Many popular at-home Covid-19 testing kits require a sighted person to read and administer them correctly, a barrier that accessibility advocates say is unfair to the blind and colorblind
When Chancey Fleet, a blind technology educator, opened an at-home Covid-19 testing kit earlier this winter, she realized it would require vision to use the product correctly.
For people with disabilities, securing at-home tests is only part of the challenge: Many of the kits are difficult or impossible for them to use on their own. Some use colors to convey information, making it difficult for users who are colorblind to conduct the test correctly; lack online audio or video supplements to their written instructions; or require physical precision and dexterity to administer.CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals.
The tests were designed to be affordable and accessible to reach as many people as possible, an Abbott spokeswoman said. “Everyone at Quidel is working nonstop to meet the tremendous demand for testing for all Americans,” she said.kit can share results via companion apps for Android and iOS mobile devices. The apps are compatible with screen reader technology that can render the results audible, a spokesman said.
But the more accessible tests can also cost more. Ellume’s single-test kit retails for about $38 at some stores while Cue sells a pack of three tests for $225.“Folks that are older or newly blind, or don’t have those tech skills or that digital access, can’t choose to buy more accessible tests,” said Ms. Fleet.
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