Imagine reaching into your pantry and not knowing if you’ve grabbed a can of soup or a can of fruit. People with vision loss often find themselves asking, “What is it?” or “Where did it go?” when handling everyday objects. Misidentifying items can be frustrating at best and dangerous at worst – think of confusing medicine bottles or cleaning supplies.
That’s why labeling items is such a crucial strategy for independent living. By adding accessible labels or markers to personal belongings, blind or visually impaired individuals can quickly identify and find what they need without guesswork.
There are many ways to label items – from simple tactile markers to high-tech audio and digital solutions. In this guide, we’ll explore the best tips and tools for labeling and organizing items, helping to make daily life safer, easier, and more independent for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Why Labeling Matters for Independent Living
Labeling and organizing personal items is a key independent living skill for people with vision loss. Rehabilitation programs for the blind routinely teach labeling and organizing personal care items as part of training in daily living skills.
When everything from clothing to kitchen items is clearly labeled, a person with low or no vision can manage tasks with confidence and safety. For example, labeling medication bottles in braille or large print can prevent serious mix-ups, and marking appliance settings with tactile dots can make cooking safer. Beyond safety, having a system to identify items restores a sense of control and dignity. It means not having to rely on someone else to find your keys or tell you which container holds sugar versus salt.
Family members and teachers of visually impaired individuals also use labeling to support independence, such as tagging a child’s school supplies or an older adult’s household items for easy recognition. In short, effective labeling empowers people who are blind or visually impaired to navigate their daily lives more independently, reducing frustration and increasing self-sufficiency.
Traditional Tactile and Braille Labeling Methods
Long before high-tech solutions, blind and low-vision people have used simple tactile and Braille labels to mark their belongings. Braille labels allow those who read braille to identify items by touch, for instance, braille stickers on canned goods or braille tags sewn into clothing.
However, not everyone knows braille (fewer than 1 in 10 people with severe sight loss use braille regularly), so it’s important to have other options. Tactile marking is one popular approach. This can be as easy as sticking raised bump-on dots or textured stickers on objects to distinguish them by feel. People also get creative with everyday items: for example, putting a rubber band around one shampoo bottle to tell it apart from the conditioner, or using safety pins on clothing (one pin on a black sock, two pins on a blue sock, etc.).
Large-print labels are another low-tech method – using bold, oversized text on index cards or adhesive labels so that someone with low vision can read them. Below are a few common traditional labeling methods for reference:
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Braille label makers. Devices or tape gadgets that emboss braille onto adhesive labels, which can be stuck on jars, files, or appliances.
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Bump dots and tactile markers. Small raised stickers (often dome-shaped) that you can feel on buttons or containers (e.g. a bump dot on the “Start” microwave button).
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Color or texture codes. Using different textured stickers or colored elastic bands to mark items (for example, a piece of fuzzy fabric on a medicine bottle to indicate nighttime pills).
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Large print tags. High-contrast, big-font labels for those with some vision, attached to items like spice jars or storage bins.
These traditional methods are inexpensive and don’t require any electronics. They rely on touch or residual vision, and they work well for many everyday purposes. The downside is that they can be limited; Braille only helps if you read Braille, and tactile marks can only convey a small amount of information. That’s where the next level of labeling technology comes in.
Audio Labeling Devices: PenFriend and Talking Labels
With the advent of accessible gadgets, audio labeling devices became a game-changer. These devices let you attach a voice-recorded message to an item, so it literally “talks” to you when you need to identify it.
A leading example is the RNIB PenFriend audio labeller, a pen-shaped device that records and plays back labels. Users stick a special PenFriend label (a small sticker or tag) on an object, tap it with the PenFriend, and record a description in their own voice (like “blue mug” or “chicken soup, expires June 10”). Later, touching the PenFriend to that label will play the recorded description aloud. People use PenFriend labels on everything from pantry goods and freezer containers to music collections and even clothing (there are washable laundry labels available for it).
Other audio labeling products include talking tin lids – caps for canned food that can record a brief message about what’s inside – and voice-recordable pegs that clip onto packets or medicine bottles. The big advantage of audio labels is the amount of detail you can include; you’re not limited to a short braille word or a single dot. For instance, you can record cooking instructions or the full name of a spice mix. Audio labels are also great for users who don’t know braille or have limited vision.
However, there are some considerations. Devices like the PenFriend are incredibly handy but require keeping track of a separate gadget (the pen) and buying specialty labels. The PenFriend device itself comes at an extra cost and needs batteries, and you’ll want to have it on hand whenever you need to identify something. Despite these minor drawbacks, audio labelers remain a popular solution, especially for those who prefer a straightforward, no-smartphone approach to labeling their world.
Using Apps and AI to Identify Items (Without Labels)
Labeling items yourself isn’t the only way to figure out what something is – sometimes your smartphone’s camera and AI can do the job on the fly. There are free apps that help blind and visually impaired users identify products and objects in real time using artificial intelligence or crowdsourced assistance.
For example, Seeing AI (by Microsoft) can scan barcodes with guided audio cues to identify products, and Google Lookout similarly reads labels or packaging to tell you what an item is. These apps are handy for recognizing things like a can of Coca-Cola versus Pepsi by their barcode, or reading the small print on a spice jar.
