Assistive Techonolgy for the Visually Impaired and blind
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Audio Description
Audio description, sometimes referred to as descriptive audio or described video, is an additional narrator track that provides visual information for people who otherwise would not be able to see it. Audio description is designed for visually impaired audiences, inclusive of blind, low vision, and other forms of visual impairment/visual processing disorders that may use audio description to provide additional context or clarification for visual information.
Audio description may be provided live by a narrator or pre-recorded ahead of time using either a professional narrator or synthesized voice. Closed audio description plays from an assistive listening device (ALD) so that only one person can hear it, while open description is played alongside the original media so everyone can listen without needing headphones or specialty equipment.
Examples
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Many movie theaters offer audio description for new release films, and guests listen to the audio tracks on an ALD
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Streaming video providers including Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and more have open audio description on select content
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Amusement parks like Disney World/Disneyland make audio description devices available for guests that provide information on various areas in the park
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Audio description is available for many plays and musicals, including Broadway productions. Guests can listen to descriptions on an ALD or on their personal phone
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Several museums incorporate audio description into exhibits, including art museums and national parks
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White Cane
A blindness cane (also referred to as a white cane) is a mobility device used by people with visual impairments, a term that is inclusive of blindness, low vision, neurological visual impairment, and vision loss that is not otherwise corrected by glasses, contacts, or surgery. However, some Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) use alternative terms such as blindness cane, probing cane, or long cane since not all canes are white. Some individuals use a blindness cane for identification purposes to signal that they have trouble seeing, while others use it for mobility purposes to help them identify information within their environment.
Examples
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The rolling marshmallow cane tip is one of the most commonly used blindness cane tips.
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Blindness canes can come in many colors, including custom colors.
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The state department/state unit for vision impairment can provide canes for free or at a low cost
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The rigid NFB canes with metal tips are also a popular choice and can be ordered for free online through the NFB’s White Cane Program.
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Computers
Computers are an example of mainstream technology that have several built-in features that can be used as assistive technology for people with low vision. While each operating system has different names for various accessibility features, computers generally feature settings including text-to-speech, screen readers, screen magnification, large print, and options for displaying information in various formats.
Examples
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Computers can be used to complete assignments for my classes, typing answers and enlarging text as needed.
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Another option for displaying content is to use screen mirroring, which allows a user to duplicate their device display to another monitor, making it easier to see information up close.
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Laptop computers and desktop computers are both great options for people with low vision- one type of computer isn’t superior to the other.
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The most common operating systems include Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS
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Device camera
The device camera that is built into a cell phone or tablet can be used as assistive technology in a pinch, and is frequently used by people with low vision to quickly magnify things, especially items such as restaurant menus, signs, and short documents. There are also many different assistive technology apps that utilize the device camera, so users should be familiar with how to stabilize an image and take a clear photo.
Examples
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Device cameras can be used to zoom in on a handwritten note and have the text recognized by an app on my phone
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Device cameras can be used with visual assistance apps like Be My Eyes, Aira, and Seeing AI for identifying information
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Another option is to take a picture of an object and zoom in within the phone gallery to read the text
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Electronic Books
Many people with low vision also have a print disability, which is defined as the inability to read standard print. It can be difficult to find physical copies of large print books, and traditional printed books don’t allow users to customize the font size or background color, so electronic books are a great resource for people with vision loss. Electronic books can be displayed in large print or read out loud
Examples
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Bookshare, National Library Services Talking Book Library, and Learning Ally are all examples of services that provide accessible books for users with print disabilities, including visual impairment
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Accessible Educational Materials for K-12 students are provided by a state accessible materials agency- in Virginia, this is AIM-VA
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eBooks can be read on an eReader, tablet, computer, or other mainstream technology device
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There are a few different file formats for accessible electronic books, including EPUB, MP3, DAISY, and others (see next section)
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File Formats
Accessible file formats can be configured and customized for users with low vision, including options for enlarging the font size, background color, font style, text-to-speech, and others. Some file formats can be displayed in another application like a notetaking app or simplified reading display that does not edit the original file or change the formatting.
Examples
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Tagged PDF documents provide multiple options for accessibility, including having text read out loud, displayed in a simplified reading display, or imported and annotated in a program like Notability
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Word/DOCX file formats are a popular choice for writing and editing text
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Users can download content in multiple file formats for improved access- for example, downloading an EPUB and MP3 file and listening to the audio track while reading
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Guide
Many people with vision loss use a guide in addition to or instead of a blindness cane for navigating unfamiliar environments. A common term used for people who act as a guide is a human guide- the term sighted guide is not generally used because a person with limited usable vision can still act as a guide for someone. Guide dogs are another type of guide, and requires training for both the dog and the owner to learn how to navigate various environments.
