How are People with Low Vision Coping with Coronavirus Quarantine?

The Coronavirus epidemic that recently spread throughout the globe, is creating difficulties in day to day living for everyone, everywhere. Factories are no longer as productive as they were, and most offices of all kinds are closed. Even movie theatres, cafes, and restaurants are shutting down. Basically, only grocery stores and pharmacies are staying open. In addition, public transportation is reducing its activity. For most people, this means stocking up on food and sanitation supplies and staying indoors until further notice. But what about people with low vision? How will they get through this time?

What People Think About Life With Low Vision

When it comes to the public’s opinion about life with low vision, there is quite a misconception about the lifestyle of people who are blind or visually impaired. There is a discrepancy between the existing lifestyle and what people think about it. Even two hundred years ago, when the first schools for the blind opened up, most of the population didn’t understand the capabilities and the potential in employing people with low vision. The truth is, that people with low vision are working in a surprising variety of modern jobs. From engineers and computer programmers, to doctors, lawyers and many others.

What Are They Using to Achieve Independence?

With the development of advanced technologies used in consumer electronics and appliances, our lives are changing constantly. Humanity is becoming more active in its use of technology. Therefore, the dependence on the internet and software platforms is increasing every year. And so is the excitement for every new technology gadget or device. Every year, worldwide media flocks to the biggest tech conventions and competitions to cover the latest technologies available to consumers. For people with low vision, it’s the assistive technology category that sparks the most interest. This category focuses on devices and gadgets that help people with disabilities to live a more independent life.

How Does Assistive Technology Work?

The assistive technology category offers a variety of tools and devices performing various features that help people who need them to perform daily living tasks. The low vision category mostly provides information regarding the user’s surroundings. For example, a smart cane will notify the user holding it of obstacles in front of them through sounds. The most advanced assistive technology device for the blind and visually impaired is the OrCam MyEye. A miniature, lightweight, and portable device the size of a finger. It attaches to any pair of glasses magnetically. Leaving both hands available for use.

Using hand gestures or tapping a touch bar, users are able to perform a number of functions. Such as reading text from any printed or digital surface. Recognize the faces of family members and friends, product bar codes while shopping, and even money bills. They can even identify colors and personal items. This way, they can define certain sanitation items with specific names for their devices to identify and say the name out loud to them when they hold it in front of the device.

During quarantine, they can use their OrCam MyEye device to search the web for available shops and restaurants that deliver products to their home. If they can go outside, they will use the text reading feature to read street signs for navigation, and the money and bar code recognition features to shop independently. While staying indoors, they can read from printed books or from their screens any content they like to stay entertained and informed of the most recent news and updates.