[NFBNJ] article from Learning Ally on list of helpful apps for school/college and independent living

Tue Mar 6 13:10:42 UTC 2018

Greetings to all!
Received the following from a Braille Enrichment through Litercy and 
learning, BELL, Academy parent, rachel Bodek.
There is a good number of info to experiment and share with others.

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!

From: Rachel Bodek
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2018 1:04 AM
To: Rachel Bodek
Subject: article from Learning Ally on list of helpful apps for 
school/college and independent living

What to Pack on Your Phone

Apps for College Success

25 Views

Technology has had an enormous impact on how I learn, access information and
explore the world. The piece of mainstream  technology in recent years that
has had the most influence on my life, and arguably upon the lives of many
people who are blind or visually impaired, is the iPhone. For the first time
in my life, a piece of mainstream technology can do for me what previously
only specialized technology for blind people could do. Having a device like
the iPhone, with its plethora of apps, can be invaluable in a setting where
you’re on your own for the first time.

It is not possible to include every valuable app here. After all, apps are
constantly changing, and there are always new additions to the app store.
Here are just some apps that you might wish to consider packing in your
virtual toolbox before heading off to college. As of this writing, all of
these apps are accessible via Voicever, Apple’s built-in screen-reader. You
can also connect a braille display to your iPhone and access the apps’
contents in braille.

By Megan Dausch on Thursday, June 1, 2017 4:09:13 PM

  _____

Accessing books and materials

Though still only a small percentage of the world’s literature is
accessible, there are more choices and methods for accessing literature
available now than ever before. Here are some apps that will help you find
and access books for your classes and personal pleasure.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8> iBooks

This app is free, and allows you to download books from Apple’s own iBooks
store and access them via Voiceover or using a braille display. Most books
must be purchased, but there are many free offerings. IBooks can also access
ePubs and PDF files you transfer through iCloud or iTunes.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle-read-books-ebooks-magazines/id302584
613?mt=8> Kindle

Conceptually similar to iBooks, the Kindle app allows users to download
books from Amazon's Kindle store, and listen to them to Voiceover or read
them with a braille display. You can also email files via Amazon’s send to
Kindle feature, and have them available for access within the app.
Furthermore, many local libraries offer the ability to download Kindle books
through their Overdrive programs.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learning-ally-link/id1131235021?mt=8>
Learning Ally Link

With Learning Ally Link, you can access thousands of Daisy Audio Books.
Learning Ally has a multitude of college textbooks in its repository, so
it’s highly likely you’ll use this app at some point in your college career.
To access the audio books, you must be a member.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bard-mobile/id705229586?mt=8> Bard Mobile

If you’re registered with the library of congress, you can download audio
books and web braille books directly to your i-Device. Membership is free,
though requires certification of a print disability. You may not find
college textbooks here, but you’ll be likely to find something that wets
your pleasure reading appetite.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nfb-newsline-mobile/id530470425?mt=8> NFB
Newsline

The National Federation of the Blind allows anyone who is registered with
its NFB Newsline program to access newspapers and periodicals on their
i-device. Simply download the app and log-in with your Newsline credentials.
If you’re not already a member, you can sign up for free after submitting
proof of disability. This is a great way to stay current with your favorite
newspapers, whether you want to keep up on the news from home or access your
college town’s newspaper.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voice-dream-reader/id496177674?mt=8> Voice
Dream Reader

This app is paid, but very versatile. It allows you to access files from
Bookshare, Dropbox, Google Drive, the Web and ICloud, just to mention a few
sources. It can read a variety of file formats such as Bookshare files,
ePub, Daisy, HTML and Microsoft Word. It voices the files in high quality
voices, available through the apps Voice store. It is also possible to use
the built-in iOS voices to access the files. If one doesn’t mind panning
around a bit, it is also possible to access the material you add via
braille. Due to this app’s versatility you may find yourself opening it up
nearly every day in college!

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-crawler/id344978094?mt=8> Book
Crawler

This is a paid app. If you ever wonder “did I read that book in English
class already?” This app might be for you. It allows you to track books you
have read or want to read, and add comments and other information to each
entry. From a Voiceover perspective, it is quite accessible with just an
unlabeled button here and there.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read2go/id425585903?mt=8> Read2Go

This is a paid app which Bookshare developed so that users could access
their books on an i-device. If you’re looking for a more simplistic approach
than Voice dream, you may wish to take a look at Read2Go. One can have the
books read aloud via Voiceover or use one of the apps other available
voices. Additionally, you can read them via a braille display. Membership is
free for U.S. students, and even if you’re not a student and Live in Georgia
or New York, membership is currently free for you, as well. Bookshare has an
enormous variety of content, from college textbooks, to classics to the
latest best-sellers.

Apps for scanning, object identification and daily living

If you’re living in a dorm in college, you might not want to run down the
hall to ask a neighbor what color shirt you’re wearing, or what the
instructions are on this box of Ramen Noodles your mom just sent you. The
iPhone has a plethora of apps that can help you not just for accessing study
materials and books for college, but in daily life, too. Here are a few.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/knfbreader/id849732663?mt=8> KNFB Reader

This is a paid app, and generally costs around $99, but sometimes goes on
sale. Place a document such as a letter you received in your college
mailbox, or a hand-out that a professor gives you in class, on a flat
surface. Hold the camera above the page and snap a picture. The app will
read the text out loud, and you can access it from a connected braille
display, too. This app is wonderful for identifying paper, reading
instructions, and even accessing a computer screen when it freezes!

