Technique without eyes: Blindness and work with graphics or do they go together at all?

A relatively large number of tasks in the field of technology can be performed with blindness, mainly thanks to screen readers and other assistive technologies that make content accessible to visually impaired users. But what about if a blind person wants to become an architect, create drawings or work with graphic programs? Is it possible at all, or is this field forbidden to the visually impaired?

The situation is not as dire as it might seem at first glance

It probably depends most on whether a person was born blind or lost his sight later. When the person in question lost his sight in early childhood or was not born with it at all, he is used to his handicap, on the other hand, he has a much worse visual imagination. Many people who became blind in later childhood, adolescence or youth were able to cope with their handicap and project the habits of the past into their future life. So they can not only write with a pencil, but also draw well and imagine 3D models well. But this certainly does not mean that the blind, who have impaired visual imagination, have no chance to apply in such areas. There are special foils on which, after drawing with a pen, the drawn object is highlighted in relief. These are used by blind people to draw, but they are also suitable for teachers or teaching assistants - they can quickly draw a certain object on them. 3D printers can also be used to get a better idea of ​​the given object.

This is what the relief map of Pilsen looks like for the blind:

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Another device that can highlight objects in a haptic form is a fuser. The pattern is copied onto special paper or drawn with a black marker, the paper is then "passed" by the device and the contour of the depicted objects emerges tangibly on the surface. Despite all these technologies, bringing visual diagrams closer to completely blind users is often problematic. Personally, I consider myself more of an anti-talent in the field of visual imagination, however, the technologies mentioned above really help me and thanks to them I am at least somehow able to master, for example, geometry at school.

This is what fuser looks like for the blind:

Source: zoomtext.de

App accessibility is often a stumbling block

As in all industries, the accessibility of applications for the blind is very important in the field of work with graphics. Many developers do not take into account the fact that people with visual disabilities will sometimes need to solve the visual side of things, or perhaps work professionally with graphics programs. However, it is true that some programs for architects, especially for Windows, are adapted to be operated with a screen reader.

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As I mentioned above, I am definitely not one of those blind people who have a talent for any kind of graphic work, at school I was sometimes glad that I managed to draw at least in some way. Among the blind, there really aren't many people with decent visual imagination, especially those who became blind later, but theoretically they can work with graphics.