From communicating with loved ones and ordering groceries to paying bills and scheduling medical appointments, mobile phone applications (apps) play a crucial role in people’s lives.
Members from Multicap’s self-advocacy group, Have a Voice and Empower Network (HAVEN) tested four mobile apps that can be useful for people with disabilities and provide useful insights.
Communication and Language Apps
- Speechify Text Reader
Speechify reads text aloud using a computer-generated text to speech voice. The app also lets users take photos of text and then listen to them out loud.
Members found Speechify easy to use and loved the wide variety of male and female voices to choose from.
This app was popular among those who have limited reading ability or eyestrain. It also helped members with their spelling.
Price: Free three-day trial, $249.99/year.
- Spoken AAC
Spoken was designed to assist people with speech and language disorders to verbally communicate.
Users can build real sentences quickly on their devices as the app predicts the words they might want to use next.
The feature that allows the app to learn users’ speech patterns was approved by members and helped them to better express themselves and engage in more meaningful conversations.
Members wished the free trial was longer than just three days as it took a while for them to get used to the app.
Price: Free three-trial, $79.99/year.
Assistance with Learning Impairments Apps
- Otsimo
This is a certified and educational game application developed for individuals diagnosed with learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, autism, Down syndrome, Aspergers, and other special needs.
Members really enjoyed Otsimo, they found the app engaging and would easily stay on it for hours.
The mini games and activities were not only entertaining but also stimulated their cognitive and motor skills.
On the negative side, members found some of the activities too basic and somewhat infantile, so it may not be suitable for everyone.
The free version of the app has some advertisements which can be frustrating.
Price: Free three-day trial, $239.99/year.
- Visual Attention Therapy
This is a unique app that works on Visual Attention and is appropriate to all ages. The app contains ten different activities to address visual attention.
An interesting aspect of this app is that it has two powerful modes to assist brain injury and stroke survivors with left neglect improve while also helping occupational therapy and speech therapy professionals to efficiently assess for right or left neglect.
Some members noticed that doing the exercises were helping them to improve their attention and concentration levels.
Price: Free trial available, $14.99 one-time charge.
Multicap’s HAVEN meet regularly to gain confidence to speak up for what matters, ask for what is needed and wanted, understand rights and responsibilities and make choices and decisions that shape lives.
If you interested in joining HAVEN, please email [email protected] or phone our friendly customer service team today on 1300 135 886.