Visually Impaired Students & Online College

• Large Print Keyboards: Large print keyboards make it easier to see the keys and learn to touch type. Reliable large print keyboards, such as the AbleNet Large Print USB Computer Keyboard or the Nuklz Large Print Computer Keyboard, typically cost $30-$50.
• Braille Displays: These hardware devices display refreshable braille cells on their surfaces, allowing visually impaired readers to advance through text output from a computer. Reliable braille displays, such as those offered by Boundless or Freedom Scientific, often cost at least $1,000.
• Braille Keyboards: These keyboards use raised braille rather than printed Arabic letters and numerals. Since blind learners generally use standard keyboards with added braille stickers, keyboards designed specifically for braille, such as those made by Logickeyboard, are uncommon. However, Google recently debuted a virtual braille keyboard for Android, so they may become more common.
• Braille Keyboard Stickers: Individuals with low vision can place these stickers on keyboards to help identify the characters on each key by touch. Offered by MaxiAids and LS&S, these braille keyboard covers typically cost about $20.
• Braille Printer: These specialized devices print long documents in braille, making them readable by touch. A braille printer usually costs around $2,000-$5,000, and Braillo and IRIE make some of the most reliable models.
• Fonts: Fonts such as APHont and Bebas Neue use heavier letters or all capital letters, which are easier for individuals with low vision to read.
• Screen Readers: These software applications synthesize text into speech, helping visually impaired students quickly process shorter documents or web pages in virtual classrooms. Costs range from the free Apple screen reader VoiceOver to $1,000 for high-end programs like Jaws.
• Magnifier Apps: Visually impaired learners can use magnifier apps to make text easier to read on their phones. Most of these apps, such as SRC Magnifier or Lumin, are free or cost less than $10.

• Graphic Tablets: Graphic tablets, such as those from XP-Pen and Wacom, can render shapes, math problems, and other non-written information in tactile form, making them popular among visually impaired math majors. These tablets generally cost around $40-$60.
• Talking Calculators: Talking calculators, such as those developed by Assistech and MaxiAids, read numbers, symbols, and operations out loud, helping users enter information correctly. They generally cost around $20.

• Email Assistance Apps: These apps synthesize text into speech, tailoring their experiences to people with low vision. Most of them are free or cost less than $3. Two popular options are Speaking Email and Boomerang.
• Image Recognition Apps: Image recognition apps can identify objects in photos and convert them into descriptions. Students with visual impairments use these apps to make sense of image-heavy documents. TapTapSee and BlindTool are free image recognition apps.
• Money Reader Apps: These apps scan and verbally read out physical money, which helps blind and visually impaired people identify and count out bills quickly without relying on another person. Free money reader apps include NantMobile Money Reader and Cash Reader.
• Productivity Apps: Free productivity apps, such as TickTick and Wunderlist, can help with organization.
• QR Code Readers: Many QR code readers tailor their experiences to blind and visually impaired users.

• Audiobooks: This format helps students with visual impairments complete required readings. Websites such as Librivox and Open Culture offer free access to thousands of downloadable audiobooks, as do many libraries.
• Magnifiers: Magnifiers allow people with visual impairments to enlarge text on a printed physical surface for greater ease of reading. Along with physical magnifiers, some visually impaired learners also use digital magnifiers, such as those from Eyoyo and Koolerton.
• Optical Character Recognition Software: OCR software converts printed text into synthetic speech. OCR systems such as ClearReader and Eye-Pal, which can cost up to $3,000, come in handy for learners with visual impairments, allowing them to quickly convert text into a listenable format.
• Text-to-Speech: This tech converts text into synthesized speech for people with visual impairments. Students encounter text-to-speech in free apps, computer software, or text-to-speech pens, which typically cost around $200.

Speech recognition software types words as you speak them into a microphone. For many students with visual impairments, it greatly simplifies creating written documents by removing the need to touch a keyboard.

A reliable speech recognition application, such as Dragon Professional, Sonix, or Voci, typically costs around $100-$200 for home use.

• Braille Note-Takers: These devices allow blind learners to take and save notes through a braille display or speech synthesizer. Quality braille note-takers, such as the BrailleSense Polaris or the BrailleNote Touch 32, make live note-taking vastly easier for blind students, but they can run up to $5,000.
• Smartpen: Smartpens, which can record written notes and audio, make it easier for learners with visual impairments to record lectures and recall written notes. A good smartpen, like the ECHO or Livescribe, typically costs around $150.
• Mind Mapping Apps: Free mind mapping apps, such as MindNode and ClickUp, create a highly organized visual mapping system for brainstorming that can make working on assignments less mentally taxing and more organized, which is easier to parse for learners with visual impairments.

• Predictive Text Software: Predictive text software, often built into free applications like OpenOffice, allows learners with visual impairments to type more quickly by selecting word completion options. Specialized predictive text apps, such as Keeble, cost around $25.
• Proofreading Software: Students with visual impairments often need help proofreading longer documents, as they are sometimes less likely to notice typing mistakes. Free proofreading software applications, such as Voice Writer and Voice Dream, offer text-to-speech phonetic proofreading that helps students with visual impairments independently proofread entire documents quickly and thoroughly.