Browse Assistive Technology

Quha Zono Mouse X

Est. $400–$800

The Quha Zono X is a very small Bluetooth head mouse. It clips to the ear and moves the cursor as you turn your head, so no hands are needed. You can pause, scroll, and re-center the cursor with head gestures, and a sound plays to confirm your input. Clicking can be done with Quha's Dwell 2 software (which holds the pointer still to click), your operating system's own dwell features, or Bluetooth switches. It weighs 12 g and runs up to about 18 hours on a charge, using the included magnetic USB-C dock. A Windows app adjusts sensitivity and other settings, so settings changes need a Windows computer.

Matrix Cinema 3D Headphones for BlueTooth-Enabled TVs

$199.99

These wireless headphones connect to Bluetooth-enabled TVs, phones, tablets, and computers. They use 3D spatial audio with head tracking, so sound shifts as you turn your head and feels like it surrounds you. Several CinemaEAR sound profiles let you tune the audio for clearer speech and dialogue. Noise cancellation blocks out distractions, and Transparency Mode lets outside sound in when you want to stay aware of the room. You get both tactile buttons and touch controls, and the headphones can link to two Bluetooth devices at once. A magnetic wireless charging pad also works as the on/off switch, and a USB-C cable lets you use them wired if needed. They only work with a TV that has Bluetooth built in.

Touchchat

$149.99 – $299.99

TouchChat is a speech-generating app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that lets someone communicate by selecting words and symbols that the device speaks aloud. You can customize the vocabulary, pages, buttons, and voices, and the app offers word-based vocabularies like WordPower in English, Spanish, Canadian French, and Mandarin. It supports touch, scanning, and head tracking, so it can fit different ways of accessing a device. This is a full app, but you'll need a compatible Apple device, and getting the vocabulary and access method right is easier with a speech-language pathologist's help.

1.7X COIL Visual Tracking Magnifier, 2" Round Blue Frame

$28.95

This is a handheld 1.7X magnifier with a 2-inch round lens and a blue frame. You hold it by the soft-touch grip and slide it along a line of print to make the words bigger. It's a good fit if you need a little extra size for reading, and it's easy to grab and use anywhere. The name mentions visual tracking, but this model has no tracking shading on the lens. It comes with protective lens caps. At 1.7X it gives a modest boost, so it won't be enough for very small print or for someone who needs strong magnification.

eyetuitive for Windows Eye Tracker

Est. $699–$2,500

The eyetuitive is an eye tracker for Windows computers, letting someone control the screen with where they look instead of using a mouse or touchscreen. It's designed with classroom use in mind, so it suits a student who can't easily use their hands for computer access.

Track-IT!

Est. $150–$450

Track-IT! is a scanning mouse that gives computer access to people who can't use a standard mouse or keyboard. Scanning means the cursor moves through choices on its own, and the user triggers a selection with a switch instead of steering by hand. It's meant for people with motor skill difficulties who find regular input devices impractical. The options can be programmed, so it can be tuned to how each person moves and responds. Because it relies on a switch for input, it works best as part of a larger setup, and getting the scan timing and switch placement right usually goes more smoothly with a therapist or AT specialist.

Gaze Viewer

Gaze Viewer is software that records where a person looks while they use a Tobii Dynavox eye tracker. It can capture this from many kinds of applications, including web pages, e-books, and games. You can save the results as images or videos, which makes it easier to look back at eye tracking skills and compare progress over time. It's meant for a therapist, teacher, or family member who wants to see how someone is using their eyes to control a computer. It needs a Tobii Dynavox eye tracker to work. It comes with or can be added to some eye gaze devices, such as the I-Series and PCEye, and it is also sold as standalone software.

1.5X Coil Visual Tracking Bar Magnifier (Red)

$49.95

This bar-shaped magnifier is 4.5 inches long and gives 1.5X magnification through a lightweight acrylic lens. You rest it on the page and slide it down, so the reader sees one line at a time while the shading on either side helps block out the lines above and below. A guiding line runs through the center strip to help the eyes move along the text. Soft-touch grips and protective edges make it easy to hold and move. It's meant for children who struggle to track text, and for people with low vision who read slowly. The magnification is modest, so it won't be enough if you need strong enlargement.

