As a student with low vision, I frequently have to use several applications and websites to access coursework for online classes and hybrid classes, all of which have varying degrees of accessibility support and compatibility with assistive technology. Since I am typically by myself when I am working on assignments and may not have someone who can help troubleshoot issues, one strategy I use to address accessibility barriers is to open a visual assistance app or visual interpreting app so I can figure out what is on my screen. Visual assistance apps aren’t a substitute for human reader accommodations or accessible design, but can be helpful when neither of those things are available.
When I used a visual assistance app to read too-small text on a slide in one of my classes, someone asked me if I was using AI to give me the answers or if I was looking up the answers online. I completely understood why they asked that question, especially since there are many apps that offer problem-solving features and use device cameras, so I did a quick tech demo to show them the app I was using. This experience inspired me to update this post to provide more context and clarification about how visually impaired students can use visual assistance apps in online classes, including how I balance my own accessibility needs and accessibility preferences without compromising learning or breaking the honor code.
What are visual assistance apps?
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 users are a category of high-tech assistive technology applications that can be installed on a smartphone or tablet. By streaming video from the device’s back camera or uploading a file, visual assistance apps recognize text and other objects, providing a transcript of text or visual description of items such as objects, colors, data visualizations, and more. Visual assistance apps often have age restrictions or age minimums for services, which is something to remember when searching for applications.
AI visual assistance applications use machine learning and artificial intelligence to recognize text and images, allowing users to generate image descriptions or recognize text in multiple languages without human assistance. Visual assistance applications that use human visual interpreters allow users to stream one-way video and two-way audio to read text or get descriptions of objects from a visual interpreter or sighted person. Some applications require users to verbally communicate with visual interpreters, while others allow for typing questions or recording voice messages. Some visual assistance apps have a hybrid approach that offer both AI features and human interpreters.
Examples of visual assistance apps for blind/low vision users can include but are not limited to:
- Be My Eyes
- Envision
- Aira
- Seeing AI (Microsoft)
- Lookout (Google)
Some assistive technology software programs also offer visual assistance or image descriptions either as built-in or add-on features. For example, Picture Smart AI is a feature with the JAWS screen reader.
It’s worth noting that some visual assistance apps can be used with smart glasses for a hands-free option. However, I personally do not own/use smart glasses because I find them uncomfortable.
Related links
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
- Using Aira With Low Vision
- Using The Envision App With Low Vision
- How I Use Be My Eyes With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Seeing AI With Low Vision
Purpose of visual assistance apps for students with visual impairments
To reiterate, visual assistance apps are not a substitute or replacement for accessibility or for human reader accommodations used by visually impaired students. Visual assistance apps are one of many tools that students with visual impairments can learn how to use to access information independently, alongside other assistive technology options like screen magnification, screen readers, braille displays, or other display customizations.
With that in mind, the purpose of using visual assistance apps in educational contexts is to eliminate or minimize accessibility barriers so that students can focus on learning, instead of troubleshooting. Visual assistance apps for blind/low vision users are not intended to tell the user what to think or how to answer a question, but rather to provide the information the user needs to answer a question on their own or come to their own conclusions. This is different than “homework helper” apps that are designed to solve problems or synthesize information.
Be thoughtful when using visual assistance applications
Before using any visual assistance app for class, students should talk to their professor and/or disability services about when and where these apps can be used, how they are being used, and ensure that they do not violate the honor code. If a student gets caught using visual assistance apps inappropriately or in an unethical way, this can impact their ability to use technology in the classroom, perpetuate the misconception that assistive technology is used for cheating, and create barriers/contribute to bias for current and future visually impaired students.
Some colleges and universities may also have a preferred visual assistance app or service that they recommend for visually impaired students. For example, my university is an Aira Access location and offers free Aira service through the assistive technology office.
Disclaimer: I previously received free Aira service through a now-defunct program for college students in 2018/2019 and spoke at an Aira-sponsored event in 2018. My university became an Aira Access location in 2021, a decision I was not involved in.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- Building A College Technology Toolbox For Low Vision
- Make Online Learning Accessible For VI Students: Quick Start Guide
- Seeing The Future: College Transition for Visual Impairment
- Reporting Accessibility Issues: College O&M
Reading too-small text on a screen or from a screenshot
Even with screen magnification or browser zoom, webpages with lots of text, small symbols, or screenshots of text can be difficult or impossible to read with low vision. This can also extend to other content like dialog boxes, menus, poor-contrast footers with small text, or fixed layout documents like PDFs. There may also be instances where content is not reliably accessible with text-to-speech or a screen reader, which is something I often encounter with PDFs that do not support optical character recognition (OCR).
