{"id":2878,"date":"2026-02-04T09:55:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/?p=2878"},"modified":"2026-02-04T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T10:50:36","slug":"designing-a-world-you-dont-need-perfect-vision-to-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/2026\/02\/04\/designing-a-world-you-dont-need-perfect-vision-to-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing a world you don\u2019t need perfect vision to use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vision impairment sits on a wide spectrum, from mild blur to significant sight loss. However, public understanding, and often policy, treats vision as if it comes in only two states: blind or not blind. Dr Aikaterini (Katrina) Tavoulari<\/a> from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath discusses the need to consult people with vision impairment in policy decisions and infrastructure choices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine waking up one morning and discovering that the world has slipped slightly out of focus. Not dramatically, not in a way anyone else would notice, but just enough that reading the bus number requires a squint, crossing a road feels uncertain and the faces around you seem strangely vague. You can function, you can get through your day, but everything takes more effort, more concentration and more caution.<\/p>\n

For millions of people, this isn\u2019t an imagined scenario but their everyday life<\/a>. And yet, because their disability is invisible, the difficulties they face remain largely unseen too<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An invisible disability with visible impact<\/h2>\n

Vision impairment is not a rare experience confined to a small group. It sits on a wide spectrum, from mild blur to significant sight loss, and most people will experience some degree of change in their vision as they age<\/a>. However, public understanding, and often policy, still treats vision as if it comes in only two states: blind or not blind. And life is rarely that clear\u2011cut.<\/p>\n

People with vision impairment may make eye contact, navigate without a cane and appear confident in conversation. Yet those same people may struggle to read signs in a busy train station or recognise someone waving from a distance. They might hesitate at the edge of a poorly lit staircase or avoid travelling at night altogether. Because their disability is not immediately visible, others may assume it is not there at all.<\/p>\n

This misunderstanding has consequences. People share stories of being dismissed when they ask for help, or judged unfairly when they hesitate or move cautiously. Some are challenged for using disabled seating, while others hear comments like \u201cbut you look fine\u201d. The emotional toll of being doubted or misunderstood can be heavier than the sight loss itself.<\/p>\n

When the world isn\u2019t built for you<\/h2>\n

Listening to people with vision impairment reveals a consistent theme: one of the biggest barriers they face is not their eyes, but their surroundings<\/a>. Consider a street with faded markings, a bus stop with no audio announcements, a touchscreen that expects precise tapping on tiny icons, a government website that uses low\u2011contrast colours, or a waiting room where every sign blends into the wall. These are small design choices that quietly communicate the same underlying message: this space was not built with you in mind.<\/p>\n

Navigating such environments requires constant effort, an ongoing mental calculation of risk, caution and adaptation. Over time, this effort becomes draining. It shapes whether people feel confident going out alone, whether they apply for certain jobs, whether they join in community activities, or whether they simply stay home because it feels safer and less dramatic.<\/p>\n

These daily negotiations chip away at independence, wellbeing and quality of life, and they are all deeply influenced by policy choices, even if those choices are rarely framed as disability policy.<\/p>\n

Why policymakers need to rethink the \u201cstandard user\u201d<\/h2>\n

Much of our public infrastructure, transport, digital services and built environment is designed around an imagined \u201cstandard\u201d user; namely someone with excellent vision, perfect hearing, full mobility and no difficulty interpreting complex information.<\/p>\n

This person does not exist.<\/p>\n

Yet their imagined presence influences everything from street design to ticket machines to hospital signage. When governments design for this fictional ideal, they inadvertently exclude a significant portion of their population.<\/p>\n

There is a simple, powerful alternative: design for human diversity from the start<\/a>. This is not about expensive add\u2011ons or specialised solutions. It means creating mainstream systems that reflect and are suitable for the range of people who use them. Clearer signs, better lighting, simpler interfaces, readable digital text and staff trained to recognise invisible disabilities all create environments that work for everyone, including those with vision impairment.<\/p>\n

Policies that reflect real human variation are not only fairer but also more efficient. They prevent injuries, reduce anxiety, improve access to services<\/a>, and help people live independent, fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n

Lived experience must shape policy<\/h2>\n

Participatory research consistently shows that people with vision impairment know exactly what needs to change<\/a>. They know where cities feel hostile, which services are confusing, where support falls apart, and which small adjustments would make a world of difference. Yet too often, they are included only after decisions have been made or consulted in a tokenistic way that does little to shape outcomes. Policies are then built on assumptions, not evidence drawn from lived experience.<\/p>\n

Involving people with vision impairment from the very start \u2013 for example, through co\u2011designing services, shaping guidelines and informing priorities \u2013 creates more effective policies and avoids costly redesign later.<\/p>\n

When policymakers recognise that vision is diverse rather than uniform, they can shape public spaces, digital services and community life in ways that support safety, dignity and participation.<\/p>\n

A better future is clearer than we think<\/h2>\n

Designing a world that people with vision impairment can navigate confidently benefits everyone. Tourists benefit from clearer signage, older people benefit from better lighting, commuters benefit from readable digital displays, children benefit from safer street crossings, and busy workers benefit from intuitive online services.<\/p>\n

Accessibility is not niche, it\u2019s not charity, and it\u2019s not a favour granted to a minority. Accessibility is good public policy. At the same time, we need to remember that it is not a one\u2011size\u2011fits\u2011all concept<\/a>. Accessibility must always be flexible, inclusive and diverse, to meet as many different needs as possible.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most important shift is not technological or financial, but perceptual<\/a> \u2013 the willingness to acknowledge that many people move through the world with blurred vision, and that the world should meet them where they are.<\/p>\n

An accessible world is not aspirational, but it is entirely achievable when those with lived experience are placed at the centre of decisions<\/a>. The challenge now is whether our institutions are willing to act on what they already know.<\/p>\n

All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of the IPR, nor of the University of Bath.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vision impairment sits on a wide spectrum, from mild blur to significant sight loss. However, public understanding, and often policy, treats vision as if it comes in only two states: blind or not blind. Dr Aikaterini (Katrina) Tavoulari from the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2050,"featured_media":2880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[116,155,124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evidence-and-policymaking","category-public-infrastructure","category-public-services"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/115\/2026\/02\/Designing-a-world-you-dont-need-perfect-vision-to-use-1-scaled.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2050"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}