Helpful Apps for Managing Your Disability
Daily life can be a challenge for many people living with physical disabilities, whether they experience difficulty with mobility or when communicating with others who may not understand those disabilities. However, thanks to technological advances, disabled individuals can more easily navigate the world through the use of apps and assistive technologies on mobile devices.
The following are some of the most helpful apps that can help people with different disabilities.
Wheelmate and Wheelmap
For people who rely on wheelchairs to get around, accessibility is crucial when visiting any location. Using either Wheelmate or Wheelmap on Apple or Android devices, individuals can see a list of locations that are wheelchair accessible before visiting. Wheelmap can help find wheelchair-accessible movie theaters, stores, bars, and restaurants, while Wheelmate is used to locate facilities such as parking lots and restrooms.
AccessNow
Like Wheelmap, AccessNow for Android and iOS can find out if locations such as shops, hotels, and restaurants are wheelchair-accessible. Additionally, users have the ability to add information that other users can rate, which further verifies the accuracy of the information on the app.
Be My Eyes
For people who are blind or partially sighted, whether by birth, disease, or a catastrophic accident, it can be challenging to find their way around the world. Be My Eyes is a helpful app on both Android and Apple devices that can connect fully or partially blind users with sighted volunteers. These volunteers can describe to blind individuals what’s around them over the phone using the blind user’s smartphone camera.
Voice Dream Reader
Another great app for blind users is Voice Dream Reader, which is also helpful for users with learning disabilities that make it difficult to read certain texts. The app uses text-to-speech to read out words that the user highlights, making it easier for the user to follow along.
Google Maps
One reliable app that’s useful for both abled and disabled users is Google Maps. Users can benefit from GPS technology to view street maps and views, along with satellite imagery that helps them visualize any location. Users can also see data about local traffic and determine which route to take based on efficiency.
Wheelchair users may find this map particularly helpful as they can see where ramps and elevators appear throughout a town or city. Users can access this feature by selecting the “wheelchair accessible” option before selecting a route to their destination. The app can also detail which modes of public transportation are best to take.
Google Assistant and Voice Access
A couple of other ways Google can help disabled users is through its Assistant and Voice Access tools. Google Assistant uses voice activation to enable users to ask the phone to text or call people, set up alarms, send emails, and perform other tasks without physically using a smartphone. Voice Access is specifically designed for users who are unable to physically access their phones, allowing them to issue different commands by voice instead of clicking on buttons or performing other navigation tasks on the phone by hand.
Avaz
For many disabled children, whether injured at birth or suffering from a disability that developed later, communication can be a challenge as they grow. Avaz is an Apple and Android app that allows children with cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and autism to communicate with others via pictures, eliminating the need for verbal communication.
Medication Reminder & Pill Tracker
This app for Android users can remind people about when to take their medications. This is especially helpful for individuals who are taking multiple medications and may lose track of which to take when. The app, developed by MyTherapy, makes it easy to track all medications, along with the user’s weight and moods to help stay in line with a physician’s recommendations.
Miracle Modus
The Miracle Modus app is intended to help individuals with sensitivities to certain stimuli. The developer is autistic and created the app for Android and iPhone users out of his deep understanding of sensory overload. The app works by displaying soft lights and other visuals while playing soft sounds to help combat sensory overload. As a result, the user is likely to feel calmer while using the app and avoid stress from overwhelming stimuli.
Petralex
For partially deaf individuals who struggle to hear properly, Petralex for Apple and Android devices is potentially invaluable. The app functions as a kind of hearing aid app that uses “augmented hearing” to amplify certain sounds for the user. This is particularly ideal for use in social situations with many surrounding voices and other sounds.
Dragon Dictation
Also for deaf users, Dragon Dictation for Apple devices can amplify an individual if the user has a hard time understanding or hearing what someone is saying. The person speaking can talk into the phone, and Dragon Dictation will display a transcription and enable the user to respond. While it isn’t entirely accurate, it can give users a good idea of what someone is saying when it might be hard to hear them otherwise.
All of these apps are helpful for people with a wide range of disabilities. Whether users are deaf, blind, physically handicapped, or intellectually disabled, these apps can make life easier in many ways. Many of them are also available free at no cost to the user, helping them receive the assistance they need without incurring additional costs. Technology is also continually improving, which means that in the near future disabled individuals will likely have access to further impressive apps.
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
