Apps for Children With Vision Loss

ACCESSING BOOKS

• Audible – Free – Provides access to a variety audio books and podcasts recorded and narrated by actors.
• BARD Mobile – Free – A service of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), the BARD Mobile app provides access to braille and talking books directly from the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).
• Bookshare – Free – Provides students with reading disabilities access to an online digital library of over 500,000 titles.
• Learning Ally– Free – Provides access to a library of more than 65,000 audiobooks and is a great source for K-12 and college-level text books.
• Read2Go – $19.99 – Browse, search, download, and read books directly from Bookshare using your Bookshare membership.
• Spotlight Gateway – Free – An e-reading application specifically designed for people with vision loss.
• Voice Dream Reader– $19.99 – Accessible reading tool with advanced text-to-speech and a highly configurable screen layout that can be tailored to auditory readers and visual readers.

BRAILLE

• Braille Pad – Free – Write SMS, mails, and social posts using braille code.
• MBraille Touch – Free – Type, edit and send tweets and text messages using contracted or uncontracted English braille.
• Ballyland Magic App – $2.99 – Educational game that teaches touch gestures for VoiceOver, Apple’s built-in screen reader

CAUSE AND EFFECT

• Baby First Aquarium – Free – Interactive aquarium that plays music while users pop bubbles and tap on fish to make them swim faster.
• Cause & Effect Sensory Light Box – $3.99 – Abstract animations and sounds that introduce basic touch skills and awareness.
• Doodle Kids – Free – Create drawings with special effects.
• iLoveFireworks – $0.99 – Create beautiful firework displays.
• Fluidity – Free – Encourages visual attention and interaction as users touch the screen to control fluid flow and color.
• Tap-N-See Now – $2.99 – The first app created specifically for children with CVI but the bright colors and pictures will also appeal to babies and young toddlers without CVI.

EARLY LEARNING

• Photo Touch ABC – Free – Encourages letter recognition through interactive activities.
• See Touch Learn – Free – Customizable picture card learning activity.
• See Touch Say – Free – Helps children learn about people and objects in their world.
• Sparkabilities– $2.99 – Encourages learning skills through videos and flash card sets.

IDENTIFICATION

• Aria – Free – Real time personal assistance via video.
• Be My Eyes – Free – Connects individuals with vision loss with sighted volunteers who provide virtual assistance through a live video call.
• BeSpecular – Free – Ask questions via photo upload or voice message and receive feedback via voicemail or text.
• Color ID – Free – Color identifying tool.
• EyeNote – Free – Paper currency identifying tool.
• Say Color – Free – Color identifying tool.
• ScriptTalk – Free – Identifies pharmacies that provide accessible labels on medication.
• Seeing AI – Free – Narrates the world you by describing nearby people, text, and objects.
• TapTapSee – Free – Identifies objects that users encounter in their daily lives.

MAGNIFIER

• Magnifying Glass with Light – Free – Allows users to magnify text or other objects up to 10x their natural size.
• Magnificent – Free – Increases magnification up to 16x and offers color filter modes.

WAYFINDING

• Ariadne GPS – $4.99 – Provides directions for navigation using talking maps and an innovative interface.
• Lazarillo – Free – Provides GPS navigation.
• Microsoft Soundscapes – Free – Provides information about surroundings with synthesized binaural audio, creating the effect of 3D sound.
• Seeing Eye GPS – Free – Provides GPS navigation.

NOTE TAKING

• Dragon Anywhere – Free – Dictate your message, and Dragon types it out on the screen. Delivery options include text message, email, copy-and-paste, Facebook, and twitter.
• Evernote – Free – Allows users to take notes, capture photos, create to-do-lists, and record voice reminders.
• KNFB Reader – $99.99 – Converts printed text into high quality speech to provide accurate, fast, and efficient access to documents. Picture accuracy is facilitated by a Field of View Report, Automatic Page Detection, and Tilt Control. It will determine the words and read them aloud in high quality text-to-speech and will also highlight text.
• iTalk Recorder – Free – Edit and manage recordings.
  

SOUND

• Baby Rattle Toy – Free for Android, $1.99 for iOS – Soothes and entertains children age 0 to 2 years.
• Big Bright Keys – $0.99 – Create music by pressing the colorful buttons.
• Bloom HD – $3.99 – Create elaborate patterns and melodies.
• Finger Paint with Sound – Free – Paint with music or sound effects.
• Peekaboo Barn – $1.99 – Peekaboo game with farm animals and music.
• Talking Tom Cat – Free – Animated cat that repeats words and sounds to encourage vocalization and interaction with the tablet.

STORY TIME

• Dr. Seuss’s ABC – Free – Interactive Dr. Seuss stories with sound effects and pages that turn automatically.
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Magic Ink Book – Free – Color the pages to advance through the interactive storybook.
• The Frog Prince Magic Ink Book – Free – Color the pages to advance through the interactive storybook.
• The Smelly Sprout – Free – Story of an outcast who finds his path and makes a friend.

TECH SUPPORT

• AppleVis – Online resources for blind and low vision users of Apple products such as the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV
• Google Accessibility Support -The Google Disability Support team is available to support users with vision loss using Google products. Support includes accessibility features, functionalities, and assistive technology in Google products.
  Email: disability-support-external@google.com
• Apple Accessibility – The Apple Accessibility Support team is availabile to support users with vision loss using iOS devices.
  Phone: 877-204-3930
• Microsoft Accessibility– The Microsoft Accessibility Support team is available to support users with vision loss using Microsoft devices.
• Phone: 800-936-5900

*Lighthouse Guild does not endorse products.