Beyond Sight: Understanding the Challenges of Visual Impairment
- SensAble
- May 8
- 7 min read
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Imagine waking one morning in total darkness. The world you have known—its colors, its faces, its written language—all disappeared into shadows. Now imagine going through that world every day, using senses beyond sight to move through life. This is the state of life for millions of visually impaired people around the globe, as they encounter many unique difficulties and yet, incredible resilience.
Their journey—from employment barriers to social inclusion, from legal rights to assistive technology—has their fair share of successes and challenges and deserves to be told. As society advances, so too must our awareness and commitment to accessibility. In this guide, we’ll explore the key challenges faced by the visually impaired and the steps we can take to build a more inclusive world.
Key Takeaways:
Blindness does not come in one form.
Blind accessibility is crucial to ensuring independence for visually impaired individuals.
Public spaces can be like a maze to someone with blindness. Therefore, accessible solution in such spaces are required.
People have various misconceptions about blindness, such as that all blind individuals read braille, etc.
Path to inclusivity may seem long, but each small action, testimony, and technology developed is another step closer to a time when no one gets left behind.
Understanding Visual Impairment
Blindness and visual impairment are not just about the inability to see; they come with an entire spectrum of experiences. While some experience only light and shadow, others suffer blurred vision or tunnel vision. Their difficulties are not just medical, but also educational, employment, accessibility, mobility, and emotional.
As one might expect, blindness does not come in one form. Some individuals are born blind, while others lose their vision due to illnesses, accidents, or aging. Conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration are among the leading causes of blindness. Understanding these nuances is essential for addressing the real life challenges that visually impaired individuals face on an everyday basis.
Navigating Challenges in Daily Life and Independence
Just think about how many times we glance at our phones, read a menu at a restaurant, or navigate a crowded street. Now imagine doing all of that without sight.
Blind accessibility is crucial to ensuring independence for visually impaired individuals. Many rely on tactile paving, audio signals at crossings, and screen-reading technology to go about their day. However, barriers to access still persist—from poorly designed public spaces to hard-to-access websites. Even labeling everyday products in braille could make all the difference.
While these barriers exist in the modern times, technology for visually impaired and low-vision consumers is rapidly developing. From AI-screen reading devices to smart canes that detect obstacles, innovation and inventions are making independence for people who are blind or low-vision easier than ever. Companies are now developing wearables that use vibrations or audible feedback to assist users in their traveling safely. Grocery stores and shopping malls are beginning to incorporate beacons that send location-based guidance to visually impaired customers via their smartphones.
However, these advancements mean little if they are not widely adopted. Many businesses, despite having the means, fail to implement blind accessibility measures. This forms a vicious ongoing circle of dependence on outside help and affects freedom and dignity.
Challenges With Employment and Education:
Education and work are fundamental rights that all people should be entitled to. Picture yourself wanting to learn but discovering that the majority of textbooks, online classes, and study materials are not available to you.
Barriers to education and employment do not go away when the education process is over, when, or if, employment is reached, because the problem of inclusive learning materials appears in the classroom, but its parallels to accommodations in the workplace are alike, and, gender, or race, appropriateness to pursue.
Most students rely on specialized software, braille displays, and audio textbooks, when educational resources are readily available. Employers, too, are often unaware of the simple adjustments—like screen-reading software or flexible work environments—that can empower blind and visually impaired employees.
For students, technology for visually impaired students plays a significant role in bridging the accessibility gap. E-books in Braille, screen reading magnifiers, and speech-to-text programs allow students to engage in learning. Schools and colleges need to buy these tools/programs to ensure no student falls behind due to the accessibility of their studies. The outlook for employment is grim.
Studies show that the unemployment rate tends to be much greater for those with visual impairments than for the general population. The stigma behind hiring a worker who is visually impaired is due to the perception that there is less productivity and possibly costly accommodations.
Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that a majority of the accommodations, including speech-to-text programs and screen reading software, are fairly inexpensive, and they are relatively easy to implement. There needs to be a level of awareness to explain the benefits and ease of implementing the changes for the purposes of enhancing inclusivity.
