Health and Disability Apps for Phones and Computers
Author: Disabled World (DW)
Updated/Revised Date: 21 Jun 2026
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Publications - Subtopics
Synopsis: A list of popular disability and health apps for mobile devices including iPad, iPhone, Windows Phones, and Android handheld devices.
At a Glance
- 1 - The word "app" is a shortening of "application software" and became so widely used that the American Dialect Society named it Word of the Year in 2010.
- 2 - The FDA plans to oversee only a small number of mobile medical apps, such as those used as an accessory to an FDA-regulated device or those that turn a smartphone into a regulated device like an ECG machine.
- 3 - The World Health Organization defines mHealth as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices like phones, patient monitoring devices, and other wireless tools.
- Topic Definition: Health and Disability Apps
Health and disability apps are software programs that run on smartphones, tablets, and similar mobile devices to help people manage their health, wellbeing, and day-to-day living with a disability. Downloaded from platforms like the Apple App Store, Google Play, and others, these tools cover a huge range of uses, from simplifying calculations and offering educational information to monitoring conditions, sharing data with health care providers, and serving as assistive technology for people with visual, hearing, or other impairments. Many are free or cost just a few dollars, and a growing subset known as mobile health, or mHealth, supports actual medical and public health practice, which is why regulators such as the FDA have stepped in to oversee the small number of apps that could pose a risk to patients if they fail to work as intended. For many users, these apps have turned an everyday phone or tablet into a genuinely powerful and accessible companion for independent living.
Introduction
The term "app" is a shortening of the term "application software". It has become very popular, and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society.
Main Content
Mobile App
A computer program designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. Apps are usually available through application distribution platforms, which began appearing in 2008 and are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and BlackBerry App World.
Application Software
A set of one or more programs designed to carry out operations for a specific application. Application software cannot run on itself, but is dependent on system software to execute. Examples of application software include MS Word, MS Excel, a console game, a library management system, a spreadsheet system etc.
Web Application
A Web Application, or web app, is any software that runs in a web browser. It is created in a browser-supported programming language (such as the combination of JavaScript, HTML and CSS) and relies on a web browser to render the application.
Mobile Health (mHealth)
There is no standardized definition for the term mHealth, also known as mobile health, however, in general mHealth apps are classified as health apps that are available on mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or phablets, that can be used by both patients and their health care providers. The Global Observatory for eHealth of the World Health Organization (WHO) defines mHealth as "medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants, and other wireless devices." The main reasons for using mHealth apps include:
- Fulfilling a contextual need
- Obtaining educational tools
- Managing health professionals' activities
- Communicating and/or sharing information
- Consulting medical information and references
- Facilitating health-related management of patients.
Handy Health and Disability Apps
The use of the iPhone, iPod, iPad and other mobile devices has been a revolutionary new platform for assistive technology. Today you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of apps relating to disabilities and health. These tools simplify many calculations as well as provide valuable information on topics concerning disability and/or health issues. Generally, apps cost a couple of dollars to purchase. However, there are also a number of handy apps available that can be downloaded to your mobile device such as iPhone or iPad for free.
List of handy and accessible VoiceOver Compatible Apps for iPhone and Mac
U.S. FDA Proposes Health App Guideline
The variety and availability of smartphone applications, or apps, have exploded recently as multitasking consumers increasingly use their phones to keep up with the latest on news, finance, and health. Apple says its iPhone App Store has more than 350,000 apps, and Android, BlackBerry, Windows, and other smartphones account for tens of thousands more. With so many apps on the market, it's no wonder, the number of health care related apps has also spiraled.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now proposing guidelines that outline the small number of mobile apps the agency plans to oversee medical apps that could present a risk to patients if the apps don't work as intended.
FDA is proposing to oversee mobile medical apps that:
- Are used as an accessory to an FDA-regulated medical device. For example, an app could enable a health care professional to view medical images on an iPad and make a diagnosis;
- Transform a mobile platform into a regulated medical device. For example, an app that turns a smartphone into an electrocardiography, or ECG, machine to detect abnormal heart rhythms or determine if a patient is experiencing a heart attack.
Our list covers handy health and medical related apps available through Apple's App Store and BlackBerry's App World, as well as apps available for Google's Android operating system platform.
Curated and edited by Ian C. Langtree, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Disabled World. This section is maintained by the Disabled World editorial team.
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