How Blind People Are Left Behind When It Comes To Pregnancy Tests
One TikTok creator, Jo Rose, is on a mission to highlight just how inaccessible pregnancy tests are to blind and visually impaired people.
Speaking in a recent video, Rose said: “I’m blind, and I took a pregnancy test a few days ago, recorded it, and uploaded it onto TikTok basically to convey the message that, for women who can’t see, pregnancy tests aren’t actually accessible.
“Which means that a lot of women are relying on other people to read their results to them, meaning that the other person is finding out whether that woman’s pregnant before she does.”
This stark statement is terrifying when you consider the myriad of reasons that somebody would want to keep their pregnancy secret.
@jo_rose29 I NEED YOUR HELP! Please, help me on my mission to ensuring pregnancy tests become truly accessible for women… no reliance on others and technology, just one fully accessible pregnancy test! Like, comment, favourite, share This is possible ???? #pregnancytest#accessibility#equalaccess#women#female#pregnancy#baby#motherhood#pregnancyreveal#mumsoftiktok#blind#partiallysighted#visuallyimpaired#guidedog#guidedogs#guidedogsuk#foryou#foryoupage#fy#fyp#tiktok#viral#trending#jorose
♬ original sound - Jo Rose
“It shows a loading bar on the screen... which I can’t see”
Rose shared that, in order to get a private pregnancy result without relying on other people, she uses a digital pregnancy test which simply says “pregnant” or “not pregnant” on a screen. She then uses an AI reader to access the information that appears.
After peeing on the stick, Rose said that while this test does have a loading screen so users know when their test is ready, she can’t see that either.
Rose added: “If these digital tests weren’t a thing, and I couldn’t convert text-to-speech, I wouldn’t actually be able to do this on my own, I would need to rely on somebody else to check it for me.
“It’s such a personal thing, it’s huge, in terms of ‘big news’, it’s up there with some of the biggest pieces of news you will ever receive in your life. So this is something that we want, as women, to be able to access on our own.”
The creator called on pregnancy test brands to make their tests more accessible to those with visual impairments, saying: “All we need is a little bit of speech and our lives will be completely changed.”
People in the comments realised they’d never had to consider this
User Elle.needs.coffee said: “This is a privilege I never considered I ever had ????. This needs to happen. I hope when they are made that they’re accessible in price too.”
Mania added: “I have never thought about it, it is scary because it gives power to other people to falsify the real result for whatever reason!”
Pyronymph pointed out the trust you’d need to have in somebody to have them read a test for you, saying: “A pregnancy result is so personal and private.
“I can’t imagine having to rely on another person in order to find out the result. I would be so worried they didn’t tell the truth.”
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) created a prototype test for blind people
In 2020, the RNIB created a prototype test to highlght the inequality that blind people face with common tests.
Martin Wingfield, Head of Brand & Marketing at RNIB, said: “The problem isn’t just limited to pregnancy tests.
The charity said of the tests: “The hope is the learnings from this campaign inspire other designers to prioritise accessibility.”
“We’ve heard incredible stories from people with sight loss of not being able to access their own medical information. From product packaging to financial information, everyone has the right to privacy and dignity.”