4 Apps for the Disabled Community

The Live Work Well Research Centre prioritizes making content accessible on the web. But what do we think you should know about apps that are specifically designed for the disabled community? Below are four apps we think should be on your radar, either as a member of the disabled community or not.  Each of these apps is available via iOS on the App Store and Android through Google Play.   

Spoony  

Spoony is an app available for members of the neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled community to explore and make connections. It mirrors other social media platforms like X (previously known as Twitter) but also has several specially curated features for its target audience. Its tagline is “All of the friends. None of the fear.” 

In a 2003 essay, Christine Miserandino pioneered a metaphor called “spoon theory” in which she used her experience with chronic illness to equate a collection of spoons to the units of energy available to her. Certain tasks require more “spoons” than others, and she only has a certain number of “spoons” throughout the day. This concept has been embraced on the Spoony app. Each day users can select whether they are “full of spoons,” “running low,” or have “no spoons to give,” and their selection will be displayed on their profile for other users to see.  

Additionally, in the “Health” section of their profile, users can add the conditions they live with—anything from fibromyalgia to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. When exploring profiles, other users can see an individual’s self –descriptions and use them as a conversation starter, which can give someone an instant sense of community.   

Users can also answer “ice breaker” prompts on their profile for other users to see. These prompts, related to disability and chronic illnesses, are there to help conversations get started. For example, with prompts such as “My signature stim is...,” neurodivergent users can answer the question and then connect with people who have similar or diverse answers.  

Be My Eyes 

In the Be My Eyes app, blind and low-vision users are connected with sighted volunteers through a video call. Volunteers offer their sight to blind and low-vison users so that they can navigate challenges with the click of a button. This app has quickly become one the largest online communities for blind and low-vision individuals and is also a huge volunteering platform.  

The app was created to give blind and low-vision people the chance to complete everyday tasks for which they might normally have to rely on family and friends. Instead of reaching out to a family member or friend, users can access a volunteer network from their phone.  

One of the primary features allows users to call a sighted volunteer through a video chat; the sighted volunteer can then give a verbal description of what they are seeing through the phone’s camera lens.  

Users can take advantage of the app without connecting with a volunteer at all through the “Be My AI” feature, which will vividly describe any pictures or scenes it is provided with. 

The app also includes a service directory of accessible services around the world. Users can access the app in 170 countries and 180 languages.  

Ava 

Ava is an app created to remove barriers for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in a hearing world. Ava is available as an app and a desktop download for live captioning in any situation.  

Ava is available for online meetings and is easily integrated into Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Simply enable the app while you are in a meeting, and live captions will be generated as the meeting proceeds. Captions are 99% accurate with the use of AI and human corrections.  

Ava also offers real-time translation if a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual is having a conversation with a hearing person. As well, users can access text-to-speech features and transcriptions of their conversations.  

In addition to scribing and voice-to-text, Ava ensures that each speaker is identified with a different colour and name so that deaf or hard-of-hearing users have an easier time following the conversation.  

Dubbii 

Dubbii is an app designed for individuals who experience inertia or have executive dysfunction. People with disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty completing tasks with multiple steps or maintaining their focus long enough to complete a task. As such, many of these individuals engage in an act called “body doubling” in which they follow along with someone else doing the task to help them complete it. 

Dubbii includes videos of both a woman who has ADHD and her husband doing everyday tasks and encourages users to play the videos and follow along. Each video breaks down the task into steps so that it doesn’t feel so big and reduces how overwhelmed the user may feel.  

The app also has a “nudge” feature which reminds users of daily tasks such as taking meds or brushing teeth. This takes into account that for a disabled person these tasks often require more energy to complete.