The blind or visually impaired are among the excluded of our society. This article is to find alternatives to promote their full inclusion in any areas of life. There has been not enough done to give them opportunity to be computer or e-tech savvy. It is necessary for us to help them achieve this insertion into a virtual world. This article is for that.
Sightless Internet and e-Technologies
Jean S Ayissi Essono
Missouri State University
I BACKGROUNG OF THE TOPIC AND DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM/ISSUE AS IT RELATES TO HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS
Background of the Topic
Visually impaired individuals are unable to read and write via computer technology and internet. To facilitate this, a need to provide for independent interaction and promotion of equal opportunity through internet was paramount so that, their quality of life will be improved, they will not left behind e-learning (Evans and Graeme, 2008). The origin of this internet for blind was also to implement the American with Disability Act (ADA) of 1996 in all sectors of the society among which the health care field. Thus all the healthcare agencies have to strive to promote the blind to use internet while they are agent of these institutions. Also any computer companies have to build software that will enhance the interaction of blind via internet.
Description of Problem/Issue
There are prospective markets for internet providers, web designers and developers that are unused. The system can well expand the availability to sightless and visually impaired if they develop computers software and devices that facilitate the accessibility to e-health, and other fields to blinds. Not only that the companies are gaining while innovating but also the blinds are able to follow up with their social worker, medical doctors. These innovations if available will tremendously improve the accessibility to internet of blinds. Since visually impaired and blinds are more vulnerable in term of resources, these companies have to make sure that the cost of acquiring these devices at cheap cost. Another problem is that we need to help blinds to be able to take vital signs. The lack of skills to use computer and other devices for their health education or other business is a problem that needs to be addressed so that their accessibility can be increase (Jaeger and Lazar, 2011). Accessibility can also be a problem when visually impaired are feeling their privacy violated by the third party working with them. The issue is how to facilitate that accessibility while protecting their privacy? Another problem is that blinds parents are unable to check what information their children are surfing. Thus the need to protect their children from being a pray of wrong health information should be addressed by giving them technology that will improve their parenting skills. The problem is increased when blinds are unable to access web sites for information from a variety of sources such as government, bank, health insurances and hospitals services. The world is becoming more and more virtual and the needs to democratize the internet is paramount to the disables and valid individuals (Albrecht et. al, 2001)
II PURPOSE OF THE TOPIC
Sightless internet and technology is a field that is not explored and promote by the society and the internet world. Besides that, blinds are virtually marginalized in the society so; the need to raise awareness of marginalization that blinds encounter on a daily basis is the reason for this paper. Another reason is to investigate tools that will help blinds to take control over their health and be able to work in a health related field as healthcare provider. This has the potentiality not only to contribute to their health but also to empower them to be a contributor in the global health of human beings.
III SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM
Jaeger and Lazar (2011) state that poor or lack of accessibility to internet by visually impaired is a life threatening issue since blinds are not unable to access life saving information in time of crisis such as natural or artificial disasters. According to them, during Hurricane Katrina, visually impaired were not able to access disaster management information on Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website. Thus many visually impaired suffered more casualties than their visual counterparts. Along with such insufficiencies, the laws that promote equal online opportunity have not done enough to enforce or to compel government and private institutions to provide for technologies adapted to visually impaired. Many developers of websites and online technologies are expanding the gap of accessibility by responding to law of demands and supplies. Thus the lesser the visually impaired population, the lesser available are computers and devices adapted to them. The courts of justice has contributed to this gap also by not siding with the visually impaired in a case of ADA-National Federation of the Blind v. Target , 2006; which case has seen Target mandated to provide online access to the blinds because of their physical presence (physical stores) all over U.S. But the same court has not mandated all other companies without physical presence (physical stores or offices) to provide this accessibility. Thus a loophole is created and healthcare insurance companies and other health organizations without physical presence are not required to provide online accessibility to visually impaired patients. Such cases or insufficiencies just show how the dignity of the blinds is at stake.
