Lots of people use apps to help them with daily living. One app that is becoming popular among visually impaired people is Seeing AI. It has been described as one of the best free accessible apps on the tech market.

Seeing AI is an app made by Microsoft that uses artificial intelligence to identify things via your phone’s camera. It then gives you an audio description of what it can see. This supports visually impaired people with all kinds of challenges and needs they might come across in day-to-day life.

At a recent Low Vision Support Group meeting this app was demonstrated by someone who has Macular Degeneration which makes things, such as emails, extremely difficult to read. Now able to read emails, and trailers on her TV, she said “It has really opened up life a lot for me.”

There are so many useful things you can use Seeing AI for, including reading signs and other text you see out and about. The app can read aloud any short text you put in front of the camera.

It can even read longer documents and handwritten notes, too. You just need practice to capture the words on camera, and the app will read it out.

In the supermarket Seeing AI can help you pick out food. The app gives audio beeps to help you locate the barcode on products, and then scans the products to help you identify them.

The challenge with these apps for older people with Low Vision can be limited previous expereince using Smart phones. But in this group the determination to master new digital tools has been inspiring.

Warkworth Low Vision Support Group meetings are held at Summerset Falls. Meetings are on the third Monday of the month at 1.30pm. All welcome.