From glasses that describe your surroundings to displays that put diagrams beneath your fingertips, technology is creating exciting new ways to access information with sight loss. And some of the most useful tools are available free.
Reading a letter, checking a label or following something on a computer screen can take extra time when your vision changes. A growing range of technology can help with these everyday tasks, offering more choice about how you read, explore and find information.
A helping hand through your phone
Microsoft’s free Seeing AI app, available on iPhone and Android, uses your phone’s camera to read text aloud, recognise products and describe images. It brings several useful tools together, whether you want to read some post or check what is in a cupboard.
The free Be My Eyes app offers two different kinds of support. Be My AI describes photographs and lets you ask follow-up questions about them. When you would prefer a person’s help, you can connect with a sighted volunteer through a live video call. That might mean help matching clothes, reading a display or finding the right button on an appliance.
Visual information, hands free
Camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta glasses offer another approach. You can ask questions about what you are looking at and hear a spoken response through the glasses’ speakers. Being able to request a description without holding up a phone is an appealing development for people with sight loss.
Features vary by country and software version, so checking what currently works in the UK is important before buying. These are assistance tools: their descriptions can be wrong, and they should not replace a cane, guide dog or established mobility skills.
More ways to make reading comfortable
Some developments are already built into familiar devices. Apple’s Accessibility Reader lets people customise how text appears and listen to it aloud. Its Magnifier app for Mac uses a camera to enlarge things around you, bringing another option for viewing printed material on a bigger screen. Availability depends on your device and software.
Diagrams you can feel
For braille readers, HumanWare’s Monarch offers an exciting step beyond a single line of braille. Its refreshable tactile display presents multiple lines of text alongside raised graphics, allowing users to explore diagrams, graphs and shapes by touch. It is specialist equipment, but it shows how access to information is expanding beyond spoken descriptions and enlarged print.
At The Partially Sighted Society, we can help you find technology that works for you and build confidence using it.
Not sure where to start?
Our tech guru Shaun is on hand to help you explore your options and build confidence. No experience needed, just bring your questions. Email shaun@partsight.org.uk
today or call 01302 965195
, Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4pm.