Resources for travelers with disabilities are becoming more and more abundant. There are a plethora of apps that have been invented with disability access in mind that support many people with different kinds of disabilities.
Apps
Roadtrippers is a map specifically built for travelers who are planning a road trip. Discover places that are from five minutes away to across the country.
Rampd is “Subway Accessibility in your Pocket” that hopes to eliminate the stress of traveling in an extremely inaccessible subway system. It is an app that informs people with disabilities where accessible entrances/elevators are located in the NYC Subway System so users can plan accordingly.
WheelMate assists in finding the nearest accessible toilet and parking spaces. This app is crowdsourced as wheelchair users add and verify each location.
The Flush Toilet Finder for iOS ( Flush for Android) also helps any traveler find the nearest bathroom; however, Flush Toilet Finder is not accessibility specific.
Wheelmap, AbiliTrek, AccessNow, and Access Earth are all platforms that have been built with better accessibility in mind. Consumers can search and review accessible locations.
Wheelmap, available in 32 languages, can be accessed via the web or a downloadable app.
AbiliTrek and Access Earth both understand that accessibility is not one size fits all. These platforms are based on specific accessibility needs. A consumer can rate a location off of what they know regarding their accessibility needs. Locations, when searched, will also be matched to them also based off their specific accessibility needs.
BeMyEyes is an app for people who are low vision or blind. This app gives access to volunteers that are able to provide visual assistance to complete a range of tasks for free. Go to the BeMyEyes site to learn more about how you can utilize this app.
Moovit is an app that users can utilize for mapping out their transit journey through every step of the way including but not limited to trains, buses, subways, and ferries. Moovit has partnered with BeMyEyes to ensure accessibility for those who are low vision or blind.
Seeing AI is an innovative app that will read a written text as well as describe objects simply by opening the app and shining the camera lens at the text or object.
Microsoft Soundscape is a map that is translated into 3D sound. This app helps to enhance a user’s awareness of the world around them by using 3D audio technology. This means that as you walk/travel, audio cues are called out to indicate what direction surrounding features (e.g. building names, road signs, destinations) are located. Headphones are needed for this app.
BlindSquare utilizes information from FourSquare. BlindSquare speaks to the user to indicate the most relevant (e.g. interesting places, street crossings) information regarding the user’s location.
SuperVision is a great resource for anyone, not just those of us with low vision. SuperVision magnifier is an updated version of a hand-held magnifier in that the images are much clearer and the shaking caused by the hand-held version is eliminated through technology. SuperVision for iOS and SuperVision for Android.
RogerVoice is an app available on both Apple and Android that is free to use. It can transform speech from a mobile voice call to a text format. It is available in multiple languages.
JABtalk is a free Android app that takes text-to-speech to the next level by providing people who are nonverbal with the ability to community with our complex world. This app is an alternative communication tool that can construct complex sentences.
LetMeTalk is also a free alternative communication app that is available on both Android and iOS. LetMeTalk desires to provide a voice for everyone by enabling the user to line up images in sequence to create complete sentences.
Resources for travelers with disabilities are becoming more and more abundant. There are a plethora of apps that have been invented with disability access in mind that support many people with different kinds of disabilities.
Apps
Roadtrippers is a map specifically built for travelers who are planning a road trip. Discover places that are from five minutes away to across the country.
Rampd is “Subway Accessibility in your Pocket” that hopes to eliminate the stress of traveling in an extremely inaccessible subway system. It is an app that informs people with disabilities where accessible entrances/elevators are located in the NYC Subway System so users can plan accordingly.
WheelMate assists in finding the nearest accessible toilet and parking spaces. This app is crowdsourced as wheelchair users add and verify each location.
The Flush Toilet Finder for iOS ( Flush for Android) also helps any traveler find the nearest bathroom; however, Flush Toilet Finder is not accessibility specific.
Wheelmap, AbiliTrek, AccessNow, and Access Earth are all platforms that have been built with better accessibility in mind. Consumers can search and review accessible locations.
Wheelmap, available in 32 languages, can be accessed via the web or a downloadable app.
AbiliTrek and Access Earth both understand that accessibility is not one size fits all. These platforms are based on specific accessibility needs. A consumer can rate a location off of what they know regarding their accessibility needs. Locations, when searched, will also be matched to them also based off their specific accessibility needs.
BeMyEyes is an app for people who are low vision or blind. This app gives access to volunteers that are able to provide visual assistance to complete a range of tasks for free. Go to the BeMyEyes site to learn more about how you can utilize this app.
Moovit is an app that users can utilize for mapping out their transit journey through every step of the way including but not limited to trains, buses, subways, and ferries. Moovit has partnered with BeMyEyes to ensure accessibility for those who are low vision or blind.
Seeing AI is an innovative app that will read a written text as well as describe objects simply by opening the app and shining the camera lens at the text or object.
Microsoft Soundscape is a map that is translated into 3D sound. This app helps to enhance a user’s awareness of the world around them by using 3D audio technology. This means that as you walk/travel, audio cues are called out to indicate what direction surrounding features (e.g. building names, road signs, destinations) are located. Headphones are needed for this app.
BlindSquare utilizes information from FourSquare. BlindSquare speaks to the user to indicate the most relevant (e.g. interesting places, street crossings) information regarding the user’s location.
SuperVision is a great resource for anyone, not just those of us with low vision. SuperVision magnifier is an updated version of a hand-held magnifier in that the images are much clearer and the shaking caused by the hand-held version is eliminated through technology. SuperVision for iOS and SuperVision for Android.
RogerVoice is an app available on both Apple and Android that is free to use. It can transform speech from a mobile voice call to a text format. It is available in multiple languages.
JABtalk is a free Android app that takes text-to-speech to the next level by providing people who are nonverbal with the ability to community with our complex world. This app is an alternative communication tool that can construct complex sentences.
LetMeTalk is also a free alternative communication app that is available on both Android and iOS. LetMeTalk desires to provide a voice for everyone by enabling the user to line up images in sequence to create complete sentences.
Accessibility is not “one size fits all” thus all the above apps have been created to provide individualized assistance for different types of accessibility needs for travelers with disabilities.
