OCR

Technology that converts images of text into machine-readable text. In accessibility contexts, OCR is used by visual assistance technologies and screen readers to read printed text from photos, signs, documents, and product packaging. While valuable for blind users, OCR has limitations including difficulty with complex packaging designs, handwritten text, and low-quality images. Participants in accessibility research have noted OCR can help verify obfuscation by confirming text content but may also produce false readings.