Accessibility and Technology
The advent of technology has undeniably transformed the way we live, work, and connect with the world. Regardless of your age, it is crucial to possess these essential skills to stay connected with the community in today’s digital age.
Some of the benefits of technology for people with vision loss includes:
Some of the skills we teach on smartphones and computers:
We customise one-to-one training sessions to meet the learning goals and requirement of each client. Lesson is heavily subsidised by GDS and clients would only need to pay a nominal fee. Our instructors, who are vision impaired and integrate technology into their daily lives, are best positioned to impart their skills and knowledge.
Clients are encouraged to use their own smartphones or laptops during training to become familiar with their devices. If you do not own a device and require assistance in choosing the right one, please contact us.
Additionally, we organise regular workshops on topics requested by clients. To stay updated on our training and workshops, join our mailing list.
Smartphones have become an essential piece of assistive technology for people with vision impairment (VI) to enhance their daily activities and participation. We are pleased to introduce a web-based toolkit specifically designed to provide comprehensive training and learning support for individuals with VI and their caregivers. In partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), this is part of an initiative under the Digital for Life movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cataract
Thick film covers the eyes, sensitive to glare
Diabetic Retinopathy
The body is unable to produce enough insulin to convert sugar to energy, leading to a buildup of sugar in the blood. Diabetic retinopathy happens when blood vessels in the eye rupture and causes patches of blurry vision.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a result of damaged optic nerves caused by the buildup of eye fluid and increased eye pressure. Glaucoma affects your side vision and can eventually cause tunnel vision.
Early Stage Glaucoma
Late Stage Glaucoma
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Above 50 yrs old, black spots appearing in central vision or straight lines looking wavy. Difficulties in reading or recognising faces. These are some common signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is an eye condition affecting your central vision.
There are two types of AMD – wet and dry. Wet AMD is caused by an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye, leading to the leakage of blood and proteins into the sensitive cells in the macula. This causes damage and vision loss. There is no exact cause of dry AMD but the condition occurs as the eye ages.
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
‘Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited, degenerative eye conditions that affects the retina. People with RP may experience gradual loss of side vision and poor night vision, commonly starting from their teenage years.
Early Stage RP
Late Stage RP
Night Blindness in RP
Please see more details in People with Vision Loss.
One of the main differences between using a white cane and a guide dog is that a white cane helps locate impediments so that the person with vision impairment can decide how to best manoeuvre around them.
On the other hand, guide dogs are trained to avoid obstacles along their pathway and help the person with vision impairment navigate their environment, allowing for a more natural walking experience. When travelling in a less familiar or more complex environment, a guide dog also helps to lessen the mental load that a person with vision impairment may have, reducing anxiety and stress.
Both a white cane and a guide dog are great mobility tools that help people with vision impairment to lead a more independent life. People with vision impairment have different lifestyles and preferences and there is no single tool that is better than the other.
Most technology solutions have accessibility services included by default to help someone with vision impairment use technology. In essence, this would be normal hardware augmented with special software or applications. This includes screen reading applications for someone with little to no vision, by reading out the contents on the screen and providing an accessible way to operate the device, such as altering the way the touchscreen works or including extensive support for keyboard commands.
For someone with an adequate level of functional residual vision, vision enhancement functions make the screen more vision-friendly by magnifying content, enhancing colour contrast and/or providing basic screen reading functionality.
The aspect of user experience of an application or website is crucial to the accessibility for vision-impaired users.
Programmatically, elements and controls should be properly indicated with the relevant tags for screen reading applications to translate to users the intended function of the control.
Regions should also be properly indicated, such as the navigation bar or, the content region or the main region.
Font sizes and colour contrasts should also be taken into account for users who utilise vision enhancement services. Guidelines exist for different platforms in order for developers to optimise apps for accessibility, such as W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
As part of our service, we offer digital accessibility consultancy and user experience testing, in terms of accessibility for the visually impaired. Please contact us to learn more about how you might be able to implement or improve accessibility of your existing applications and content.
-
Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Training – teaching clients how to navigate safely using a white cane, understand their environment, and travel independently.
-
Independent Living Skills Training – covering practical skills such as personal care, cooking, money management, and home organisation.
- Accessibility & Technology Training – training clients how to use assistive technology such as screen readers and built-in accessibility features on devices to gain skills for employment and independent living.
-
Guide Dog Programme – for suitable candidates, pairing them with a professionally trained guide dog to further enhance their mobility and confidence.
-
Aftercare and Community Support – ongoing check-ins, support groups, and public education efforts to reduce stigma and promote inclusion.
Videos
Spread the Word to Make a Difference
Recommended for You
Quick Links
