We recently hosted a young person for work experience at Southampton Sight. Here is their report:
During my 3-day work experience at Southampton Sight, meeting and chatting with visually impaired/blind people gave me a broader perspective on the individual effects of sight loss and deepened my understanding of the challenges, both mental and physical, faced by the visually impaired community.
My primary task was to create an index of assistive apps designed specifically for people with sight loss as well as inclusive apps with extensive accessibility features. I researched and evaluated a wide array of apps, including functional apps such as optical character recognition (OCR) and object recognition tools, screen readers, magnification, and navigation aids, as well as exploring other apps, including a text-to-speech makeup tool, and comparing accessibility features (such as audio description) between streaming services. It was fascinating to see all the new technology. I also learnt ways that other apps can become more accessible.
On the second day, we also went to the Quays Swimming Pool for a sight awareness talk, which gave me more insight into the wide spectrum of sight loss. This also underscored the importance of accessible facilities, text and signage, because even small changes such as higher contrast colours or larger text, can make reading much easier for people with sight loss.
