Top 5 Apple Apps For Workers With Cognitive Disabilities

Adults with cognitive disabilities make up around 10.8% of the U.S. population—less than half of them are in the workforce. Only about 44% have a job compared to the 83% of working-age adults (21-64) without disabilities. A cognitive disability is defined as someone who has difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. There is a stereotype that having a cognitive disability prevents an individual from being able to work and have a successful career, but that’s far from the truth. Disabled workers often work harder because they don’t want others to believe that stereotype and they are often great problem-solvers since they have to navigate a world that’s not accessible to them. But there are a few Apple apps that can make work more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities.

TouchChat

TouchChat is an assistive technology app that is designed to be an AAC. An Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is designed for individuals who cannot verbally speak and allows them to communicate another way. The device will speak any words or phrases the user touches. TouchChat features images on the words and phrases so the user is able to understand them more clearly. An AAC app is essential for anyone who has a hard time communicating verbally or is not able to. It’s the easiest way to communicate with others when you can’t say what you’re thinking and it’s especially important to have at work. Everyone needs to be able to communicate with their co-workers and boss. And TouchChat makes that possible.

Visual Timer

All iPhones and iPads already have a standard timer built-in, but it doesn’t have that many features. It only counts down with numbers. Visual Timer shows you exactly how much time you have with numbers and colors. When you set a timer, it creates a colored circle with numbers around it. As it counts down, the color disappears and you can see exactly how much time you have left with the amount of color that’s still there. The timer will go off when there isn’t any color left and the circle is completely white. The app is great for workers with cognitive disabilities since it can help them know exactly how much time they have to finish each of their tasks.

Inku

Inku is an app designed specifically for individuals with dyslexia. It helps users be able to write notes and messages without spelling errors. According to iAccessibility, the app “allows a person to type a message using sophisticated word and phrase prediction, which learns their pattern of use, making writing even faster. An advanced spell checking system designed especially for people with dyslexia offers great support.” Inku can help workers with dyslexia be able to write and communicate better with their co-workers. They won’t have to worry about spelling errors when writing emails, documents, or anything else. Inku also makes it easier for users to write faster since they can speak into the app and it will type what they say.

Productive – Habit-Tracker

All Apple products also have a reminders app built-in, but like the timer app, it doesn’t have that many features. Productive – Habit Tracker is similar to the reminders app, but it has a lot more features and makes it easier to keep track of your progress every day. The app’s features include habit management, challenges, articles, customization, statistics, and notifications. It also has a calendar to show you what days you completed your tasks and how many days you might have missed some tasks. By seeing the calendar full, it motivates you to finish your tasks every day. Productive is a great app for any worker, but it’s especially helpful for those with cognitive disabilities since it can help them focus on a routine and make sure they complete all of their tasks for the day.

Routinery: Ritual/Routine

Routinery: Ritual/Routine is also kind of similar to the reminders app, but it doesn’t just remind you of what you have to do every day, it helps you create a routine and stick to it. It allows you to create routines and add tasks to each routine. You can create a timer for each task to see how much time it takes you to complete each one and so you can see how long it takes you to complete your whole routine. This can help workers with cognitive disabilities make sure they always get to work on time and finish all of their tasks every day. It’s similar to Productive, but it focuses more on a routine than task reminders. It depends on what the user has a hard time with, but both of them can help disabled workers increase their productivity and become even better workers.