#74 WayAround Tags
**One hint before you start reading about these tags. Did you know if you right-click on your mouse, there is a function called read aloud that comes up?**
WayAround tags can reduce stress and help gain independence. Why? So much of the information we need is visual, and with these labels, we have immediate help.
This is a free mobile app for the smartphone (a 7 or later) or Android. The phone and the tags are all you need to identify many different kinds of items. The tags come as stickers, buttons (to sew on your clothes), magnets (for anything you need to stick to metal), and clips. You can label items like clothing and medications with your words.
The read button reads what you have created and the create button is to create how you want to label something. The labels can be one word, a phrase, a sentence, or even a paragraph. Pull up the WayAround app on your phone to read or write/dictate information. No need for a camera.
Sam on YouTube on The Blind Life presents a good explanation of these labels. He calls the Way Tags the best way to identify items for the blind. When you scan the tag or link, it reads back to you the information you entered.
Besides Sam’s explanation, here’s WayAround’s YouTube explanation of the tags:
You can use your phone to read the label, or even easier you can use the WayAround scanner. It’s a small device with a clip you can attach to your belt. It has a retractable cord that makes it convenient and fast. The cost is $99 but is easier than fumbling for your phone. The scanner works from either the front or back. That makes it even easier.
Sam especially thinks the labels are useful with cleaning supplies because so many of the bottles are the same shape. The packs of 25 stickers are $24.95 in the LS&S catalog. They are reusable and available in kits such as a starter kit, a kitchen kit, and a laundry kit. The 25 button pack is $26.95.
The Sampler Pack at $14.99 gives you one of each type of tag and might be your best bet to try these tags and figure out which one works best for you. Here’s the link to see the pack.
Readers: Has anyone used these tags? What has been your opinion? How have you found them most useful?