iPad Apps and Tactile Overlays for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

iPads, with their built-in accessibility features such as VoiceOver, have become an exciting educational tool for children who are blind or visually impaired. But it can be hard to figure out what apps will work best for your child. Voiceover is a wonderful accessibility feature, but will our children’s braille skills suffer if they rely on audio alone? One thing to consider is that with an iPad and tactile overlays, students who are blind or have low vision can actually use apps to learn important braille literacy skills.

A new article, excerpted from the AFB eLearning Center webinar “Reinforcing Braille Literacy Using the iPad,” gives some advice on how parents can use an iPad and tactile overlays to give their kids access to the same apps as their sighted peers, and how their children can use these apps to learn important braille literacy skills. Read on for tips on Choosing the Right iPad Apps for Teaching Braille Literacy.

iPads for Students: Full Series To learn more about recommended apps for teaching braille literacy on the iPad, and tips and tricks for creating tactile overlays, check out the three-part AFB eLearning Center webinar series iPad in the Classroom for Students with Visual and Multiple Disabilities presented by Dr. Betsy Flener.

Share your recommendations here: what apps have you found that work best for your child? Have you experimented with creating tactile overlays?