Whatever answer you’re hoping for from a pregnancy test, taking one is rarely a low-stress occurrence. And for many who are blind or vision-impaired, taking a pregnancy test can be even more tricky: the tests use visual displays, and often the only solution for knowing the result is to call a friend, family member, or even stranger into a very private moment.
The app Be My Eyes is now partnering with pregnancy test maker ClearBlue to offer volunteer services in reading pregnancy tests—but that still brings a stranger into the process. The UK’s Royal National Institute for the Blind, however, now has a new design for a tactile, accessible test that could be taken privately. It’s colorful, high-contrast, and big enough to use without full sight. And the results appear as bumps that anyone can feel.
I recently spoke with Science Friday radio reporter, Victoria Song, about the value of accessibility in pregnancy testing, and how a good idea might become an actual product. Procter & Gamble accessibility leader Sumaira Latif was also interviewed during the program providing her take on some of the difficulties surrounding bringing this technology to fruition. Click HERE to have a listen to my episode of Science Friday!
Learn more about the new pregnancy test design from Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Credit: The Design For Everyone Campaign (Subtitled) from Design For Everyone.
