Sight loss and technology

This report updates the Sight Loss and Technology briefing published in 2021. Drawing on new evidence produced by RNIB and other organisations it aims to illuminate the behaviours and attitudes toward technology usage among blind and partially sighted people. It offers a view of the tools, challenges, and opportunities which shape the digital experiences of people with sight loss, and highlights the importance of digital inclusivity for blind and partially sighted people.

Key findings

Key findings from the report include:

• Technology is not simply a convenience for blind and partially sighted people; it represents a means of empowerment, inclusion and independence.
• Blind and partially sighted people feel technology makes the most positive impact on daily life activities involving ​accessing information, navigating and getting around outside, and accessing entertainment, banking and financial services.
• Age, inaccessibility, and cost remain the biggest barriers blind and partially sighted people face in adopting technology.
• Blind and partially sighted people feel that technology gives them a sense of self-worth and achievement, but it can also have an emotional impact, especially when it fails, or they must adapt as their vision changes.
• More than half of blind and partially sighted people are late adopters of new technology.
• There are two clear and ongoing digital divides.

1). The first divide exists within the blind and partially sighted population itself, where some people are highly comfortable with assistive technology and others lack technological skills and comfort.

2). The second divide is between blind and partially sighted people and the general population; people with sight loss are less likely to use the internet every day, more likely to be digitally excluded and less likely to own a smartphone when compared to the rest of the population.

• More positively, digital exclusion for blind and partially sighted people is reducing.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven technology is becoming increasingly accessible and can help bridge the gap in an inaccessible world.
• Accessibility should be a priority from the design stage, and not an afterthought.
• Demands for inclusive design principles and collaboration among technology developers, government entities, and advocacy groups is crucial.
• RNIB and the sight loss sector must continue to influence, advocate, support, and advise the public, government, and tech industry to enable blind and partially sighted people to have the same opportunity to benefit from digital and new technology as the general population.