In these instances, I take a screenshot to upload or point my device camera at the screen to listen to text read out loud, or to use OCR recognition to read the text in large print. Sometimes, I use visual assistance apps alongside other assistive technology like screen magnification as a way of “confirming” that I am reading something correctly, which is especially helpful when the text is barely readable or if I am reading text in another language.
Another way I use visual assistance apps is to read images or scanned pages of handwritten text, if a transcript or typed version is not available. While no application can read everything with 100 percent accuracy, I will often use the visual assistance app to recognize handwriting and then use that as a baseline/guide when reading handwriting visually so that I don’t have to strain my eyes to read letter-by-letter for every word.
Related links
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
- Pre-Teaching Programming Languages To Visually Impaired Students
- Reading Handwriting With Assistive Technology
- How I Access Historical Documents With Low Vision
- OCR Scanner Apps For Low Vision Students
Describing images, graphs, and other visuals without alt text
If images are shared in a high resolution and have good contrast, I can use pinch-to-zoom, open an image in a new tab, or use magnification to look at them visually, using alt text or image descriptions to help me understand what is in an image. Sometimes, I encounter images or other visual content that is missing alt text, or contains alt text that isn’t very helpful or relevant in context; for example, an image labeled “graph” would not be helpful on an assignment that requires students to answer questions about what is in the graph.
While I don’t use this strategy during tests, quizzes, or other proctored assignments, I can use visual assistance apps to get descriptions of images and access the information needed. Some apps allow users to ask prompting questions, such as “what are the x-axis labels?” or “what does the sign say?”, while others generate descriptions that can be read out loud, read with large print or a braille display, or copy/pasted into another application.
Again, visual assistance apps are not designed to solve problems or answer questions for users, they are intended only for making visual information accessible (and may provide incorrect answers when asked to solve equations!). Exercise caution when using AI visual assistance apps to read math notation or formulas, as symbols may be missing or appear distorted.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text For Educational Content
- Purposes of Media Descriptions for Visual Impairment
- How To Create High Resolution Images For Low Vision
- How To Create An Accessible Formula Sheet
- Recognizing Images With Seeing AI
- How To Access Images Without Alt Text
Completing inaccessible forms or multiple-choice items
When I encounter forms that don’t support large print or that have poor contrast, I use visual assistance apps to read text labels out loud or in large print so that I can fill them out on my own. I will often make a note of where fields with sensitive information are located so I can go back and fill them out on my own to ensure privacy. If I am writing with a PDF annotation app on a document with small font, I will often draw a star or other shape on lines with sensitive information or write a placeholder word (e.g., email) while working with a visual assistance app or human assistant.
This can also be helpful for students who have read aloud accommodations or scribes, which may not necessarily be available during asynchronous online classes or hybrid classes. After finishing a practice math placement test, I realized that I couldn’t check my answers or see the multiple-choice answer buttons very well; I had a lot of visual fatigue and was having trouble focusing my eyes. In this instance, I used a visual assistance app with a human interpreter to read the answers I selected out loud and confirm my selections so that I could make sure I didn’t accidentally select another option while scrolling.
Many of my professors also gave me permission to use a visual assistance app to read questions and answer choices as needed when taking online quizzes, which are unproctored and assigned outside of class for all students. This was helpful when I couldn’t use browser zoom to enlarge content and screen magnification made some questions appear pixelated. When asking for permission to use visual assistance apps, I would share a demonstration of how an app recognizes visual content and explain that it did not connect to other online services like search engines.
Related links
- Digital Notetaking and PDF Annotation Apps For Low Vision
- How I Take Math Tests With Double Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
- Filling Out Medical Forms With Low Vision
- Free Math Websites For Low Vision Students
Accessing virtual tours, interactive activities, or providing video description
Some of my class assignments or research projects have involved exploring virtual tours, AR/VR content, interactive activities, or other multimedia activities that can be difficult or impossible to access with visual impairment. While I can zoom in on 3D models or 360-degree images/videos, there are other instances where I might not be able to zoom in on text or read menus; it’s frustrating when accessibility menus have small print or are hard to find! Visual assistance apps can be helpful for getting descriptions of visual content, especially for reading text content or getting descriptions of objects.
