Ongoing Issues with Accessibility Proves There’s More Work to be Done

Accessibility is still a constant issue in today’s world. One particular cornerstone is accessibility yet to be explored fully is accessibility for people who are visually impaired. There is still widespread debate over how best to accommodate the needs of people who do not have full sight. To best discuss these views, we have opened the floor to three experts (one visually impaired himself).

Ronnie Wilkes, who has been visually impaired since birth, believes accessibility is still an issue. He believes the general public do not consider some challenges including lack of information available, there is no real access available at many venues (pedestrian crossings & new buildings are particularly bad, he considers). He hopes to raise awareness of the issues with pedestrian crossings (he doesn’t consider the 6 seconds crossing time enough), put more people with disabilities on committees, and resolve lamentations with the transport sector – he believes there are a lot of “patronising people in the world”. He also feels there should be cameras at all road junctions to protect the elderly and people with disabilities, and would like to see satnavs for the visually impaired utilised more (ideally through a fund to make them more accessible).

A spokesperson for RNIB Scotland said: "Accessibility - of information, services and environment - does remain a problem for blind and partially sighted people, although things are improving. More information is available in accessible formats, for instance. But when it comes to physical environment there can still be a lot of obstacles. RNIB is campaigning to urge local councils to sign up to our Street Charter to minimise the common obstructions that can make just going outside a fraught and even hazardous experience for those with sight loss."

Gavin Neate, the founder of Neatebox and creator of an app which will allow people with mobility difficulties to activate buttons at crossings reveals the greatest misconception he has encountered with regards to people with visual impairment (and this could also include countless other disabilities) is that people presume that if the visually impaired person doesn’t have support to do something they won’t just go out and do it for themselves anyway. He reveals: "In my experience, certainly as far as technology is concerned, the visually impaired person is increasingly utilising the technology provided for them by the likes of Apple and Samsung amongst others and is for perhaps the first time in history blazing a trail irrespective of whether someone is there to help them." He considers to be a leap forward as it doesn’t just underline the thrust for independence but it also prompts the visually impaired person to be dramatically better using this tech than a sighted person ever could be. Gavin adds: "If you want an expert in a given area there is an increasingly possibility that they won’t have full or indeed any sight. We at Neatebox could not be more excited and believe the future is more inclusive than many could have believed and that this inclusivity is being driven by the people who have spent far too long in the shadows.” “

These three perspectives serve as proof that accessibility hasn’t come as far as it maybe should have in 2016. However, it is also worth noting that eyes are being opened to the challenges still faced by people who are visually impaired. What are your personal opinions on the subject? Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Ongoing Issues with Accessibility Proves There’s More Work to be Done

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