Blind Americans face roadblocks booking online vaccine appointments

Currently, about 12 million people above the age of 40 in the United States have vision impairment, including 1 million who are blind, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 3 million people who are top contenders for the shot — aged 65 and older — have a vision disability, according to the 2019 American Community Survey.

The booking problems are so widespread that a recent survey by nonprofit WebAIM and Kaiser Health News found technological accessibility barriers on all but 13 of 94 state webpages that included information about the vaccine, lists of providers and sign-up forms…

“It is, I think, a sad reflection of our times, that accessibility is still not part of what is top of mind for developers. We’ve had web accessibility guidelines and standards for 20 years,” she said. “This has been a real rough year for folks with the kinds of disabilities that affect computer and internet use.”