Going to the gym or using exercise equipment in your home can be a challenge if the machine is not accessible. A lot of exercise equipment uses inaccessible touch screens or other visual information that the blind can not access. A team of researchers is asking for feedback about how the blind use exercise equipment, what the challenges are, and how the machines could be made better.
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I was just talking about this with one of the trainers at my gym. So few machines are easy to use. besides the silent touch screens, they have different settings for the different weights. I used to drive myself nuts trying to really do circuit training. I ended up attending two highly verbal classes each week taught by a trainer who is interested in having more blind people in her classes. But, I fear overall, gyms are not particularly hospitable to blind people.
prhunt Monday, 26-Aug-2013 04:22 AM ET:
I believe that full accessibility out of the box should be mandated by Federal law and that the research and development costs should be shared by everyone.
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For the past three years Alena has been a feature writer for the online magazine Matilda Ziegler. She has also been a contractor for the Oregon Commission for the Blind, helping blind adults learn to use adaptive technology. She is studying to be a teacher of the visually impaired at Portland State. You might also recognize her from the Serotalk podcast Triple Click Home.