They also have modes for reading documents or describing scenes around you. Another popular tool is Be My Eyes, which connects you via video call to a sighted volunteer who can answer questions like “What is this item I’m holding?” or “Which of these boxes is cereal?”.
Using AI-based recognition is great for impromptu identification; you don’t have to pre-label the item. However, these methods have limitations. Barcode databases might not include every obscure product in your pantry, and an AI might struggle if the packaging is very similar or if there’s no barcode (like homemade leftovers in a container). Also, these apps typically require an internet connection for the AI or database lookup.
They are excellent aids (and we strongly recommend checking out our 7 Must-Have Free Apps for Blind People in 2025 for more on these tools), but they don’t completely replace a personalized labeling system. Think of them as complements: if something isn’t labeled yet, you can try an AI app to identify it, but for regularly used items, adding your own label (audio, tactile, or smart tag) will make it instantly recognizable every time.
The SpeechLabel App: A Modern All-in-One Labeling Solution
After exploring various options, you might wonder if there’s a way to get the best of all worlds – the simplicity of audio labels, the richness of smart tags, and the convenience of a smartphone. This is exactly what the SpeechLabel app aims to deliver. SpeechLabel is a new app specifically designed for blind and visually impaired users to create custom labels for any object using a smartphone. It combines the approaches we discussed: you can use your phone’s camera to scan a standard barcode or use inexpensive NFC tags for items without barcodes.
The app recognizes 13 different barcode types and all common kinds of NFC tags, so it works with everything from the UPC code on a cereal box to a small NFC sticker on your spice jar.
What happens when you scan? SpeechLabel lets you either type in a description or simply record a voice note as the label. That information is then saved and will be spoken aloud whenever you scan that same item’s code again. For example, scan the barcode on a can of soup and record “Tomato soup, bought last week” – next time, just scan it with SpeechLabel and you’ll hear that exact message. If you stick a SpeechLabel NFC tag on your medicine organizer, you could input or record the list of pills inside and dosage times.
The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver/TalkBack and is built to be easy for both tech-savvy users and beginners. It even supports cloud backup and syncing, meaning your labeled data can transfer to a new phone or be shared across devices (so you won’t lose your labels if you upgrade your phone).
Why choose SpeechLabel over other solutions? It offers a critical advantage: flexibility. There’s no need to purchase a dedicated device like a PenFriend or invest in proprietary tags if you don’t want to. SpeechLabel works with generic NFC tags and the barcodes already on products.
Compared to WayAround, which relies solely on NFC tags, SpeechLabel’s ability to use existing barcodes can save time and money (no need to tag every grocery item if it already has a barcode). And unlike purely AI apps, SpeechLabel stores your custom descriptions, so you get exactly the information you find useful (for instance, “leftovers from Tuesday, eat by Friday,” instead of just “plastic container”). The app is also free to download, lowering the barrier for anyone to try it out.
By combining the strengths of earlier labeling methods into one seamless mobile solution, the SpeechLabel app represents the ultimate recommendation for anyone looking to label and find items easily. It’s a powerful tool to help you organize your home and live more independently. If you’re interested in trying it, you can get the SpeechLabel app (along with optional NFC tags) directly from the Hable website.
FAQ
How can a blind person label everyday household items?
There are several ways to label items without sight. Many people use tactile markers like bump dots or raised stickers on appliances and containers. Others use braille labels if they know braille, or large-print tags if they have some vision. High-tech options include audio labelers (which speak the item’s name) and smartphone apps that can scan codes and announce custom labels.
What devices help blind individuals identify their belongings?
Two popular devices are the PenFriend audio labeler and the WayAround tagging system. The PenFriend is a gadget that lets you record voice labels on special stickers and play them back with a pen-like recorder. WayAround uses small NFC tags that you can scan with a smartphone to read a description. Additionally, apps like Seeing AI or the SpeechLabel app turn a smartphone into a versatile labeling tool, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware.
How do visually impaired people label medications safely?
Labeling medication is crucial for safety. Individuals might use large-print labels or braille labels on pill bottles to tell them apart. Some pharmacies provide braille or talking labels on prescriptions. Audio labeling devices (like talking pill organizers or a PenFriend) allow a user to record the name of the medicine and dosage, then play it back. By clearly tagging each bottle (for example, adding a tactile rubber band or a distinct sticker), a person with low vision can avoid mixing up medications.
What’s the best way to label clothing for someone who is blind?
There are a few techniques to label or distinguish clothing. One low-tech method is to sew on tactile tags or use safety pins in coded ways (for example, one pin for black socks, two pins for blue). There are also braille clothing tags with raised letters that can be pinned or sewn into garments. Some people use washable NFC tags like those in the SpeechLabel starter pack or WayAround buttons, attaching them to clothing so a smartphone can announce the color or pattern. The key is to pick a system – whether it’s texture, braille, or technology – and use it consistently so that outfits can be identified easily.
What is the SpeechLabel app and how does it assist with labeling?
SpeechLabel is a smartphone application designed for blind and visually impaired users to label items with audio or text notes. It allows you to scan a product’s barcode or an NFC tag that you attach to an item, then assign a custom label (by typing or recording a voice note). When you later scan that same code with the app, it will speak the saved description. In essence, SpeechLabel combines the convenience of your phone with the flexibility of both barcodes and smart tags, making it easy to catalog and find things around you.