AI for Accessibility — Which Tools Genuinely Help People with Disabilities
Status: 🟩 COMPLETE 🟦 LIVING Section: decision-frameworks Tags: accessibility, disability, decision, ai-tools, blindness, deafness, mobility, neurodiversity
The short answer
For people with disabilities, AI has produced genuinely transformative tools in the last few years:
- For vision impairment: Be My Eyes / Be My AI (free), Microsoft Seeing AI, Google Lookout
- For hearing impairment: Otter.ai live captions, Apple Live Captions, Google Live Caption
- For mobility limitations: Voice assistants, voice typing, Voice Control
- For neurodiversity: AI for executive function support, planning, reading
- For speech difficulties: AI voice tools that maintain dignity and communication
This isn’t tech-marketing hype — these are real, life-changing tools for many people. This guide helps you find what fits.
For people with vision impairment or blindness
Be My Eyes (free; world-class)
The leading accessibility AI tool. Point your phone camera at anything; AI describes it in detail.
What it does:
- Describes any image — products, food, scenes, photos, documents
- Reads text aloud (signs, labels, books, screens)
- Identifies colours and matches outfits
- Helps with cooking (“Is this meat cooked through?”, “What’s on this label?”)
- Navigates apps without proper accessibility
- Identifies people, animals, objects
Cost: Completely free. Used by over 700,000 visually impaired people worldwide.
Australian context: Available; widely used by Vision Australia community. Approximately 450,000 Australians have low vision or blindness.
See be-my-eyes-ai for full details.
Microsoft Seeing AI (free; iOS only)
Microsoft’s alternative — different strengths.
What it does:
- Short text reading (point camera at text)
- Document reading (multi-page documents)
- Product barcode scanning with description
- Person recognition (with consent)
- Scene description
- Light detection (audio cue indicates brightness)
- Currency recognition (multi-currency including AUD)
Cost: Free.
Strengths vs Be My AI: Multiple specialised modes; fast for specific tasks; works offline for some features.
Google Lookout (free; Android)
Google’s Android-focused alternative.
What it does:
- Quick read (text scanning)
- Document mode
- Image description
- Food labels reading
- Currency identification
Cost: Free.
Best for: Android users who don’t have iOS options.
Apple built-in features (free with iPhone)
iOS includes substantial built-in accessibility AI:
- VoiceOver: Screen reader (long-standing)
- Point and Speak (iOS 16+): Point camera at text on objects; AI reads
- Door Detection (LiDAR iPhones): Detect doors, distance, descriptions
- People Detection: Detect people in vicinity with distance
- Image Descriptions in Photos: AI describes saved photos
- VoiceOver Recognition: AI describes images, screens, controls
These are part of iPhone — no extra cost or app needed.
Apple Vision Pro accessibility
Apple Vision Pro includes:
- Visual descriptions of the spatial environment
- Screen access for users with limited dexterity
- Eye-tracking control for users with motor limitations
Practical workflow combining tools
Many visually impaired users combine:
- VoiceOver for screen reading (native)
- Be My AI for camera tasks (general)
- Seeing AI for specific quick text reading
- Human Be My Eyes volunteers for complex visual questions
For people with hearing impairment or deafness
Live captions (multiple options)
Apple Live Captions (free; iPhone/iPad/Mac)
- Real-time captioning of any audio playing on device
- Captions phone calls and video calls
- Works system-wide
Google Live Caption (free; Android)
- System-wide live captions
- Captions video, podcasts, calls
Otter.ai (free + paid)
- Meeting transcription with live captions in real time
- Joins Zoom, Teams, Meet meetings
- See otter-ai
Microsoft Teams live captions (free with Teams)
- AI captions in Teams meetings
- Multiple language support
Conversation tools
Live Transcribe (Google, free; Android)
- Real-time transcription of in-person conversations
- Display on screen for deaf person
- Multiple language support
Ava (free + paid)
- Real-time conversation captioning
- Designed specifically for deaf/hard of hearing
- Multi-speaker identification
Roger (paid)
- Group conversation captions
- For meetings, classes, gatherings
Sign language AI
- Hand Talk — translation between sign language and text/speech (limited Auslan support)
- SignAll — research-grade sign language recognition (limited consumer availability)
Status: Sign language AI is still developing. For Auslan (Australian sign language) specifically, AI tools are limited compared to Australian Sign Language Interpreters Association (ASLIA) human interpreters for important contexts.
For people with motor / mobility limitations
Voice control of devices
Voice Control (free; macOS/iOS/iPad)
- Hands-free control of Apple devices
- Click anything, dictate text, navigate
- Custom commands
- Works system-wide
Voice Access (free; Android)
- Equivalent for Android
- Numbered overlay for tap targets
Windows Voice Access (free; Windows 11)
- Voice control built into Windows
- AI-powered with custom commands
Voice typing
Built-in voice typing:
- iPhone Dictation (free; system-wide)
- Android Dictation (free; system-wide)
- Mac Dictation (free)
- Windows Dictation (free; Windows + H to activate)
- Google Docs Voice Typing (free)
- Microsoft Word Dictate (free with M365)
For longer-form dictation:
- Dragon Professional (paid; legacy professional choice)
- Speechtexter (free web app)
- Whisper (open source; for self-host)
AI assistants for hands-free tasks
- Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant — for voice-controlled tasks
- ChatGPT/Claude voice mode for conversation
- Smart home AI for environment control
For people with cognitive disability or neurodiversity
Executive function support
AI for planning and organisation:
- ChatGPT or Claude with custom instructions about your specific needs
- Notion AI with templates
- Todoist with natural language scheduling
- Calendar AI for scheduling
Example custom instructions for ADHD support:
- “I have ADHD. Break complex tasks into very small steps. Use clear numbered lists. Don’t write long paragraphs. Anticipate the executive function challenges I might face.”
