The use of assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired can make a big difference in one’s life. The term “technology” may often be associated with computers, smart devices, refreshable braille displays, and other fancy gadgets, but assistive technology encompasses a wide variety of low and high-tech products, tools, software, and other items. There are a number of household and independent living products available to help with your daily routine activities. There are apps for your smartphone that can also help you accomplish tasks. These items, and more, also fall under the general umbrella of assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired.
If you are someone who enjoys cooking, for example, there are products available that you may find helpful. There are salt and pepper shakers with large print and braille labels on them, liquid level indicators that emit an alert sound when the level of liquid in a container nears the top, tactile and talking timers, talking cooking thermometers and more. You can even get a talking microwave oven!
Assistive technology for low vision students may be helpful to those who are in school or taking classes. There are products to help with reading and writing including bold line paper, braille paper, low vision notepads and envelopes, low vision pens and markers, writing guides, slates and styluses, and many others. Scanning and magnification devices may help you with reading printed documents. There are also a number of book readers available like the Victor Reader Stream, Bookport, PlexTalk Pocket, and others. The C-Pen Exam Reader Pen is a handheld text-to-speech reader that you can use with headphones to read a printed document like an exam.
You can find assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired that can help you with many different aspects of your life. In some cases, you may need to learn a new set of skills so you can use assistive software, apps and other devices. If you live near a Braille Institute location, their Connection Pointe center can provide free training to help you get the most out of your assistive technology. Braille Institute’s Vistas store also sells many of the assistive technology items and a staff person can assist you with what can work best for you. Call 1-800-BRAILLE today to find out how to get started.
