a range of visual recognition features that enables blind and visually impaired users to access visual information around them independently.

Availability: iOS and Android 

Facing Emotions

Facing Emotions is an app that translates seven primary emotions on the human face: anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, contempt into corresponding sounds, allowing visually impaired users to have a deeper connection with the person they are talking to.

Availability: Android 

Kindle

Kindle is an app that allows users to download books from Amazon. Kindle offers accommodations for the visually impaired, including large print and narrators.

Availability: Android, iOS

KNFB Reader

KNFB Reader translates written words into speech or Braille. This app also allows users to send and share documents easily. 

Availability: Android, iOS

Light Detector

Light Detector helps blind users hear light rather than seeing it. Users will gauge the intensity of light based on how high or low the correlating sound is.

Availability:  iOS

Learning Ally

Learning Ally is designed for K-12 students who learn best by listening; this app provides audible grade-level content and is appropriate for both sighted and visually impaired users.

Availability: Android, iOS

LookTel Money Reader

LookTel Money Reader allows visually impaired users to count their money accurately. LookTel works to identify currency and speaks the denomination. This is an excellent app for blind users who wish to practice independence financially.

Availability: iOS

Magnifying Glass with Light

Magnifying Glass with Light is designed for low vision users. This app allows users to magnify text or other objects up to ten times their natural size. This app is perfect for someone with a mild visual impairment who wishes to read a menu, a recipe, etc.

Availability: iOS

Prizmo

Prizmo is a photo-based app that allows users to scan documents to PDF using advanced text-to-speech features. Prizmo utilizes OCR (Optimal Calendar Recognition) and is available in 23 languages.

Availability: iOS

Seeing AI

Seeing AI is an artificial intelligence application developed by Microsoft for iOS. Seeing AI uses the device camera to identify people and objects, and then the app audibly describes those objects for people with visual impairment.

Availability: iOS

Smart Braille

Smart Braille allows Android users to communicate via an app-version of Braille. Smart Braille features two majors, enabling users to write text in Braille and the other that will enable them to translate text into Braille. 

Availability: Android

Talking Calculator

Talking Calculator provides voiceover support to add audibly, subtract, multiply, and divide. This app is useful to both the sighted and the visually impaired and is appropriate for all ages. 

Availability: Android iOS

Talking Tags

Talking Tags is designed to help blind users create labels or tags for everyday items. These coded tags can help users select which box to fill when moving or which jar to take out of the fridge. 

Availability: Android iOS

Tap Tap See

Tap Tap See is a mobile camera app designed with the visually impaired user in mind. Tap Tap See uses a voiceover function to take photos of any object, identifying it aloud for the user.

Availability: Android, iOS

Transit

Transit is a mobile app providing real-time public transit data—the app functions in over 175 metropolitan areas worldwide. Transit was designed to aggregate and map real-time public transit data, crowdsourcing user data to determine buses and trains’ actual location.

Availability: Android, iOS

Visual Braille

Visual Braille is an easy way to learn Braille, making this a useful app both for the blind and the sighted. Visual Braille allows for self-paced instruction.

Availability: iOS 

Viz Wiz

Viz Wiz allows low-vision users to take a photo of an object and ask a question answered through a series of algorithms. For example, a user might photograph two cans of vegetables and utilize the app to determine corn and carrots.

Availability: Android, iOS

Voice Brief

Voice Brief reads content aloud, such as the weather, blog posts, or emails. This app is useful for both the blind and sighted alike.

Availability: iOS

The Blind Life represents what is going on in my life and what I enjoy, all from the visually impaired perspective. I’m a big fan of mobile technology and Low vision accessibility, but I also can easily laugh at myself. I enjoy making videos to share tips and tricks for navigating life with low vision. If you have any suggestions for future videos, just ask! 

TED Talks