“Don’t invent for, invent with!” Designing digital solutions inclusive of people with vision impairment

Oct 17, 2023

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse for everybody, and people with vision impairment are no exception. Meet Hans Jørgen Wiberg, a passionate inventor with low vision who has created inclusive and accessible digital experiences. This includes an application that connects over 500 000 people who are blind or have low vision, globally, with sighted volunteers via a live video call.

Hans has retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that causes gradual vision loss. While Hans was born with good eyesight, it was his night vision that was first affected. In his twenties, his peripheral (side) vision started to decrease, and Hans’ field of vision has been narrowing since. Hans also has hearing loss and uses hearing aids.

Hans started his working life as a farmer in Denmark. "I needed to be innovative," he reflects. "The weather, the health of the herd, the availability of staff, the regulations, everything changed all the time. To be a successful farmer, I had to adjust and innovate daily." Hans was involved with the Danish Association of the Blind, and when smartphones became ubiquitous, he had an idea. An application could enable people who are blind or have low vision to video call sighted volunteers. The volunteers would describe what the users cannot see, for example helping them select a t-shirt with a specific colour or read a street name while navigating the city. "I tested my idea in 2012 by calling my adult daughter and asking her to guide me around the house. And it worked," Hans recalls with an enthusiasm that is contagious.

Since then, Hans has worked closely with users and developers to turn the idea into a global success, available in 185 languages, involving people with different degrees and types of vision impairment, ages and levels of comfort with technology. "I say: ‘Don't invent for, invent with!’ Not all blind people wear black sunglasses or have supernatural hearing. There is not one blind person, and there is much more to a person's lived experiences than just their sight. Inventors must recognize that blindness is a spectrum, and it's important to develop digital health solutions that work for as many people on this spectrum as possible." Close collaborations with several user organizations around the world have allowed for co-creation and user-centric design.

By connecting sighted volunteers with blind or low vision users, Hans has also seen people turn into ambassadors for blindness inclusion. "We have over 6 million volunteers. When signing up, most people have never met a blind person," he explains. "When a volunteer receives their first video call, they realize firsthand the barriers that limit inclusion. They will say, ‘this washing machine is impossible to use for blind people!’ and this recognition is one step towards a more inclusive society."

Hans is the busy type who never rests. With his wife, he restores classic Danish furniture, giving new life to timeless designed chairs and more. Back to his application, he has already incorporated artificial intelligence, making it accessible for those who may be uncomfortable talking to volunteers who are strangers. In the future, he hopes to develop a solution specific to people with deafblindness. Inclusive education is another area for growth, as teachers in mainstream schools typically mean well, but may lack knowledge and resources to support students with blindness or low vision. Hans wishes to develop an online peer-to-peer learning platform, so people with vision loss can learn from each other across borders.

"The COVID-19 pandemic and the related measures of physical distancing and of avoiding touching things in public spaces made independent shopping very difficult for blind people. But artificial intelligence shows great potential for them navigating websites," says Hans. "Currently, a blind person attempting to shop online is often faced with different labels that the screen reader identifies simply as ‘button, button, button’. The blind person refrains from clicking on anything in fear of purchasing the wrong item. In the future, artificial intelligence will use image recognition to describe the screen, including buttons. With voice commands, blind users will enjoy an online shopping experience that is accessible and inclusive."

In the WHO European Region, approximately 90 million people have vision impairment or blindness. These conditions are prevalent in all WHO Member States, independent of population demographics and health systems. WHO/Europe supports Member States in the integration of eye and vision care within national health systems. "The WHO European Framework for action to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities 2022–2030" calls on Member States to mainstream disability inclusion, including the provision of information in accessible formats for people with vision impairment.

Empowerment through Digital Health is a WHO/Europe flagship initiative, which complements the WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health, filling gaps in the digitalization frameworks in the Region that are holding up roll-out of innovative digital solutions. The "Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030" supports countries in leveraging and scaling up digital transformation of health systems.