Technology has revolutionized how people with disabilities get around, communicate, and even manage disease and treatment. Now it’s going even further with helpful mobile applications available to download on your smartphone or tablet that open a world of new opportunities, helping the blind see and the deaf hear. Check out these top 6 apps for people with disabilities:
Best Apps for People with Disabilities
Wheelmap (iOS & Android)
This free app helps wheelchair users and their caregivers search and find wheelchair accessible places worldwide. Based on aggregated data from users with disabilities all over the globe, Wheelmap helps people with disabilities plan out trips and destinations based on their ability to access a building. For example, when choosing a restaurant to eat out, a user with a wheelchair might use Wheelmap to check for wheelchair accessibility prior to going.
Be My Eyes (iOS & Android)
Fostering the largest global community for the blind and visually impaired, the free app, Be My Eyes, virtually connects someone with vision problems with a sighted volunteer who can help them “see.” Using any smartphone, a blind or visually impaired user can open the app to request assistance, be connected through live video with a sighted volunteer, and then point their camera at what they want described to them. The sighted volunteer will then tell the user what they see in the user’s native language – it’s as simple as that!
Talkitt
The Talkitt app is giving voice to users with disabilities that cause speech disorders and make communicating difficult. People with autism, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and cerebral palsy for example, may experience trouble speaking with volume, word formation, etc. Frustrations for them and their caregivers which stem from seemingly unintelligible speech are resolved with the Talkitt app that recognizes vocal patterns and translates what they are saying into understandable words spoken by a mobile device. Talkitt should be hitting the market soon.
RogerVoice (iOS & Android)
For the hearing impaired and their friends and family comes RogerVoice, an app which converts voice to text to help those who are hard of hearing hold real phone conversations. Using voice recognition software, the app picks up on speech patterns so someone who is deaf can speak into the phone and it translates their voice into text for the person on the other end of the line, and vice versa. RogerVoice was engineered from the ground up by people with hearing limitations and is opening up a world of opportunity for the hearing impaired community.
Red Panic Button (iOS & Android)
This emergency app allows anyone to send out a call for help with the tap of a button. For people with disabilities, being able to quickly access assistance in case of an emergency or problem is very helpful. The app allows a user to send one SMS message to an entire list of panic contacts that also includes a Google Maps link to their location. Additional features include recording a 10 second audio message to send to contacts, notifying people on twitter, as well as sending emergency emails.
Ability App
Currently in development, Ability App is planning on offering a Yelp-like platform, but for people with disabilities. The brainchild of a 12-year-old inventor Alex in Idaho, Ability App will aim to improve the lives of people with disabilities by offering them helpful information on everything from wheelchair-friendly restaurants and venues, to service animal relief locations, and which companies or buildings offer assistive hearing devices. The creators plan to develop the app for downloading on any mobile device with voice and eye tracking software for the visually and physically impaired.
Sometimes living with a disability makes it difficult to get around easily with your phone which might prevent you from taking advantage of helpful mobile apps. Accessories for wheelchairs, walkers, and knee scooters can help, like baskets, bags, and cup holders – click the following article. Some of the most innovative app development happens when the product is targeted towards improving the lives of others – apps for people with disabilities is no exception.