1.7X COIL Visual Tracking Magnifier, 2" Round Red Frame

$28.95

This is a handheld 1.7X magnifier with a 2-inch round lens in a red frame. The viewing area is clear, with no shading, so you can use it right away to enlarge small print or details.

Ramble Tag Metro

$42.95

The Ramble Tag Metro is an arm cuff that a sighted guide wears so a person with vision loss can follow along by holding a strap, instead of taking the guide's elbow. The strap is a tight, flat loop, so nothing dangles off the cuff and snags in crowded places like city sidewalks and transit hubs. Because the guided person holds the strap rather than the guide's arm, there is a little more space between the two, which makes it easier to respect personal boundaries. The cuff is bright orange, which signals that guiding is happening and may help someone with some remaining sight spot it. You pick a version with the handle on the right or the left, so check which side your guide will wear it on before ordering.

Windows Eye Control

Free

Windows Eye Control lets someone operate a Windows 11 PC with their eyes, using a compatible eye tracker. You look at on-screen controls and the built-in tools to move the pointer, click, and type on an on-screen keyboard. It's a feature of Windows, not a device, so you'll need a supported eye tracker. The supported list includes several Tobii Dynavox models and some laptops and monitors with eye tracking built in. The on-screen keyboard works only with the EN-US layout, and some settings are available only in English. Microsoft notes that a friend, family member, or caregiver may need to help with setup and settings changes.

STEP-HEAR Navigation System for the Blind

$99.95

STEP-HEAR is a wayfinding system made of two parts: a Base that a property owner mounts at a key spot, and a handheld Activator carried by the person who is blind or has low vision. The Activator vibrates when it comes within about 12 feet of a Base. Pressing its button plays a recorded message from the Base, which also tells the person how close they are and which direction to go. The owner can change the recording (up to one minute long), so it can announce a restroom, an exit, a bus number, or a hazard. It is meant for places like offices, schools, stores, stations, and ATMs, indoors or out, and the installation can be temporary or permanent. Because the Base has to be placed by someone who manages the space, the Activator on its own won't help in places that don't have one.

Big Track Mouse Ball

$100.00

The BIGtrack is an oversized trackball mouse. You move the cursor by rolling a giant yellow 3-inch ball with your palm or fingers, so there is no need to grip and slide a standard mouse. The left and right click buttons are bright blue and sit behind the ball, which helps prevent accidental clicks while you position the cursor. It suits someone with weak hands, trouble with fine finger movements, or limited vision, and it also works for young children building hand-eye coordination. The bold colors make it easy to see and can help hold attention.

Orientation and Mobility Techniques: A Guide for the Practitioner, 2nd Edition

$38.95

This is a reference book for orientation and mobility (O&M) practitioners, the specialists who teach people who are blind or have low vision to travel safely. This second edition uses an easier-to-read color layout with photographs. It adds updated guidance on crossing streets at complex intersections and a new chapter on O&M for people with low vision. It's written for the professional, not the traveler, so it works best as a library reference for someone already doing or training for this work.

Look eye gaze software

Est. $99–$499

Look is a family of software packages from Smartbox that lets someone practice using eye gaze, where a camera tracks where you look and your eyes control the screen. The activities cover hitting targets, dwelling (holding your gaze on something to select it), following moving objects, and moving a cursor across and up and down the screen. The packages include Look to Learn, which builds access and choice-making skills for younger users, and Look to Read, a set of accessible books with learning activities. Free trials are available, and this is software only, so you need a compatible eye tracker to use it.

Step-By-Step, Second Edition(Part 2)

$15.00

This is the second part of a curriculum that teaches orientation and mobility techniques through interactive videos, study guides, and review guides, all stored on two flash drives. Part 2 covers long cane techniques, street crossing, transportation, and environment-specific techniques. It also includes an introduction, appendices, a user guide for the flash drive videos, and a prerequisite matrix. It's built for instructors and others who teach travel skills to people with vision loss, so it works best alongside someone trained in mobility instruction.

