Over 16 million Americans have diabetes, a disease in which the body cannot store and regulate glucose properly, and 5 million of them experience vision loss as a result. Although blood glucose meters have allowed people with diabetes to manage the disease independently, visual readouts that are hard to see have made many of the devices incredibly difficult for people with vision loss to use. Not just a matter of convenience, these devices can mean the difference between life and death.
Because it is imperative that people with vision problems be able to use blood glucose meters, AFB Tech has continues to spend a great deal of time and energy evaluating these products for accessibility and helping manufacturers blaze new trails in accessible design. AFB Tech works with top-notch research institutions, such as the Marshall University Medical School, to ensure that diabetics with vision loss can use blood glucose meters successfully and easily.
Product Evaluations
Diabetes and Visual Impairment: An Update on Accessible Blood Glucose Meters, AccessWorld®, Vol. 13, No. 2, February 2012.
Uslan, M.; Burton, D.; and Clements, C. Blood Glucose Meters That Are Accessible to Blind and Visually Impaired Persons. Diabetes Science & Technology, Vol. 2, No. 2, March 2008.
Diabetes and Visual Impairment: An Update on the Accessible Blood Glucose Monitor Market, AccessWorld®, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2008.
Diabetes and Visual Impairment: New Talking Blood Glucose Meters Enter the Market, AccessWorld®, Vol. 8, No. 2, March 2007.
Uslan, M.; Eghtesadi, K.; Burton, D. Blood Glucose Meter Accessibility for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons. Ergonomics in Design, vol. 12, no. 3, 2004: 19-25.
Uslan, M; Eghtesadi, K; Burton, D. Accessibility of Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons. Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, vol. 5, no. 3, 2002: 439-448.
