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Vision

The following free or Low Cost Assistive Technology programs, software, websites, and apps focus on different forms of Vision Support. The information about the following applications has been summarized from the applications’ websites and/or from experience testing the applications. We update this page approximately once a year. Please refer to the applications’ websites for the most up to date information.

Content created and shared by Augsburg University. To use, please correctly cite Augsburg University CLASS Office.

VISION

Aira

aira-logo

Features:

  • Visual interpreting application for people who are blind or have low vision
  • 5 minutes of free use every 48 hours
  • Connects customers to trained agents to support visual access
  • More Information: Aira Website

Cost: Free and priced plans

Compatibility: iOS; Android


Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes Logo

Features:

  • Free mobile app for blind and low vision individuals for visual assistance
  • Sets up a video call with the user and a sighted volunteer
  • More Information: Be My Eyes Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: iOS; Android


Can You See Me

Can You See Me app logo

Features:

  • Checks for camera position to ensure that the camera is positioned correctly in front of the user
  • Tells the user where they are located in the camera frame
  • Useful for online meetings such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • More Information: Can You See Me Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Windows (compatible with NVDA, Dolphin Screen Reader and JAWS)


Color Enhancer

Color Enhancer Logo

Features:

  • Google’s accessibility extension for color adjustment on webpages
  • Customizable settings to help with color perception
  • More Information: Color Enhancer Chrome Extension

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Chrome Extension


Envision

Envision app logo

Features:

  • Visual description and OCR application
  • Can read in over 60 languages
  • Includes features such as handwriting recognition, color detection, finding objects and people, scene description, and more
  • More Information: Envision’s Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: iOS, Android


High Contrast

High Contrast App Logo

Features:

  • Google accessibility extension for high contrast
  • Contains various options for default color schemes for user’s preference
  • Keyboard shortcut to enable or disable extension
  • More Information: High Contrast Chrome Extension

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Chrome Extension


Lookout – Assisted vision

Lookout app logo

Features:

  • Google’s vision assistance app that utilizes a phone camera
  • Available Lookout modes include: text, explore, food labels, documents, and currency
  • Contains optical character recognition (OCR)
  • More Information: Lookout – Assisted vision Application

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android


NVDA Screen Reader

The NVDA logo® is a stylized blend of the letters NVDA in white on a square purple background. There is a vertical line on the left with a rounded hook to the right at the bottom as if starting to form the bottom corner of a “D”. Then from the top-left, a straight diagonal line comes down to the right. Next, a line curves in a semi-circle out to the right then back up to the top. The line finishes in a downward hook with a curved end. The vertical and diagonal lines make the first part of the letter N and also the letter A (without the crossbar). The diagonal and curved lines form a V, and the curve is the right part of the D. (NV Access, 2023)

Features:

  • Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free, open source screen reader built for Windows based operating system computers
  • Download to your computer directly or to a USB drive and run on any computer
  • Works with many popular applications such as web browsers, email, and Microsoft Office programs
  • Works with many refreshable braille displays
  • More Information: NVDA Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Windows


Seeing AI

seeing AI app logo

Features:

  • Free Microsoft iOS application that “narrates the world around you.” (Microsoft, 2023)
  • Through using your phone’s camera, the app can speak text aloud, identify objects that have barcodes on them, provide photo descriptions, recognize people, describe currency, and more
  • More Information: Microsoft’s Seeing AI Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: iOS


TapTapSee

TapTapSee app logo

Features:

  • Use this app to help identify everyday objects for anyone with a visual impairment or who is blind
  • Double tap the screen, take a picture of the object, and hear what the object is spoken out loud
  • More Information: Tap TapSee Website

Cost: Free

Compatibility: iOS; Android


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