Browse Assistive Technology

Smoke/Fire and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Notification System with Bluetooth Bridge, Alarm Clock Receiver, and Bed Shaker

$809.80

This bundle watches for both smoke/fire and carbon monoxide, then wakes or warns you in ways that don't depend on hearing. When either alarm transmitter detects danger, the Alarm Clock Receiver sounds off, shows color-coded LEDs, flashes bright lights, and shakes the bed through the included Bed Shaker. A Bluetooth Bridge links the system to the free Bellman Assistant app on iOS or Android without needing Wi-Fi, so phone alerts can reach the receivers too. It suits someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and wants night-time and daytime alerts in one preassembled package. You can add more Bellman transmitters later to cover other household sounds.

GoTalk Everywhere

$50.00

GoTalk Everywhere is an AAC app, which means it gives someone a way to communicate through tapping buttons that speak or play recordings. It runs on iOS, Android, and the web, and it syncs communication pages across devices through the cloud. A therapist, teacher, or family member can build pages on the web and send them straight to the person who will use them. You get the basics: text-to-speech, voice recording, symbols, your own photos, and grid layouts from 1 up to 30 buttons per page. It's a good fit for someone who needs a simple, adjustable way to start communicating. The best results usually come from a speech-language pathologist helping choose the vocabulary and page layouts.

Apple Hearing Accessibility

Free

Apple's hearing accessibility features are built into its devices and cover Live Listen, Live Captions and support for Made for iPhone hearing devices. With Live Listen, your iPhone's microphone picks up people who are speaking from a distance, like across a dining table or in a lecture hall, and sends that sound to your AirPods, Beats headphones, or compatible hearing devices. You can also read Live Captions of the conversation on a paired Apple Watch, or on a nearby iPhone or iPad signed in to the same Apple Account. Apple Watch, iPhone, or iPad can act as a remote to start or stop a session, or jump back a few seconds to catch something you missed. Features and languages vary by region, so check availability before counting on a specific one.

WeWALK Ultrasonic SmartCane V2

$850.00

The WeWALK Ultrasonic SmartCane V2 is a white cane with a smart handle that adds ultrasonic obstacle detection. It senses things above chest height, like tree branches, street signs, and truck mirrors, and tells you through vibration in the handle as they get closer. The detection range can be set between 30 and 70 inches in the free iOS or Android app. The app also gives turn-by-turn directions, public transit guidance, and nearby places to explore. Tactile buttons on the handle control the app, so your phone can stay in a pocket. This version has a weatherproof handle, a flashlight, and Harman speakers, and it is lighter than the first model. It adds to cane skills rather than replacing them, so it suits someone who already travels with a white cane and wants more information about their surroundings.

SpeechLabel Starter Package - Audio Labeling Kit for Low Vision

$23.95

This kit lets you label things around your home with your own recorded voice. You stick a label on an item, scan it with the free SpeechLabel app, and record a message or type a description. The next time you scan it, the app reads your note back, which helps with identifying groceries, clothing, medications, documents, and other household items. The starter package has 25 grocery barcode labels, 5 thick barcode labels, 5 NFC stickers, and 5 NFC buttons, so you can try both label types and see which one suits you. The labels handle everyday use and light moisture, so they work in kitchens, pantries, and closets. You need your own iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet, since the app does the scanning and speaking.

SoundingBoard

Est. $10–$50

SoundingBoard is an iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch app that turns the device into a communication board. You build boards with up to 20 message spots, using the built-in AbleNet symbols or your own photos. Each spot can hold a recorded message of almost any length, so a touch speaks a message in a voice you choose. It suits someone who needs to make choices or share simple messages and has a caregiver, teacher, or family member to build and record the boards. Because it runs on a larger iPad screen as well, the buttons can be made bigger. The app is also offered in French, German, and Spanish. Taking photos inside the app isn't supported on the previous-generation iPod touch or iPad 1.

Switch2Scan for iPad

Est. $150–$350

Switch2Scan is a small Bluetooth switch interface that lets someone control an iPad using one or more wired switches instead of touching the screen. It scans through items on screen, either automatically or one step at a time by hand, so it works for apps, turning pages in iBooks, and typing on the on-screen keyboard. You can plug in up to four wired switches, pick from four scanning speeds, and scan forward or backward. This is the interface only, so you'll need your own switch or switches, and the listed compatibility covers older iPad, iPod and iPhone models.

Grid for iPad from Smartbox

Est. $99–$349

Grid for iPad is an AAC app, which means it helps someone who can't rely on speech to communicate by speaking for them from the iPad. It's built as a full communication platform, with ready-made resources for both symbol-based and text-based communication, so it can fit someone who builds messages from pictures as well as someone who types. You get a library of resources included. It runs on an iPad, so you'll need one, and picking a vocabulary layout and setting it up for the person's needs goes more smoothly with input from a speech-language pathologist.

simPODD

Est. $30–$100

simPODD is an iOS app for using PODD communication books, a paper-based way of communicating that some people use with a communication partner. It aims to make communicating feel more natural and to speed up printing the pages. It comes from the team that makes Proloquo2Go.

