Take 5 for Tech

Supporting Students w/ Special Needs: AI Series #4 (2.7.24)

It's pretty undeniable that last year we witnessed a time of tremendous AI growth. While we've had tech apps that assist people with special needs and challenges for a long time, the incorporation of AI has elevated what is available to people with exceptionalities.

Below are the AI forerunners that assist people who struggle with specific impairments. These highlighted tools are presently offered now with a free version. It's pretty easy to say that as time goes on, we'll encounter more and more AI apps that level the communication and educational landscape, but my research indicates that these are the best presently available free of charge.

Processing, Memory & Focus Support

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Otter.AI: (Chrome Extension)

Transcribe virtual meetings & classes in live time.
Creates summaries of meetings
Preschedule note taking by connecting your work Gmail calendar
Helps people with dyslexia
Works with Google Meets, Zooms & Microsoft Teams
Works even if your internet connection drops
Effective even in noisy environments
Automatically captions the slides and other presented materials

Visual Impairment Support

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These two apps are quite similar, but both worth mentioning. Users should choose based on nuanced preference and the type of device they own. (Up until very recently, Seeing AI wasn't available on Android.)

Seeing AI: free (iPhone; Android)

App is designed for visually impaired or blind students
Gives auditory descriptions of surroundings
Can describe things like products, currencies, documents or locations
Can describe abstract concepts like colors or people

Lookout: free (Android)

Google mobile app that describes surrounding using AI
Recognizes objects using a phone's camera & Android operating system
Reads text in books as well as handwriting
Helps reading tiny print
Quick Read Mode will use the phone's camera to quickly read text out loud

Speech Impairment Support

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Voiceitt: free

Automatic speech recognition app
Can be used to convey "atypical speech patterns" like speech disabilities and even accents
Easily pairs with other smart devices
How to "train" Voiceitt to recognize a person's (Video)
AI exploded into the mainstream in 2023, but if AI tools don't comprehend the message, they can be harnessed by people with auditory challenges. Voiceitt levels this playing field.

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SymboTalk: free (online; iPad; iPhone; Android)

This app was recently enhanced by integrating ChatGPT
Talks for users by clicking on symbols
Similar to the old school communication boards
Users can make their own symbols
Syncable across devices

Hearing Impairment Support

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Ava: free & premium versions

Empowers deaf or hard of hearing students with its speech to text application
Produces real-time subtitles for even the most casual of conversations
Transcribes speech even with multiple people speaking at the same time
Allows changing the font size and color to support other visual impairments
Downloadable Closed Caption services for the desktop is available on their website