Essential Android Apps for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Last updated 7/23/2019
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Adaptive Technology is ever changing.
There are many Android applications available in the Google Play store that can assist you while you are at home, school, work or on the go.
Our Rehabilitation Technology Specialists have compiled a list of free/paid accessible essential Android applications for your smartphones and tablets that can assist you to improve your independence.
We can train you on how to use these applications and many more!
What is an Android app?
An Android app is an application designed to fulfill a particular purpose on smartphones and tablets running an Android operating system, that can be downloaded for free or paid from the google play store.
There are many types of apps; to list a few, there are productivity, utility, game, navigation, radio and news apps.
Category: For Developers
Making apps more accessible
Android apps should be usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.Common disabilities that affect a person's use of an Android device include blindness or low vision, color blindness, deafness or impaired hearing, and restricted motor skills. When you develop apps with accessibility in mind, you make the user experience better not only for users with these disabilities, but also for all of your other users.This document presents guidelines for improving your app's accessibility. It also lists resources that provide additional details and information related to accessibility features in Android.
Click Here for the Google Accessibility Guide
Category: Tools
Voice Access
Voice Access is an accessibility service that lets you control your device with spoken commands. Voice Access can be useful for people who have difficulty using a touchscreen due to paralysis, tremor, temporary injury, or other reasons.
Free QR Scanner: Bar Code Scanner & QR Code Reader
Super fast & safe QR scanner, bar code reader & QR code reader for Android! Scans all QR code & barcodes! Very simple & easy to use!
Click Here for Free QR Scanner
Dolphin EasyReader
EasyReader is a FREE accessible reading app for readers with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. Browse & download from the World's largest collection of talking book and newspaper libraries. Or copy text from anywhere on your phone & hear EasyReader read it back to you. Experience perfectly synchronized text & audio. Or for text only titles, EasyReader can add a human sounding voice of your choice. Boost comfort or contrast - choose colours, text size and highlights to suit your visual needs.
Google TalkBack
TalkBack is an accessibility service that helps blind and vision-impaired users interact with their devices.TalkBack adds spoken, audible, and vibration feedback to your device. TalkBack comes pre-installed on most Android devices.
Click Here for Google TalkBack
Google BrailleBack
BrailleBack is an Accessibility Service that helps blind users make use of braille devices. It works together with the TalkBack app to give a combined braille and speech experience. This app lets you connect a supported refreshable braille display to your device via Bluetooth. Screen content will be presented on the braille display and you can navigate and interact with your device using the keys on the display. It is possible to input text using the braille keyboard. Devices supported in this version: • APH Refreshabraille • Baum VarioConnect • Esys EuroBraille • Freedom Scientific Focus Blue (14 and 40 cell models) • HandyTech (Basic Braille, Active Braille, Braille Star, Braille Wave, Braillino, Easy Braille) • Harpo (Braillepen 12, Braillepen 12 Touch) • HIMS (BrailleSense, Braille EDGE) • Humanware Brailliant (1st generation and BI models) • Optelec Alva (BC640, BC680), Easylink 12 touch • Papenmeier Braillex Trio • Seika (notetaker and 40 cell display)
Click Here for Google BrailleBack
Tap TapSee
TapTapSee is designed to help the blind and visually impaired identify objects they encounter in their daily lives.Simply double tap the screen to take a photo of anything, at any angle, and hear the app speak the identification back to you (Note: Spoken identification requires Talkback to be turned on).TapTapSee helps the blind and visually impaired become more independent in their day-to-day activities.
Category: Business
Aqua Mail - Email App
Aqua Mail is a free email app for personal and corporate email. This is the perfect replacement for your current email app as it provides the flexibility of working the way you are used to.Aqua Mail has plenty of options for customizing the app as well as convenient features which improve your efficiency of managing e-mails. Modify how it looks and works to become more productive.Aqua Mail supports automatic setup for the more popular email providers, works fluently with others, or lets you enter mail server settings yourself.
Tappy Menu
Our simple design and layout provides you with the easiest way to find exactly what you're looking for in every restaurant. Tappy Menu eliminates the need for multiple apps of your favorite eateries and also saves the frustration of a mobile friendly restaurant website.This easy to use app gives blind and visually impaired people the freedom to read restaurant menus in a whole new way. Not only will visually impaired people be able to read the menu without sighted help, but they will never have to rely on bulky, out-dated, braille menus!Simply tap on the establishment of your choice, and scroll through the detailed menus, nutrition facts, ingredients, etc. Promote this amazing app to all your favorite eateries.
Category: Communication
Google Chrome: Fast & Secure
Google Chrome is a fast, easy to use, and secure web browser. Designed for Android, Chrome brings you personalized news articles, quick links to your favorite sites, downloads, and Google Search and Google Translate built-in. Download now to enjoy the same Chrome web browser experience you love across all your devices.
Category: Education
Voice Dream Reader
Voice Dream Reader is an accessible reading tool for mobile and tablet devices. With advanced text-to-speech and a highly configurable screen layout, it can be tailored to suit every reading style from completely auditory to completely visual, plus synchronized combination of both. The visually impaired will benefit from the ability to hear documents read in their favorite voices; students and others with dyslexia will appreciate the synchronized reading capability that integrates text and voice; and everyone who wants to hear or read their documents in their own way will benefit from the configurability of the visual and voice capabilities.
Click Here for Voice Dream Reader
Category: Health & Fitness
Eye-D
Eye-D (Acronym for Eye Devices), conceptualized as standalone solution to improve quality of life of visually impaired (VI) is a complete solution that assists VI’s in their daily life.Eye-D helps visually impaired be location aware, explore and navigate to nearby places of interest, evaluate surroundings with their smartphone camera and read printed text. Eye-D will serve as the true companion for most of your daily assistance needs.
Category: Productivity
KNFB Reader
The KNFB Reader app is an essential tool for anyone with low vision, visual impairments, difficulty reading, reading disabilities such as dyslexia, as well as blind individuals. It reads anything from menus, bills, documents, signs, mail, PDFs and JPEG files and more for immediate and easy access!This trial version includes all the features of the paid app, but is limited to twenty-five document scans. When you’re ready to purchase the full version, you’ll be able to do so through an in-app purchase.
Category: Travel & Location
Nearby Explorer
Nearby Explorer is a full featured GPS app designed for use by people who are blind. Instead of just providing directions, it describes the environment in ways comparable to reading signage or observing road characteristics.It uses onboard maps, so a data connection is not required, but if you have one, Nearby Explorer supplements the on board map data with crowd collected locations from Google Places.It includes complete maps for the United States and Canada which contain millions of points of interest. The onboard maps are over 4GB in size, so be sure the device you plan to use has enough available space before purchasing.
Click Here for Nearby Explorer
Have a Suggestion?
If you have an android app suggestion, feel free to email us at: junruh@blindnesssupport.com with the name and link to the app.
If you want more information you can contact us at the main office by calling:
(951) 341-9244.