This month, the World Blind Union has released a document that specifies user requirements that would make digital and internet radio equipment more accessible to blind and partially sighted people.
The overall objective of this document is to establish clarity, at an international level, about what precisely the user requirements are to make a mainstream digital or internet radio accessible for blind and partially sighted people.
Target audience
These user requirements seek to advise and inform the global companies that design digital or internet radios. The document makes recommendations on the choices that the companies can make to include features in mainstream sets that could make their devices more accessible for people with sight loss. Following the advent of digital radios in the UK, RNIB has found that blind and partially sighted people are concerned about losing access to radio devices.
As one user put it: "Radio has always been very important to me. It's something that I can enjoy even without sight. The changeover to new types of radios like digital and internet is very good and there's lots of new stations and wonderful new services, but actually we've lost the simplicity of the analogue radio models and now when you get your radio home it's very difficult to use indeed."
Due consideration to these new WBU user requirements could result in easier access to digital radios for people with sight loss.
You can download the complete document from the link below:
For further advice, please get in touch with the Media and Culture Team by writing to audiodescription@rnib.org.uk