Perspective AT Beta Now Available

These past two days have been incredibly hard for me. My amazing friend Rachel Pavone passed away, and I want to dedicate this app to her.

I cannot remember exactly when we first met, but I reconnected with Rachel in 2017 when I moved to attend Western Michigan University as a senior in high school for dual enrollment. From then on, she became one of the closest people in my life. We would spend time together multiple times a week, helping each other and sharing in both challenges and victories.

Rachel studied Vocational Rehabilitation and taught assistive technology. She had a gift for guiding people, and she was the person who helped me through so much of college. Her friendship, her kindness, and her commitment to helping others shaped me in ways I cannot fully put into words.

This app is dedicated to her memory. My hope is that Perspective AT will carry forward the spirit of what Rachel lived for: empowering people with the tools and knowledge to thrive.

You can read more about Rachel’s life here:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/rachel-pavone-obituary?id=59410205

I meant to get this announcement out sooner, but grief takes its own time. Today, I am finally ready to share something I have worked on for a long time, and I do so with Rachel in my heart.

What is Perspective AT?

· Perspective AT is an iPhone app that allows users to ask questions about assistive technology commands.

· For example, you might ask “How do I navigate by heading in NVDA?” and receive clear, accurate guidance.

· Other products exist that provide similar information, but many of them rely on the cloud and compromise privacy.

· Perspective AT is different. By harnessing the newest iOS technologies, the app processes requests directly on-device, keeping your data private.

How is this possible?

· With the upcoming release of iOS 26, Apple is making its Apple Intelligence framework available to developers.

· Perspective AT leverages this technology to deliver fast, secure, and private responses directly on your iPhone.

· Currently, Perspective AT requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later.

· We understand not everyone has access to the latest hardware, and we are committed to exploring solutions to bring this technology to older devices in the future.

Why Perspective AT matters

· Many people around the world lack access to assistive technology training.

· In rural or remote regions, especially outside the United States, internet access can be limited or unavailable.

· This creates barriers to learning essential accessibility tools.

· AI should be an equalizer, not an enabler of exclusion.

· By running entirely on-device, Perspective AT helps ensure that anyone, regardless of location or internet availability, can access the knowledge they need.

How does it work?

· To power the app, we collected assistive technology commands from a wide variety of publicly available sources.

· This creates a large, structured database of commands across different tools.

· While I am not an assistive technology trainer myself, I have worked closely with trainers and continue to learn from their expertise.

· Because no database is ever complete, community contributions are vital.

· That is why the beta is open—to invite feedback, corrections, and additions.

Contribute your favorite commands

· Do you have favorite assistive technology commands that you want to share?

· Fill out our form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenXgHwJc6HYAb9s6-ri4PRWEBlRJoRa6xpx31z5SUzN6El4g/viewform

· If your command is added, your name will be featured in the credits section of the app.

Keeping data up to date

· Assistive technology evolves quickly.

· Our plan is to keep the app current by continuing to collect new commands.

· We invite contributions from screen reader manufacturers, blindness nonprofits, and trainers in the field.

· The goal is to make Perspective AT a living, growing resource that benefits everyone.

Pricing and access

· Perspective AT will always include core operating system commands for free so that essential functionality remains available to everyone.

· For those who want to unlock additional specialized content—such as commands for productivity suites like Microsoft Office—there will be a one-time in-app purchase.

· This model ensures that the basics remain accessible while advanced users can expand their knowledge with more tailored instruction.

Join the Q&A

· I will be hosting a live Q&A today at 12:30 p.m. Central Time to talk more about Perspective AT and answer your questions.

· If you cannot make it live, the recording will be available afterward.

· You can join here: https://youtube.com/live/a1m2oz70idY?feature=share

Try the beta today

· We invite you to test Perspective AT and help shape its future.

· You can join the beta here: https://testflight.apple.com/join/rNrm5Bjw

· Your feedback will help improve the app and ensure it serves the diverse needs of the community.