Accessibility in Public Spaces:
Public spaces can be like a maze to someone with blindness. As you attempt to navigate throughout the city without street signs (for you), with pedestrian signals that do not have sound or visual cues, the stairs perfectly blended in with the sidewalk, you can imagine how challenging this might be. In a life with blindness, it’s about recognizing non-visual cues, like the feel of a textured pavement, or the sound of traffic passing by. Unfortunately, many built environments have not built in accessibility measures, making day-to-day life unnecessarily complicated.
A simple adjustment, such as putting in voice-enabled ATMs or utilizing measures for the blind on public transportation would assist in creating an inclusive world. There are cities across the globe initiating changes with respect to accessibility, whether it is talking bus stops, smart traffic systems (connecting with the blind), or vehicle ride hailing applications.
However, although these solutions are helpful, they need to become the norm and they need to be sustained. Government and city planners should be considering accessibility when they are building infrastructure. Rather than thinking of accessibility only as an adjunct, it needs to be seen as a fundamental part of the urban landscape.
Social Integration and Emotional Well-Being:
Social interactions are one of those things that often seem easy. Maybe we wave hello, read people's faces, and interpret visual language while talking. These non-verbal forms of communication can be particularly difficult to interpret for someone who is blind or visually impaired.
Understanding blindness is important in our efforts to include those with visual challenges. Often, people are sidelined based on misconceptions and stereotypes or what is perceived as different. When society grasps that our needs vary, individuals with visual impairments can be involved in social and professional settings. Engaging in activities for visual impaired (e.g., adaptive sports, music, and storytelling) can help build community and a sense of autonomy or confidence. Lastly, the emotional wellbeing of a person who is blind or visually impaired is largely overlooked.
Sometimes, having blindness can create isolation or dependency on people in a social situation. By joining peer support groups or working with a therapist or professional, a person can engage in their social identity.
Technology and Accessibility:
Technology has created new doors. When it comes to accessibility for individuals with blindness, technology has come a long way with the use of items such as voice assistants, braille e-readers, and smart-glasses that narrate real-time experiences of the world. Imagine a visually impaired person walking into a café and hearing their phone describe the menu aloud.
Technology is now able to change barriers into opportunities. Accessibility for blind individuals can sometimes mean more than convenience; it creates a world in which everyone can engage with and access information, entertainment, and services at the same speed. Whether it's technology for students who have vision impairments in the classroom, or assistive technology in the workplace, the digital revolution is removing barriers like never before.
Legal Rights and Advocating for Accessibility:
Just as wheelchair ramps can allow individuals with physical disabilities to access our world, laws and policies ensure accessibility for the blind. Movements for legal rights and advocacy work to create policies to ensure braille is available in public spaces and equal job opportunities, as well as creating websites that can be read with a screen-reader. However, advocacy needs to be integrated into blindness, to ensure this generation can grow into vibrant adults with the same opportunities.
For instance, there is an increasing legal requirement for digital accessibility for the visually impaired. Numerous states have recently passed regulations that require businesses to make their websites and apps accessible to visually impaired individuals. This idea fosters accessibility as a right, not a privilege.
Common Misconceptions About Blindness
Some of the most common include:
Blind People Have No Vision at All: In reality, many visually impaired individuals have some degree of sight, whether it’s light perception or peripheral vision.
All Blind Individuals Read Braille: While braille is an important tool, only a small percentage of visually impaired people use it due to advances in audio technology.
Blind People Cannot Use Computers or Smartphones: With screen readers, voice commands, and accessibility features, visually impaired individuals can navigate technology effectively.
Blindness Makes a Person Completely Dependent: Many visually impaired individuals lead fully independent lives, thanks to assistive technology and adaptations.
Conclusion
We all have a role to play in making the world more accessible. Simple actions—like adding alt text to images, supporting businesses that prioritize accessibility, and advocating for blind accessibility in workplaces—can create significant change.
The path to inclusivity may seem long, but each small action, testimony, and technology developed is another step closer to a time when no one gets left behind. Let's transform challenges into opportunities and ensure every person with unique visual experiences gets to live each day with dignity and independence.
Enhancing Accessibility for the Visually Impaired with SensAble
If you are looking for a modern approach to increasing accessibility, look at SensAble Wearables. SensAble is a new assistive technology that is designed to improve accessibility to help blind and visually impaired individuals have more independent and confident in their daily activities.
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