Examples
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A human guide can be used to describe surrounding information or keep someone from bumping into obstacles
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Guide dogs can be trained to help blind and low vision users to navigate their environment
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High-resolution Images
High-resolution images are helpful for users with low vision as they can be enlarged, scaled, and magnified without losing image quality. High resolution images can be found online with search filters or created in another program. They may also be referred to as high quality/HQ images, 4K resolution, or other terms indicating a high image quality.
Examples
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Google and Bing have search filters for finding high-resolution images
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High resolution graphics can be created in drawing programs like Paint, PowerPoint, and PicsArt
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Users can scan high resolution images with scanning devices such as scanner pens and mobile applications- I use the ScanMarker Air and Microsoft Lens
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Image Descriptions/Alt text
Alt text and image descriptions are text-based descriptions of visual details in an image written primarily for people who are visually impaired (inclusive of blind/low vision). If an image fails to load on a website, alt text will be displayed in its place, and alt text is also used for search engine optimization.
Image descriptions are similar to alt text descriptions that are used by screen readers, but are displayed so that they can be seen by anyone, usually in the caption of an image.
Examples
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Social media sites such as Twitter (X), Instagram, and Facebook support alt text for social media posts, though the exact process for adding alt text varies across platforms
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Automatic alt text is a tool that can help generate basic descriptions for images, but is often inaccurate and fails to capture various nuances in an image
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Alt text can (and should) be added to images on websites, documents, social media posts, and other image content.
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Images without alt text are skipped/ignored and can be frustrating for people who use assistive technology
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Jingle/Auditory Feedback
Jingles and auditory feedback can provide helpful information for people with low vision that may not notice visual changes in an object or on a screen. These can be used in addition to other assistive technology like screen readers, or enabled by themselves. Another option is haptic feedback, which vibrates or provides another tactile alert- a phone ringing on vibrate is an example of haptic feedback.
Examples
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Users can enable audio feedback in the “Options” section of Microsoft applications to get information about various functions
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Liquid level indicators beep when a cup is filled to a certain level
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Balls and gym equipment can be adapted for low vision and make it easier to track where a ball or other item is located
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Keyboard
There are several types of keyboards that are designed for people with low vision, including options for large print and dual media (print/braille) displays, high contrast color schemes, modified layouts, and many more. There are also several options for customizing onscreen keyboards for low vision, such as increasing the font size and adding pop-up letters.
Examples
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Assistive Technology computer’s keyboard has yellow keys and large black letters that are easy to identify
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Another option for customizing mainstream keyboards is to add vinyl stickers on top of the keys, which can display large print and/or braille
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Many smartphones support keyboard customization features including changing the background color, adding haptic or audio feedback, and options for other text input such as dictation
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Large Print
Large print is an invaluable resource for people with low vision who have trouble reading standard sized font. Large print does not refer to a specific font size, rather it is any font size that is 14 pt or larger. Almost every person with low vision has their own definition of large print, and common accessibility font sizes include 18 pt, 24 pt, 36 pt, 48 pt, and 72 pt font.
Examples
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Large print can be incorporated into physical and digital materials, and is often displayed with an easy-to-read font for people with print disabilities
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Large print settings can be enabled on all of my personal technology. For my Android phone, I use an app called Big Font to increase the system font size beyond the default Android settings
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One option for displaying large print at a high resolution is to use a teleprompter display, which shows text at a very large size without cutting off information in an unnatural way
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Magnifier
Magnifying glasses are perhaps the most iconic assistive technology for low vision and vision loss, as they help to make everything bigger and make objects and text easier to see. There are several types of magnifying glasses for low vision that are designed for specific tasks, as there is no single magnification aid that can fit all of a user’s vision needs.
Example
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A sheet magnifier can be held over a piece of paper to magnify content on a page
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Handheld magnifiers can be used to examining fine details or reading short amounts of text
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Many low vision specialists have a collection of magnifying glasses that patients can test out to determine which power or display will work best for them
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Another type of magnifier is a video magnifier, which is a specialty battery-powered device with adjustable magnification powers and color contrast options. Like magnifying glasses, video magnifiers come in multiple sizes and magnification options
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Notetaker
Notetakers are standalone devices that allow users to take notes or document text and read it back from the device, or upload it to a computer or other external service. Braille notetakers are a popular choice for reading and writing braille, and some notetakers have options for displaying content in print and braille simultaneously.
Examples
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When I was in school, I used a notetaker called the AlphaSmart for students with dysgraphia that displayed information in large print, along with options for uploading files to my computer
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I don’t read braille myself, but many of my friends used braille notetakers in the classroom for reading and completing assignments, as they found it easier to type with a braille keyboard. Even though they would type information in braille, their assignments also had options for displaying text.
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Scribes are sometimes referred to as notetakers, though in this case these are human notetakers that transcribe information that is dictated or read out loud.
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