I’m always looking for new functions and ways to use different features in visual assistance applications, and first downloaded the Envision app a few years ago when my friend was raving about its text recognition features at a low vision accessibility event we were both…

How I use Aira smart glasses in college with low vision and how they have helped me travel independently

Here are specific ways that I find media descriptions and tools like image descriptions and audio description helpful as someone with low vision.

Living with low vision, I often use smart cameras and visual assistance tools to provide additional context or clarification about something I am looking at, especially if it is something ambiguous or hard to see. I started using the Microsoft Seeing AI app with low…

One of the most-used applications on my Android phone is the Google Lens app, an image recognition tool that lets me take pictures or upload pictures from my phone gallery to get information about what is in an image or search for additional relevant information.…

Even though many mainstream technology brands offer accessibility features and support assistive technology software in their products, many technical support teams are not familiar with low vision accessibility settings or how using assistive technology can change how users interact with a product. I’ve experienced this…

Visual assistance apps, sometimes called visual interpreting apps, are tools that connect blind/low vision users with people or technology that can help them to get information about something that they would not be able to see otherwise. Visual assistance apps for blind and low vision…

Be My Eyes is one of the most well-known free mobile applications for blind and low vision users, and it was one of the first visual interpreting applications I ever tried when I started practicing independent living skills for college. Be My Eyes connects blind…

I started using the Google Lookout app for low vision and blind users in 2019 while attending the ATIA assistive technology conference. Since then, Google Lookout has added several different features for their visual assistance app that can help users with visual impairments get information…

In 2018, I was selected as one of ten winners for the Microsoft Women in Computing award and had the opportunity to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing. This conference is held in September/October and is the largest gathering of women and…

As a person with low vision, I’ve used Be My Eyes and similar visual interpreting applications many times over the years for various tasks, including reading labels, identifying objects, and getting information about my surroundings. My experience with Be My Eyes volunteers has been generally…