Doorbell Monitoring System with Bluetooth Bridge and Alarm Clock

$549.85

This bundle alerts you to visitors at the door and other household sounds through flashing lights, color-coded LEDs, sound, and a strong bed shaker. A small transmitter sits near your existing doorbell and listens for its chime, then signals the bedside alarm clock receiver. A Bluetooth bridge connects the system to the free Bellman Assistant app on iOS or Android, so alerts also reach your phone, and calls and app notifications can trigger the alarm clock too. It's made for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it doesn't need Wi-Fi. The transmitter is preset for most home doorbells and can be taught other sounds, such as intercom buzzers, alarms, or medical equipment. The receiver has backup batteries for power outages.

Control+

Est. $150–$400

Control+ turns a tablet or smartphone into a remote for the things around you. It learns infra-red signals, so it can run a TV, stereo, or air conditioner. Paired with the Enabler Socket+, it can also switch mains-powered items like lights, fans, sensory equipment, and kitchen appliances. You build your own control screens in the app, with your own pictures and text, and you can set up several levels and link actions into macros that run with one tap. It works with the access methods you already use, such as a mouse, keyboard, or eye gaze, and it can also trigger switch-adapted devices through its switch output. The Enabler Socket+ is sold separately, so mains control costs extra.

Apple Zoom

Free

Zoom is the built-in screen magnifier on Apple devices. It enlarges what's on the screen so small text and images are easier to see. You can magnify the whole screen, or use Window Zoom to enlarge just one area with a lens you can resize. Follow Focus keeps the magnified view on whatever you select or type. Smart Typing enlarges the text area while leaving the keyboard at normal size. Color filters (inverted, grayscale, grayscale inverted, and low light) can make the magnified area more comfortable to read. Zoom works together with VoiceOver, Apple's screen reader, so you can see and hear the screen at once. On Mac you can split the screen to view content up close and far away at the same time, and set a separate zoom level for each display. On Apple Vision Pro, Zoom can also magnify your surroundings through the headset's camera. Zoom is a software feature, so you need a supported Apple device, and each device has its own settings to learn.

Doorbell Notification System with Bridge Transceiver and Flash Receiver

$519.85

This bundle alerts you to a visitor at the door with a bright, colored flashing light, so you don't have to hear the bell. The Bluetooth Bridge also links the system to the Bellman Assistant app, which sends doorbell alerts to your smartphone and lets incoming phone calls and app notifications set off the flash receiver. It's built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it comes preassembled with the doorbell transmitter, flash receiver, and bridge. No Wi-Fi is needed. You can use it alone or add more Bellman transmitters and receivers later, for example to cover more rooms or more sounds.

SquareGlow Smart WiFi Home Kit

$365.99

This kit turns sounds you might miss into flashing lights and phone alerts. A doorbell button and a phone/videophone signaler send a signal to two Wi-Fi flashers, which you can place in up to two rooms. Each flasher can show one of seven light colors, so you can tell the doorbell from the phone at a glance. The free SquareGlow iPhone and Android apps send notifications to your phone and let you set up schedules and scenes. Signals travel up to about 200 yards (600 feet), and you can add more SquareGlow flashers, doorbells, or accessories later. It's a good fit for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and wants a full set of visual alerts for the home. The flashers run on USB power, so each one needs to sit near an outlet.

Apple Live Speech & Personal Voice

Free

Live Speech lets you type what you want to say and have your device say it out loud, including during Phone and FaceTime calls and face-to-face conversations. You can save phrases you use often and group them into categories, such as a Coffee Shop set for ordering. You can pick from dozens of system voices or use a Personal Voice, which is a voice you create that sounds like you. Personal Voice is built by reading 10 randomized phrases aloud, and it's aimed at people who are at risk of losing their voice. These are built-in Apple features, so availability varies by device, region, and language.

SquareGlow Smart Wi-Fi Flashing Receiver

$139.99

This receiver gives you a visual alert when a SquareGlow transmitter, such as a doorbell or phone alert, sends it a signal. You pick one of 7 LED colors for each signal, so a glance tells you what triggered it. Because it connects over Wi-Fi, it can also send notifications to your phone through the SquareGlow app for iOS or Android. It has 52 ringtones with volume up to 120dB, a wireless range of up to 600 feet, and works with any number of paired units. It's a receiver only, so you'll need at least one SquareGlow transmitter to send it signals.

