Jessica has had a visual impairment since she was 40, which has drastically worsened in the last six years.
In a short time, she saw her mobility and autonomy compromised by the disease.
She is no longer able to drive, has started to work from home to avoid commuting and a “simple” trip to the supermarket is a challenge.
At Work
She still runs her own business as an accountant, but she knows it won’t be for much longer.
“Although I feel privileged to still be able to work – thanks to the screen magnifiers I use, even though most of the software I work with doesn’t adapt to the screen zoom and has very little contrast – I know that soon I’ll have to retire or apply for a disability pension. My productivity has dropped to a third and it’s very tiring to spend hours in front of the computer, I am constantly having to take breaks.”
At the Supermarket
On the day she received the diagnosis that dictated a 20% reduction in vision in just ten years, Jessica’s main anguish was realising that she would not only lose her vision, but also her freedom and independence.
“It starts to be increasingly difficult not to depend on someone even for the banal things of everyday life. Going to the supermarket, for example, is a horror: I can’t read the names or the prices of the products. Not to mention labels and expiration dates.”
When shopping online
Jessica does most of her shopping online, but says the experience is far from good.
“I don’t even ask that it’d be ideal anymore, it would be good enough if it was accessible. The truth is that most websites and applications are not accessible for people with visual impairments: when we zoom in, the screens become unformatted or simply do not adapt to the device’s zoom – and voice over rarely works.“
I would just like the services (at least, those that are more present in our daily lives) to provide an accessible experience so that people with disabilities - visual or otherwise - can maintain a dignified life.
Look Deeper
Vision impairment poses an enormous global financial burden.
For example, the annual global costs of productivity losses associated with vision impairment from uncorrected myopia and presbyopia alone were estimated to be US$ 244 billion and US$ 25.4 billion, respectively.
Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment.
Population growth and ageing are expected to increase the risk that more people acquire vision impairment.
Young children with early severe vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, with lifelong consequences.
School-age children with vision impairment can also experience lower levels of educational achievement.
Vision impairment severely impacts quality of life among adult populations.
Adults with vision impairment often have lower rates of workforce participation and productivity and higher rates of depression and anxiety.
In the case of older adults, vision impairment can contribute to social isolation, difficulty walking, a higher risk of falls and fractures, and a greater likelihood of early entry into nursing or care homes.
Suggestions
Here are a few resources you can explore to increase the legibility and usability of your services for those who are visually impaired.
Apply this persona in your project
This information is free to use as long as you follow the Creative Commons License for Forgotten Personas. More info here.
Was this persona valuable to your project?
