Anki is the most technically capable flashcard tool, but its accessibility record is mixed depending on which platform you use and what type of cards you study. The open-source nature means improvements have been community-driven and uneven. Some areas work well. Others have known issues that have remained unresolved for years.
This page covers the current state of Anki accessibility for visual impairment, what works, what does not, and what to do about the gaps.
AnkiDroid on Android has the most consistent screen reader support. TalkBack can navigate the deck list, read card content, and activate the review buttons if card templates use clean semantic HTML. Desktop Anki on Windows with NVDA works for basic text cards but breaks on many add-ons and complex templates. The Qt-based interface that desktop Anki uses does not map cleanly to accessibility APIs in all cases. AnkiMobile on iOS with VoiceOver is functional for reading cards but button labeling has historically been inconsistent. If you are a screen reader user evaluating Anki, test AnkiDroid first. Write cards as plain text with audio files rather than relying on image content. Avoid add-ons unless you have confirmed they do not break accessibility.
For visual impairment, card design matters as much as app design. Every image field should have a corresponding text field with a full description. Use Anki's built-in text-to-speech syntax [sound:filename.mp3] or the AwesomeTTS add-on to add audio to card fronts and backs. High contrast card styling requires editing the card template CSS: set a dark background (#1a1a1a) with white text (#ffffff) and a large base font size (20px minimum). This does not affect the application chrome but makes the review cards themselves high contrast. For low vision users who can see some content, these changes make a significant practical difference even if full screen reader support remains imperfect.
Anki is usable for many visually impaired learners, particularly on AnkiDroid with TalkBack. The key is building or importing decks with clean text, added audio, and no visual-only content. Desktop Anki has more accessibility gaps and requires more workarounds. Gridually's spatial encoding is based on memory research from the University of Chicago, University of Bonn, and Macquarie University.
AnkiDroid has the most active accessibility development in the open-source flashcard space and works reasonably well with TalkBack on Android. Quizlet's web version works with keyboard navigation and NVDA on Windows for the Flashcards mode. Both have limitations with complex card types. Always test with your specific screen reader and OS combination before committing to a tool.
Yes, spaced repetition itself is not visually dependent. The algorithm works on your responses regardless of how you perceive the card content. The challenge is the interface, not the method. Audio-first cards with text-to-speech cover most study content. The main exception is subjects with essential diagrams or images, which require well-written alt text to be accessible.
Alt text for study cards needs to be functional, not decorative. 'Diagram of the human heart with chambers labeled' is useful. 'Heart diagram' is not. For anatomy or geography cards especially, the alt text should convey the information the image was meant to teach, not just describe that an image exists.