SpeechLabel Laundry Button Labels (NFC) - Washable Clothing Labels

$34.50

These are small washable button-style tags that you attach to clothing, towels, or linens, then pair with your own spoken notes. Hold a compatible phone near a tag and the SpeechLabel app plays back what you recorded, such as color, size, care instructions, or which items go together as an outfit. That makes it easier to sort a closet or laundry without relying on sight. The tags are made to go through repeated washing and drying, and the pack has 20 of them. You'll need a smartphone with NFC (a short-range tag reader) and the free app, so this works best for someone comfortable using a phone, or with a helper nearby.

Proloquo and Proloquo Coach - AssistiveWare

$99.99 every year

Also from $9.99 every month

Proloquo is a symbol-supported AAC app for iPad and iPhone that lets a nonspeaking person communicate by building messages that the device speaks aloud. It comes paired with Proloquo Coach, a companion app that gives step-by-step guidance to the person using AAC, their family, and educators as they get started. Proloquo is aimed at people who can use an iPad on their own, and the pairing is meant to take some of the overwhelm out of beginning AAC.

Submersible Audio Light Sensor (SALS)

$53.00

The Submersible Audio Light Sensor turns light into sound, so a student who can't see a science demonstration can hear it instead. It has a plastic-covered glass tube with a rectangular box on one end. The tip of the tube senses light, and the box changes what it senses into a tone and passes the signal to an app. The app works on iOS, Android, and MATT Connect. It's built for science activities, and the name says the probe can go underwater. You'll need a phone or tablet running one of those apps to hear the results.

WayAround Laundry Starter Pack

$48.95

This pack gives you what you need to tag your clothing so you can identify each piece by scanning it with your phone. It includes 25 two-hole WayTag buttons, six self-threading needles in assorted sizes, invisible thread that won't melt in the dryer, and a cork to help with threading. You sew a button onto a garment, label it in the free WayAround app by typing or recording a message (washing instructions, for example), and then hold your phone over the tag to hear or read the details. It works with VoiceOver on iPhone and TalkBack on Android, so the information can be spoken aloud. It's meant for someone who can't easily tell clothes apart by sight. You'll need a smartphone, and you do have to sew each button on yourself.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Notification System with Alarm Clock Receiver, Bed Shaker, Bridge, and Watch Receiver

$769.85

This system watches for carbon monoxide and alerts you in several ways at once. The alarm clock receiver adds sound, color-coded lights and bright flashing, and the bed shaker vibrates the mattress. A wristwatch receiver gives you vibration and color icons on the wrist, and a Bluetooth bridge sends alerts to the free Bellman Assistant app on iOS or Android without Wi-Fi. It's for someone who may not hear a standard CO alarm, especially while asleep. The bundle comes preassembled with the CO transmitter, bridge, watch receiver, alarm clock receiver and bed shaker. It also lights up the receivers for mobile calls and app notifications, and you can add more Bellman transmitters later to cover other household sounds.

WeWALK Ultrasonic SmartCane V2 with AI

$1,250.00

The WeWALK is a white cane with a smart handle that uses ultrasonic sensing to spot obstacles above chest height, such as lampposts, tree branches, truck mirrors, and street signs. As an obstacle gets closer, the handle vibrates, and you can set the detection range from 30 to 70 inches in the app. The handle also has tactile buttons that control a free iOS or Android app, so your phone can stay in a pocket while it gives turn-by-turn directions, public transit guidance, and points of interest by Bluetooth. Version 2 adds a weatherproof handle, a flashlight, and Harman speakers. It's built for someone who already travels with a white cane and wants navigation help that doesn't need a hand on a phone. Detection is aimed at obstacles above chest height, so it adds to your cane skills rather than replacing them.

Smoke/Fire Monitoring System with Bluetooth Bridge and Alarm Clock

$619.85

This bundle alerts you to smoke or fire in ways you can see and feel, not just hear. When the smoke alarm trips, the bedside alarm clock receiver sets off colored LEDs, bright flashing lights, sound, and a strong bed shaker, and the Bellman Assistant app sends a notification to your iOS or Android phone. The Bluetooth Bridge also lets incoming phone calls and app notifications trigger the same alarm clock. It arrives preassembled with the smoke alarm transmitter, alarm clock receiver, and bridge, needs no Wi-Fi, and the receiver has backup batteries for power outages. It suits someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and wants a bedside alert they can't sleep through.

iClick

Est. $150–$350

The iClick lets you switch electrical appliances on and off from an iPad, with no cables between the two. You plug up to two mains devices into its sockets and control them separately through a free app. Modes include holding to run (good for teaching cause and effect), touch on/touch off, a timer from 1 second up to 250 minutes, and a two-person mode that needs two people to work together. It can also be used with wireless switches, and the app works with iOS Switch Control for someone who can't use the touchscreen directly. The sockets are UK mains type, and you need to supply your own iPad (iPad 3 or later).