Head Switch

$83.95

This head switch is a mountable switch that responds to very light pressure, so someone who can't press a switch with their hands can set it off with their head instead. It also works with pressure from a knee, elbow, or another body part. It comes with a heavy duty ball joint for positioning, and it attaches to the maker's switch mounting systems, which are sold separately. On its own it doesn't do anything: it has to be plugged into a switch-accessible device or toy, and getting the mount and placement right usually takes some trial and error.

Step-By-Step, Second Edition(Part 1)

$15.00

Step-By-Step, Second Edition (Part 1) is a curriculum that teaches mobility techniques, with instructions and demonstrations of how to perform each one. This updated edition adds new techniques and information, and it comes digitally on two flash drives rather than in print. It's written for the people who teach travel skills to someone with vision loss, not for a learner to work through alone. You'll need a computer or other device that can read a flash drive to use it.

Orientation and Mobility Techniques: A Guide for the Practitioner, 2nd Edition(EPUB)

$38.95

This is the digital (EPUB) edition of a practitioner's guide to orientation and mobility techniques, the methods used to teach people with vision loss to travel safely. The second edition uses a color layout with photographs and adds updated guidance on crossing streets at complex intersections. It also has a new chapter on orientation and mobility for people with low vision. It's written for O&M professionals and students building a reference library, not for general readers. You'll need an EPUB reader app or program to open it, and the file is a made-to-order digital item.

Foundations of Orientation and Mobility, Volume II: Instructional Strategies and Practical Applications(Print)

$163.95

This is the print edition of the second volume of a reference text on orientation and mobility (O&M), the skills of knowing where you are and moving safely from place to place when you are blind or have low vision. It has contributions from more than 50 experts and focuses on how to teach: using the senses, working with different age and ability groups, and applying technology. It is written for O&M specialists, teachers, and students in the field, not as a how-to for someone learning to travel on their own. Pair it with Volume I if you want the full picture, since this volume covers instruction and practice.

Foundations of Orientation and Mobility, Volume II: Instructional Strategies and Practical Applications(EPUB)

$114.95

This is the second volume of a fourth-edition reference on orientation and mobility (O&M), the skills of knowing where you are and moving safely through the environment without sight or with low vision. It brings together chapters from more than 50 experts. This volume covers using the senses, teaching O&M to different age and ability groups, and technology applications. It's written for the professionals who teach these skills, such as O&M specialists and students in that field, rather than for a family member looking for a quick how-to. It comes as an EPUB, a digital book format, so you'll need an e-reader app or device to open it.

Orientation and Mobility Techniques: A Guide for the Practitioner, 2nd Edition(Print)

$66.95

This is the second edition of a practitioner's guide to orientation and mobility (O&M) techniques, the methods used to teach people who are blind or have low vision to travel safely and independently. It uses a color layout with photographs and covers street crossings at complex intersections. A newer chapter focuses on O&M for people with low vision. It's written for the professionals who teach these skills, so it's a reference for your O&M library rather than a book for a traveler to work through alone. This listing is the print edition.

Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children(Print)

$91.95

Vision and the Brain is a print sourcebook on cerebral visual impairment (CVI), a vision difference that comes from how the brain processes what the eyes see. It gathers current knowledge about CVI and best practices for working with children who have it. Teachers of students with visual impairments, therapists, and family members can use it as a reference. Because it is a large reference book rather than a hands-on tool, it works best when someone with experience in CVI helps you apply what it says to one child's needs. It is made to order, so expect a wait before it ships.

Talking Pedometer

$11.95

This pedometer counts your steps and speaks the results out loud, so you don't need to read a small display to check your progress. It can announce either the number of steps or the distance, and distance can be set to miles or kilometers. It also works as a talking clock that announces the time. A CR2025 battery comes with it, so it's ready to use as sold. It's a simple fit for someone who wants to keep up a regular walking routine and can't easily read a standard pedometer screen.