By Myra Ross | From BayLines Express, March, 2024
Along with Jerry Berrier and Jane Perry, I worked on the handouts for medical establishments about how to support blind patients. They are now on the BSCB website at https://acbofma.org/healthcare-guidelines.
Recently I had my initial appointment with a new (to me) primary care physician. My antennas went up when they handed my husband a paper for me to sign, and then set up their iPad questionnaire for him to read to me. I told them that iPads are accessible, and that I wanted to complete the questionnaire myself. They put in a code so my answers would go into my file there, and they listened to me about how to turn on VoiceOver. Would the questionnaire be accessible? They handed the iPad to me ready to go. I pulled out my wired earbuds so I could complete it in privacy. They remarked on how they should get some earbuds for people to use in case they don’t have their own. Excellent! Then I sat down with the long questionnaire, which I took into the exam room, and completed after the doctor had finished interviewing me. It was completely accessible, although with one question per page it was pretty slow. The questions were psycho-social in nature, not about my medical history. Some of them were so personal that no one should have to answer them through a third party. The physician told me that they are now inquiring into people’s needs and psychological health, because stress of many kinds causes health problems. He told me for example that as a result of the questionnaire, his office is finding ways for people to have medications delivered to them, so they don’t ever have to go without them.
The office manager approached me while I was getting ready to leave. She apologized for not knowing more about the accessibility of the iPad and told me that she would see to it that all of the personnel in the office knew about VoiceOver and had some training in how to help patients complete the questionnaire with speech if they need it. This was a fabulous independent experience for me. Everyone in that office, from the intake secretary to the physician, got it. They understood what I needed and why, and they now know how to help people complete their questionnaire independently. I will follow up to see whether they need any VoiceOver help.
Now, a few days later, I have access to the office’s portal (MyChart is very accessible, far better than Athena Health, used by my previous PCP). I noticed that my completed questionnaire is available there. I presume it could have been completed online. Before attending my appointment, I did call to ask whether there were any forms online to complete. I was told there was something to sign, but not that there was a questionnaire. This information should also be included in the office training!
I invite you to share your medical office visit stories – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I was lucky. They handed me an iPad that was already set up. I know sometimes there are no people at a desk, only an iPad for check-in, and you might not know to look for it. If that has happened to you, how did you handle it? If you have been at a rehab facility lately, did they handle your blindness-related concerns well? Do you have suggestions for the rest of us? I know there is a lot of bad and ugly out there, so I thought I’d share an example of the good!