IV DISCUSSION OF LITERATURE
Nursing diagnoses for a visually impaired can risk for injury, risk for immobility related to visual impairment. Thus the Nurse or a healthcare provider will intervene to improve the quality of life of a visual impaired patient once at the hospital. How then to meet such a goal? Ang, Seng and Tee (2010) have shown that it is possible to meet such a goal with the use of visually impaired assistive technology for blind individuals. One of these assistive devices is a SESAMONET system. This system enables the blind to be move safely and independently and also to be tracked by the healthcare agent or a caregiver. To be working, the system need to have a RFID tag which is buried in the pathway adapted specifically for the blinds and, a RFID reader attached to the blind’s cane. When the blind moves, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader attached to the cane read the RFID ID buried in the pathway, thus sending the data to a PDA that convert information to speech. Thus the blind cannot navigate easily. The success of this device can only be possible if the hospital put efforts to implement the ADA of1996 or if institutions such as government and private set a specific healthcare facility for blind only or build a department unit for blind in a hospital environment.
Any society to improve the utilization of all its members has to promote tools and laws that will not left behind blinds, valid and other disables. How to improve education accessibility of blind online or in traditional setting? This was a case of blind student who has sued Arizona State University (ASU) on the ground that the academic institution has discriminated by not providing a kindle blind adapted. According to this research, ASU is one of the many US’s academic institutions that have not adapted their online web based courses to blind and other hearing impaired individuals. Not only that, even the highly rated institutions such as Hopkins and Harvard fail to meet the ADA law of 1996 (Brainard& Perry, 2010). The lack of enabling disabled individuals of having access to online or traditional education can deeply affect their healthcare quality. This is true when visually impaired patients need to control their diabetes. It is known that visually impaired patients due to a lack of insulin pumps, glucometers and diabetics software adapted to visually impaired, there was a severe poor self control of diabetes that has resulted to life-threatening situations. This was due to fact that, these devices or technologies lack the incorporation of Braille, or voice speech that can guide the patient in the monitoring of blood glucose or the insulin administration. This has resulted also to a loss of human resources who constituted the breadwinners of the families (Marom, 2010). This case just shows how ineffective ADA is and it needs to be reinforced by specifically updated to cover e-technologies and internet for visually impaired. Thus there is a need for software builders and glucometers companies to build diabetic control devices that suit the visually impaired. Another alternative might be for healthcare insurances to pay for Home Health Nurses to assist visually impaired diabetes at home.
Another alternative to address this discrimination is for private companies to specialize in the production of devices and technologies that promote the accessibility of blind to internet and other devices. This will contribute to tremendous job creation and reduce the unemployment rate which is 8.8% (U.S Department of Labor, 2011).
SUMMARY
We have look at the background and issues around the blind population in regard to their internet accessibility and other technologies devices. We have described the problem and sort its significance. The society has to include all the resources it encompasses. The blinds therefore have to be feeling part of the development of human kind as they are. It will be best to set rules and regulations that will enhance at any time. The new law (Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act) signed by POTUS Obama will help reduce the gap of accessibility to the internet and promote that companies will set an entire program designed for e-learning to blind individuals. Also the U.S’s Department of Justice since July 2010 is making sure that the previous and current laws regulating or promoting visually impaired accessibility to internet are care for in all settings of the economy or society (Jaeger, 2011). The benefits of this will see the health quality of blinds increase. There should be a facebook and other social networks opportunities for visually impaired to socialize equally with their peers and the valid. This will tremendously increase their quality of living and sense of belonging in the virtual world.
REFERENCES
Evans, S., & Douglas, G. (2008). E-Learning and Blindness: A Comparative Study of the Quality of an E-Learning Experience. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 102(2), 77-88.Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Lazar, J., & Jaeger, P. (2011). Reducing Barriers to Online Access for People with Disabilities. Issues in Science & Technology, 27(2), 68-82.Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Marom, L. (2010). Insulin pump access issues for visually impaired people with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Research & Clinical Practice, 89(1), e13-e15. doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2010.04.005
PARRY, M., & Brainard, J. (2010). Colleges Lock Out Blind Students Online. (Cover story). Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(17), A1-A8. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Tee, Z. H., Ang, L. M., & Seng, K. P. (2010). Smart Guide System to Assist Visually Impaired People in an Indoor Environment. IETE Technical Review, 27(6), 455-464. doi:10.4103/0256-4602.6852
Williamson, K., Albrecht, A., Schauder, D., & Bow, A. (2001). Australian Perspectives on the Use of the Internet by People Who Are Visually Impaired and Professionals Who Work with Them. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 95(11), 690. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