Some visual assistance apps offer support for describing videos, either by using AI or human interpreters, or can answer questions about what is in a video. Users can either upload a video clip, share a video link, or take screenshots/pictures of a video on another screen. That said, if I want to generate a description of video content, I typically use tools like YouDescribe, the Described and Captioned Media Program, or search the Audio Description Project; alternatively, I will search for a transcript or text-based video description. I don’t watch a lot of videos because I am sensitive to strobe lights and flashing lights.
Related links
- How To Make Virtual Museums Accessible For Visual Impairments
- Using Digital 3D Models With Low Vision
- Free Science Websites For Low Vision Students
- History Podcasts and Audio-Based Resources For VI Students
- DCMP: Free Audio Described Videos For Classrooms
- Modifying Assignments To Remove Flashing Lights
- YouDescribe Audio Description For YouTube
- Audio Description Project | ACB
Troubleshooting technology with one-way video
Every semester, I encounter at least one technology issue while taking online classes or working on homework and have to figure out how to solve it. Sometimes it’s an issue with assistive technology itself, but most of time it’s related to my computer, tablet, phone, or another device with accessibility features enabled. Visual assistance apps like Be My Eyes have partnered with several tech companies to offer free enhanced technical support for visually impaired users, which often includes shorter wait times and staff members who are trained in accessibility and assistive technology settings.
With the Be My Eyes service directory, I have called the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk, Google Accessibility, APH Connect Center, and other services to help with troubleshooting accessibility barriers or other technology issues. To share an example, I contacted Microsoft to figure out why my desktop had disappeared from my Windows computer, something that actually happened two different times. In one instance, I had accidentally opened Multiple Desktops in Windows, and in another instance I had an issue with an external monitor; having one-way streaming video made it much easier to get assistance with fixing the issue.
Although I prefer to get human assistance with tech issues, I have also used AI-powered visual assistance apps for tasks like reading instruction manuals, reading labels (especially small product numbers), recognizing cables, checking error messages, or similar tasks. When I was fixing cables behind my monitor, I pointed my iPad camera at a document with instructions/text and used a visual assistance app to have the text read out loud while I was away from the screen; this probably isn’t the most ideal solution, but it worked in the moment.
Related links
What about using visual search engines?
If I encounter a low-resolution image on a website and want to find a higher-resolution version, I will use visual search engines like Google Lens or other reverse search image tools to find the same image in multiple sizes (though reverse image search doesn’t work very well with images of graphs, charts, coordinate planes, or other content that can share visual similarities with several images). I can also use visual search engines to search for error messages or find information about products.
I used to use Google Lens more frequently for online classes, especially for converting images or screenshots to plain text math notation; I still use Lens to copy text from images on my Android phone. However, Lens now has more AI search features and Gemini support that is designed to solve problems or answer questions for users, which would violate the honor code!
Related links
- How I Use Google Lens With Low Vision
- Make Android Easier To See With Large Print Apps
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Create A Personal Accessibility Checklist for Low Vision
More resources for using visual assistance apps in online classes
- I often use my phone to access visual assistance apps because I can take photos with one hand. To learn more about how I use my phone to access visual content, read How I Use My Smartphone For Traveling With Low Vision
- When I was using a visual assistance app on my iPad during a proctored exam, the proctor enabled Guided Access so I couldn’t access other apps. Learn more in How To Use Guided Access For Testing And Exams
- The free iOS Magnifier app can detect text and describe items visible on the screen, a helpful resource for visually impaired students who have an iPhone and/or iPad. I share more about this app in iOS Magnifier and Low Vision Accessibility
- Searching for more resources on accessing online classes with low vision? Browse Online Classes Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
Published May 14, 2020. Updated August 2026
APA Citation
Lewis, V. (2020, May 14). How I Use Visual Assistance Apps For Online Classes. Veroniiiica. Retrieved August 22, 2026, from https://veroniiiica.com/visual-assistance-apps-virtual-classes/