Reading and comprehension
For dyslexia:
- Microsoft Immersive Reader (free in M365)
- Read&Write (paid; comprehensive)
- Voice Dream Reader (paid)
- ChatGPT/Claude to “simplify this text” or “explain this in plainer language”
For autism:
- Visual schedules generators (with AI)
- Social story tools
- AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) AI tools
Writing support
- Grammarly (paid + free) with AI features
- Microsoft Editor in Word
- ChatGPT/Claude for editing and clarification
- Hemingway Editor for readability
For people with speech difficulties
Voice preservation (before progressive conditions)
- Voice Banking with Acapela / Model Talker / VocaliD — record your voice now for later AI use
- ElevenLabs Voice Cloning (with ethics framework — your own voice)
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
- Proloquo2Go (paid; iPad)
- TouchChat (paid)
- AAC apps with AI predictions — newer generation
Voice restoration tools
- AI-cloned voices for those who’ve lost speech (with prior recordings)
- VocaliD — voice donation and matching
For chronic illness and energy limitations
AI can help conserve energy by:
- Quick summaries of long documents
- Voice assistant scheduling
- AI written responses to messages
- Meal planning AI for low-energy days
- Symptom tracking with AI patterns
- Healthcare communication drafts (AI helps draft GP letters, NDIS submissions)
Australian-specific accessibility AI context
NDIS funding
The National Disability Insurance Scheme can fund:
- Assistive technology including AI devices and tools
- Speech generation devices
- Some software subscriptions if reasonable and necessary
- Training to use AI accessibility tools
Check with your NDIS planner about what’s covered.
Australian disability law
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) requires reasonable accommodation. AI accessibility tools are increasingly part of how organisations meet obligations.
Vision Australia, Deaf Australia, AFDO and other Australian organisations
Australian disability organisations track AI accessibility tools and have guidance:
- Vision Australia: visionaustralia.org
- Deaf Australia: deafaustralia.org.au
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations: afdo.org.au
- People with Disability Australia: pwd.org.au
Indigenous accessibility considerations
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with disabilities, the First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) provides culturally appropriate support and advocacy.
Choosing the right tools — by need
For someone newly blind
- VoiceOver (built into iPhone/Mac)
- Be My Eyes app with Be My AI
- Microsoft Seeing AI (iOS specifically)
- Consider iPhone Pro models for LiDAR-based detection features
For someone with progressive hearing loss
- Apple Live Captions or Google Live Caption (free, system-wide)
- Otter.ai for meetings
- Live Transcribe for in-person conversations
For someone with limited hand mobility
- Voice Control (Apple) or Voice Access (Android)
- AI assistant voice modes for conversational tasks
- Custom keyboard / switch control combined with AI prediction
For someone with ADHD/executive function challenges
- ChatGPT or Claude with strong custom instructions
- AI calendar / scheduling tools
- Reading AI for processing long documents
For someone with autism
- AI for translating neurotypical communication into clearer formats
- Social story generators
- Routine and schedule AI
For someone with dyslexia
- Microsoft Immersive Reader (free in M365)
- Voice Dream Reader for books
- ChatGPT/Claude for simplifying complex text
What’s still limited
Honest about gaps:
- Auslan AI: Limited; human interpreters still essential for important contexts
- Australian Indigenous languages: Minimal AI support
- Voice recognition for atypical speech: Improving but inconsistent
- AAC AI generally: Better than it was; still has gaps
- Real-time multimodal AI for complex scenarios: Improving
- Predictive support before need: Future direction
Privacy and accessibility AI
People with disabilities often have heightened privacy concerns because:
- Visual descriptions may include sensitive scenes
- Medical conversations may be transcribed
- Voice samples are biometric data
- Disability status is sensitive information under Privacy Act
Considerations:
- Use enterprise tiers for sensitive content where possible
- Be My Eyes processes images on servers but doesn’t retain
- Voice cloning of your own voice should be on services you control
- Read privacy policies for AAC tools — they may capture intimate communication
What NOT to use AI for in accessibility contexts
- Don’t replace human interpreters for important contexts (medical, legal, financial)
- Don’t rely on AI for safety-critical descriptions (don’t trust AI to describe traffic before crossing a road)
- Don’t use AI for accurate Indigenous language work without Indigenous-led oversight
- Don’t deploy AI accessibility solutions without disabled people’s input
- Don’t assume AI is sufficient — it’s a complement, not a complete replacement
How to advocate for AI accessibility
If you’re an organisation thinking about accessibility:
- Engage disabled people in decisions — “Nothing about us without us”
- Captions for all video content — AI-generated captions are now table stakes
- Alt text using AI — but human-reviewed for accuracy
- Voice interfaces alongside traditional interfaces
- Don’t break existing accessibility when adding AI features
- Consider WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliance
See also
- be-my-eyes-ai — flagship vision accessibility tool
- speech-to-text — underlying STT for captioning
- voice-synthesis — voice AI for AAC
- real-time-voice-ai — voice AI conversation
- ai-for-families — related family AI context
- accessibility-a11y-design — design principles
Sources
- Vision Australia accessibility technology resources
- Deaf Australia AI captioning resources
- NDIS Assistive Technology Australia
- Apple Accessibility documentation
- Google Accessibility documentation
- Microsoft Accessibility documentation
- Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
- WCAG 2.2 guidelines
- Personal experience and disabled community perspectives