Identify, Adapt, Persist: The Journey of Blind Individuals with Personal Health Technologies

Abstract

Personal health technologies (PHTs) often do not consider the accessibility needs of blind individuals, preventing access to their capabilities and data. However, despite the accessibility barriers, some blind individuals persistently use such systems and even express satisfaction with them. To obtain a deeper understanding of blind users' prolonged experiences in PHTs, we interviewed 11 individuals who continue to use such technologies, discussing and observing their past and current interactions with their systems. We report on usability issues blind users encounter and how they adapt to these situations, and theories for the persistent use of PHTs in the face of poor accessibility. We reflect on strategies to improve the accessibility and usability of PHTs for blind users, as well as ideas to aid the normalization of accessible features within these systems.