Smartphones are immensely popular with people all over the world, and developers have started to pay attention to the needs of different groups of people with unique requirements, including people with disabilities. There are a range of apps being designed and released to help make everyday life easier. Here at Lifeplan, we want to help support our customers to live your life, your way, and we fully encourage the use of technology to help with this.
Lifeplan have rounded up some helpful phone apps for people with disabilities below. We have chosen apps that help with locating lost individuals, monitor blood pressure and weight, assist with learning day-to-day tasks, and much more. We would love to hear about any apps you find useful, so we can share this information with everyone, so please contact us to share your favourite apps.
Living Safely
First up is the Living Safely app, which is an app that runs on iOS devices. It allows people with developmental disabilities, learning disabilities and autism to learn 27 essential life situation safety skills at their own pace. It includes things like medicine cabinet safety, internet safety, doing dishes by hand and much more. The safety lessons are split into home and personal safety categories.
Living Safely App
Be My Eyes
This app has been designed for the vision impaired. Be My Eyes allows vision impaired individuals to connect with sighted individuals with a direct video connection. Available for iOS and in development for Android, it can help with a range of tasks such as finding your way around, to help checking the expiration dates on food.
Be My Eyes App
Plan Tracker
This app helps you self manage your NDIS fund. Plan Tracker allows users to record their NDIS plan spending, providers, appointments and budget, along with tracking claims. This help can help ensure you use your NDIS plan correctly.
Easy Diet Diary Australia
This app helps with setting and reaching weight loss goals, and it works on iOS devices. Easy Diet Diary sets up daily meal plans where you input all of the ingredients to help count your calories. You can also track everything you eat in a day and your exercise amounts. The app will give you healthy food alternatives to help you reach your weight loss goals as well.
Big Launcher
For people who are legally blind, seniors or people with other vision impairments, Big Launcher helps to make their smartphones readable and accessible. Available for Android, this app enlarges all of the icons on the smartphone screen to make them easier to see. It also helps people with motor problems because everything gets a clear list, there’s no swiping required.
Big Launcher App
Help Me
The Help Me app is available for both iOS and Android devices. You install the app and set up a Trusted Safety Network of people who can help you in something happens. You nominate two safety numbers for your chosen people, and the Help Me app will send out an SMS text with GPS coordinates when you activate it. It’s useful if you get lost or if you need someone to come to your exact location.
Tecla Access
This app gives users the ability to use mobile devices that they normally couldn’t use due to disability or disease. Users can use Tecla Shield to control their Android device using either adaptive switches or their powered wheelchairs. You can use voice to unlock your devices and use text-to-speech to write texts or notes. An action switch through the app lets you automatically wake up your device as well.
Tecla Access App
OpenAccess Alerts
People who are hearing impaired or deaf can use OpenAccess Alerts on their Apple iOS or Android devices. This app sends SMS alerts to their phones that would usually be broadcast over the radio. They’ll get community announcements and emergency messages, and this app lets them send and forward them as well.
Minimal Pair Pack
The final app on our list is Minimal Pair Pack. Anyone who has difficulty with speech or sound production or discrimination could benefit from this app. Available from Apple’s app store, it puts flashcards across your device’s screen to help teach speech sounds.
These helpful apps for Android or iOS devices are designed to improve the day to day activities and lives of people with disabilities throughout Perth and Australia. Try one or try them all and see how they can positively impact your life!
Have a favourite phone app? Contact us so we can share with our Lifeplan community.
