A sensory impairment or sensory disability, is when one of your senses is no longer functioning as it should be. An individual with a sensory impairment does not have to undergo a complete loss of that sense to be sensory impaired. For example, they could be partially blind in one eye, or be deaf in one ear only.
While sensory impairments can affect all of our senses, sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell; ninety-five percent of what we know about the world around us comes from our vision and our hearing. Unfortunately, thirty-nine million of us are blind and the current production of hearing aids only meets ten percent of the global demand. According to experts in social security disability law, only a few individuals seek help for their disability.
Tap Tap See, Be My Eyes and Color ID are some of the leading apps on the market for those with a visual impairment. Considering that two hundred and eighty-five million people are estimated to have some form of visual impairment, these apps are necessary to enhance their quality of life. In addition to these apps, seeking a professional Vision Loss Treatment is advisable. For the three hundred and sixty million people who have moderate to profound hearing loss; ASL Dictionary, Tap Tap and the closed caption subtitles functionality on the Netflix app, are strongly recommended. Those who are newly experiencing hearing loss may also consider taking an online hearing test to determine their condition.
This infographic created by Home Healthcare Adaptations, illustrates some of the top mobile apps for the hard of hearing and the visually impaired.