This helpful infographic provides information about some of the best mobile apps for people with sensory impairments. Many of them can be especially helpful in classroom settings.
Best Mobile Apps for Sensory Impairment
What is Sensory Impairment?
Sensory impairment or disability, is when one of your senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste, is no longer functioning normally.
A person does not have to have full loss of a sense to be sensory impaired.
95% of the information about the world around us comes from our vision and our hearing.
Vision Impairment vs. Hearing Impairment
285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide.
360 million people have moderate to profound hearing loss.
39 million people are completely blind.
The current production of hearing aids meets less than 10% of global need.
More than 4 in 5 people living with blindness are aged 50 +.
Approximately 1 in 3 people aged 65 + are affected by disabling hearing loss.
Mobile Apps for Vision Impairment
App
Tap Tap See
What It Does
Uses the devices camera and VoiceOver functions to photograph objects and identify them out loud for the user.
Features
Double tapping the screen enables the user to photograph any 2D or 3D object at any angle and define the object within seconds.
The devices VoiceOver function audibly identifies the object to the user.
Includes the ability to repeat the last images identification and to save the image to the camera roll with the attached tag.
Allows the upload of identified images from the camera roll and can share identification via Twitter, Facebook, text or email.
Platforms
iOS and Android.
Cost
New users are provided with 100 trial pictures to start.
4 subscription plans available starting from $4.99 +.
App
Be My Eyes
What It Does
It connects blind people with volunteer helpers globally via live video chat.
A blind person requests assistance via the app.
The volunteer receives a notification for help and a live video connection is established.
Features
Utilises the iPhone VoiceOver technology which enables synthetic speech and a touch-based interface.
At the end of each session there is a ‘rate it’ or ‘report misuse’ option both for the helper and the user.
Platforms
iOS, and an Android version is in production.
Cost
Free, but a subscription may be put in place from September 2015.
App
Color ID
What It Does
The camera on an iPhone or iPod touch speaks the names of colours in real-time.
Features
‘Augmented Reality’ technology app to discover the names of colours around you.
A toggle button at the top left corner enables the user to move from simple colours to exotic colours.
Platforms
iOS.
Cost
Free.
Best of the Rest
Adriadne GPS
Voice Brief
Talking Calculator
Mobile Apps for Hearing Impairment
App
ASL Dictionary
What It Does
Video instruction of over 5,000 + words signed by a professional ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter.
It offers deaf and hard of hearing people a portable and convenient way of learning and using sign language in their daily lives.
Features
A searchable dictionary divided into 7 categories each with its own list of alphabetical entries.
An onscreen keyboard allows users to search words and numbers.
A video comes with each video demonstrating a word, phrase, number, or symbol.
Teaches users how to translate common English phrases into ASL.
Includes 765 multiple meaning words, 473 idioms and the ASL numerical system to represent money, time, dates and years.
Platforms
iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and Windows Mobile.
Cost
Ranging for $4.99 to $7.99, platform dependent.
App
Tap Tap
What It Does
Helps deaf and hearing impaired people respond to their audio environment.
Features
When it detects noise, the app will vibrate and flash to alert the user.
Adjusts sensitivity for noisier environments.
Platforms
iOS.
Cost
$2.99 to download.
App
Netflix
What It Does
Plays unlimited movies and TV shows.
Features
80% of the movies and TV shows it offers have closed caption subtitles for those deaf or hard of hearing.
Closed caption subtitles mean that the subtitles spell out the dialogue and the sound, for example to alert the viewer that a song is playing or a door is shutting.
Platforms
iOS, Android and Windows.
Cost
The app is free once signed up to a paid monthly subscription service from $8.99.
Has a 1 month free trial option.
Best of the Rest
LouderTV
Play It Down
Dragon Dictation
References
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/
http://www.taptapseeapp.com/
http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/PersonalCommunicators/fl/ASL-Video-Dictionary-App-For-iOS-Devices-and-Android-Tablets.htm
http://www.asl-dictionary.com/sign-language-dictionary.html
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dcal/faqs/questions/bsl/question6
http://www.onetoonesupportservices.co.uk/Deafblind%20sensory%20impairments%20definitions.htm
http://www.who.int/disabilities/infographic/en/
http://recode.net/2015/01/17/be-my-eyes-app-brings-help-to-the-blind-and-visually-impaired/
http://www.bemyeyes.org/
http://techpp.com/2013/05/25/mobile-apps-for-blind-visually-impaired/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id402233600?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D8
http://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-the-deaf
https://itunes.apple.com/IE/app/id369747181?mt=8
https://www.netflix.com
Thank you to Home Healthcare Adaptations for this resource.
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