Australian accessibility app Tag Everything has introduced new features to help blind and low vision people identify and organise everyday items.
Tag Everything is an iPhone app that works with NFC tags – small electronic tags that can be attached to objects and read by holding a compatible phone near them. Users can add their own information to each tag and then tap it with their iPhone to hear the information read aloud.
This can be used to label a wide range of everyday items, including clothing, food, medication packaging, household products, documents and personal belongings. For example, someone could use tags to tell apart similar containers in a pantry or identify different items of clothing without needing to rely on a printed label.
Information can be added by typing or voice dictation. The app can also use a photo to help identify an item and create information for its tag.
Tag Everything has continued to add features since its initial release earlier this year. Recent updates have introduced options to export and import item information using CSV files, along with changes to the app’s interface and backup features.
The latest update, released on 24 September, has also added recognition of popular CD, cassette and record covers. Users can take a photo of an album cover and, when recognised, the app can pre-fill the album title rather than requiring it to be entered manually.
The Australian-developed app has also received attention from the disability community during September, including coverage from Vision Australia Radio and Blind Citizens Australia.
While NFC labelling is not a new accessibility approach, apps such as Tag Everything provide another way for blind and low vision people to create their own accessible labels using technology already available on their phones.
The Tag Everything app is free to download for iPhone, with NFC tags and starter kits available separately.
For more information about how the app works, visit the Tag Everything website.