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The RNIB created a prototype of a pregnancy test for people who are blind or partially sighted

To acknowledge the fact that people have a shared humanity, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)’s recent ‘Design for Everyone’ campaign used the example of pregnancy test results to demonstrate how poor, inaccessible design can deprive people of their privacy.

As part of the campaign, the RNIB’s team carried out some research with women who are blind or partially sighted, and of childbearing age. They found the following:

 

At present, there are no pregnancy tests that allow persons who are blind or partially sighted to be the first to hear their news. The RNIB worked with Product Designer Josh Wasserman to create a prototype of an accessible pregnancy test to prove that accessible pregnancy tests are possible.

The pregnancy test prototype uses the same electronics as a standard pregnancy test, but instead of activating an LCD display, a linear actuator is activated which raises a series of bumps on the top if the user is pregnant. The actuator also raises a series of control bumps on the bottom of the text to notify the user that the test is working in the event of a negative test result. There is a big contrast between the purple top and the white bottom of the prototype which makes it easier for women who are partially sighted to hold the test the right way up.

The RNIB’s main goal with their campaign is to get the public talking about this issue, and to compel businesses to do more to help. They are calling out to businesses and product designers to make the accessible pregnancy test a reality.

For the link to the full article, or to find out more, please click here.

Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].