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taptapsee-blind-visually-impaired/id5676350
20?mt=8> TapTapSee

This free app is very useful for identifying objects. Hold the camera above
something, snap a picture, and the app will tell you what it is. Great for
identifying that your mom sent you your favorite serial from home, or
knowing whether the Ramen is chicken or beef flavored!

<https://appsto.re/us/9FTT_.i> Bespecular

This currently free (but likely paid in the future) app allows you to take a
picture or several pictures of an app, and ask a question, either in text or
voice, which is then sent to a sighted volunteer. You can take a picture of
a package, and ask how long to cook that soup for, or ask when your carton
of milk expires. You can even ask what color shirt you’re wearing, no need
to run to a roommate or dorm mate.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/be-my-eyes-helping-blind-see/id905177575?mt
=8> Be My Eyes

Similar to Be Specular, this app allows you to connect with sighted
volunteers and ask a question. It’s always good to have more than one way of
doing things, and since this app is currently free, give them both a try and
see which suits your fancy. Be My Eyes does not currently allow you to type
a question in text, however. Be My Eyes allows you to have a direct
video/audio conversation with the user, if you prefer that approach.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/looktel-money-reader/id417476558?mt=8>
Money Reader

This paid app just does what it says; reads money. Hover the camera above a
bill, and your iPhone will identify its denomination.

There is a free alternative,
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eyenote/id405336354?mt=8> EyeNote, though
its recognition is generally slower.

Apps for document back-up and writing

The iPhone allows you to have access to their documents at all times when
using popular file sharing services. There are also apps to make note-taking
easier and writing swifter.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8> Dropbox

Dropbox allows you to synchronize and share files among multiple locations,
such as your computer and iPhone. Great for backing-up those important
papers, you’ll get 2 GB when you sign-up for an account. With the iPhone
app, you can have access to your Dropbox files anywhere. The app is free.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-drive-free-online-storage/id50787473
9?mt=8> Google Drive

Google Drive allows for the online storage of files, documents and photos.
You get 15 GB free. The app integrates with other apps, like Google Docs,
Sheets and Slides.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-docs/id842842640?mt=8> Google Docs

Many colleges and universities have integrated Google apps into their
Learning environments. It’s likely that you’ll encounter a Google Doc along
your college pathway, and you can access it with the iPhone using the free
Google Docs app. Google is always working towards making the Docs experience
more accessible.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/accessnote/id591287188?mt=8> Access Note

Access Note allows you to create simple text files, and includes keyboard
commands and braille display commands to help make note-taking and
navigation of notes easier, such as a find command and the ability to search
forwards/backwards for a string of text.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pages/id361309726?mt=8> Pages

If Pages is not already on your iPhone, it’s worth a download. This app will
allow you to access documents in common word processing formats, edit them
and save them.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mbraille/id639199558?mt=8> MBraille

If you’re a braille user, and you don’t have, or always carry a braille
display with you, this app will allow you to type braille using the touch
screen of your phone. It can be much faster than using the virtual keyboard,
and is often quicker for many users than Apple’s built-in braille keyboard.
It integrates with Dropbox, so any document you type can be uploaded to that
service. You can send a text or email directly from the app as well. Pricing
varies, depending on which features you would like to purchase.

Exploring your Environment

If you’re starting college for the first time, or you’re returning after the
summer off, you probably want to acquaint yourself with your new
surroundings or check out new offerings in the area. Here are a few apps to
get you started.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blindsquare/id500557255?mt=8> Blind Square

This paid app allows you to explore your environment and can send your start
point and end point to common mapping applications to help you create a
route.This app can really be helpful to get a sense of what’s around you, as
well as names of cross Streets nearby.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps-real-time-navigation/id58502735
4?mt=8> Google Maps

This free app can integrate with Blind Square to give you turn by turn
directions. Blind Square can announce the streets and points of interest as
you pass them, and Google maps can give you the turn-by-turn directions. In
addition, you can use the app to find out what’s around you.

<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seeing-eye-gps/id668624446?mt=8> The
Seeing Eye GPS

If you would prefer an all-in-one app, you might like to try out The Seeing
Eye GPS App. Intersections are described, and Points of Interest can be
spoken if you point your phone in the direction about which you want to
hear. This app is paid. You can choose to pay on a month-by-month basis, so
you can try out the app to see if it is something you feel will benefit you.

Wrap up:

While this list does not encompass every app that will help you in college,
I hope this provides you with a flavor of the variety of apps that are
available. Apps can help to level the playing field in college and beyond.
Many of these apps can give you access to information that would otherwise
be difficult or impossible to obtain. Remember to check with your school to
see if they have any apps of their own; some schools have apps for campus
transportation, and checking your student accounts. Remember to check
whether your school uses Blackboard or another online Learning management
system; you may want those apps in your back pocket as well. What apps do
you think we should have added to the list? Let us know in the comments if
you have apps that are helping you succeed in school or college!

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