Managing Visual Disabilities Without Reducing Freedom Or Independence

By Deborah Laramie


Visual disabilities can severely diminish one's independence and quality of life when one doesn't make an attempt to adapt. The modern world is crammed with high tech options that can make partial and full blindness much easier to cope with. A lack of vision doesn't have to reduce access to the real or the virtual world.

Adaptive technology products allow the visually impaired to attain their goals with far fewer limitations. Advancements in the computer industry now make it possible to be audibly informed of every movement one makes with a mouse and keyboard. This lets one work with software as well as online. Screen reading technology reads documents so that one can do work on computer as well as an able-bodied person can.

There are times when screen reading is unsuitable. Reading an email or conducting a business interaction using screen reading is satisfactory but it is not always the best option for reading e-books or poetry. In this case, a Braille terminal lets you read silently so that more entertaining tasks can be done imaginatively. Most ordinary operating systems have the programming interface needed to use this technology.

Often, books are only available in hard copy, but scanners and Braille printers transfer them onto paper for reading out of the office. Adaptive technology products such as optical character recognition software convert text taken directly from the pages of books into text that a computer can read. This kind of software makes computer use by the visually impaired far easier, and adds several possibilities to their lives in terms of career and quality of life.

National Disability Employment services help those with diminished vision to find jobs and do research into the job market. They educate them about the legalities, rights and policies involved in being disabled in the workplace. Those who are aware of their rights are better able to protect them, and this element alone can help one to achieve goals far more successfully.

With computers being so adaptive to the visually impaired, office life becomes possible but transportation problems can make getting to that office a major issue. Many regions are not completely adapted to help the blind to navigate by foot. Public transportation is not always accessible to those who have disabilities. However, some transit authorities set up paratransit systems that work on demand to take people from curb to curb.

Public transport use can be terrifying for disabled people who are not used to it, but the independence and freedom it offers over the long term are high enough to warrant a confrontation of one's fears. Bus drivers are compelled to audibly announce stops for the blind to make travels possible. People who need to be driven directly from door to door can try to set up a network of drivers with car-owners in their communities.

Those with visual disabilities have the right to be treated equally without discrimination in their work. Employers are legally required to increase accessibility to their facilities for disabled employees. Equipment and schedule modifications for the visually impaired are also legally required of employers. Visually impaired people can enjoy enormous potential in today's world, where technological advancements and civil rights increase possibilities.




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