For the visually impaired community, AI applications, screen readers, and smartphones are not just assistive tools, but also become "eyes" that help them access the world , live independently, and open up many new opportunities.
After finishing his homework, Viet Tien (18 years old, Hanoi ) leaves his desk to relax at the end of the day. Like many other 10th-grade students, Viet Tien's entertainment world is confined to his phone and computer, with TikTok and YouTube. In his free time, Viet Tien also plays games on his computer or watches football.
"I'm a fan of Lionel Messi and Liverpool FC," Tien said.
Technology has become an indispensable part of Viet Tien's life. Young people of the late Gen Z generation, like Viet Tien, were born in an era of technological boom with countless touchpoints in their daily lives.
THE JOURNEY OF A VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENT INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD
Unlike his peers, technology has become Viet Tien's "eyes." The world of a visually impaired person like Tien has completely changed in the age of technology.
Born with congenital microphthalmia, Viet Tien's childhood was shrouded in complete darkness. His inability to see presented numerous obstacles to his studies and daily life. However, his lack of sight did not deter him. Technological applications helped the young man overcome many of the barriers caused by his visual impairment, enabling him to become more independent and integrate better into society.
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When thinking about visually impaired people, one often thinks of indispensable items like canes or guide dogs. In reality, Viet Tien's indispensable items are his smartphone and computer. The entire world of this 10th-grade student from Dong Quan High School is contained within these two devices, from communication and news updates to studying and handling work. Tien shared:
"I always use the TalkBack screen reader (on my Android phone), VoiceOver (on my iPhone), and screen reader software on my computer. Thanks to these, the device reads out everything displayed to me: app names, messages, button presses… These are indispensable tools for me to use my devices."
Tien's communication is facilitated by apps like Zalo and Facebook, while tasks such as shopping or paying bills are done through these apps or Vietcombank . When traveling, ride-hailing apps or apps like Find Bus and BusMap help Tien find suitable routes.
For visually impaired people like Tien, specialized assistive applications are frequently used. Be My Eyes is a useful app that allows Tien to ask volunteers to describe the scenery and images around him. Awkward moments when shopping are eliminated when Cash Reader helps Tien recognize the denominations of cash, and studying becomes easier when Tien can use Envision AI to scan and read textbooks and paper documents.
A Zalo notification sound rang out. Viet Tien turned to check. It was a message from the school. "I forgot, Zalo is probably one of the apps I use the most," Tien chuckled.
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"I use Zalo a lot for texting, calling, receiving school notifications, joining chat groups, communicating with family, sending/receiving assignments from teachers. Zalo is a popular platform in Vietnam, even service agencies use it, so if visually impaired people can't use Zalo, they will face limitations in social communication. The way I use Zalo is entirely through a screen reader to listen to the device read out the sender's name, message content, and function buttons."
Previously, when using an Android phone, Zalo provided Viet Tien with fairly good accessibility and stable basic functionality. Since switching to an iPhone, Viet Tien has encountered difficulties as he can only hear the summary outside the chat list and cannot read the content of messages within the conversation.
Viet Tien's concerns reached Zalo. This wasn't just a need for Viet Tien alone, but also for a large number of visually impaired people in Vietnam. The team quickly received feedback, improved the product, and enhanced accessibility for visually impaired users on iPhones. Viet Tien stated that now, after Zalo integrated the Voice Over feature, it helps read message content better; many function buttons are clearly labeled for screen readers.
"This is a very valuable change, removing the biggest barrier for us. I hope Zalo will continue to improve so that visually impaired people can access it more fully and conveniently in the future."
REMOVING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS FOR 2 MILLION VIETNAMESE PEOPLE WITH THE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
According to statistics, Vietnam has approximately 2 million blind or visually impaired people. Technology is bringing about changes in the lives of visually impaired people on many levels. Viet Tien not only uses technological features to access information (learning, reading news, etc.) and perform daily activities (communication, shopping, transportation), but also helps increase employment opportunities for visually impaired people.
Now, Tien can consider office jobs, customer service, or digital content creation.
"Specifically with AI, I see this as a huge leap forward. AI is not only a smart tool but also acts like a powerful 'accessibility assistant.' Previously, when I encountered images with text or difficult documents, I had to ask others for help. Now, the AI feature on Zalo helps me recognize, describe, and convert them into plain text instantly."
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Viet Tien's aspiration is that technology will become increasingly meaningful to users when designed with an "inclusive" approach, meaning that from the outset, people with disabilities must be treated as an equal group of users.
"The core role of technology is not just to provide technical support, but to create equity in access to information, education, and employment for disadvantaged people."
Technology not only increases accessibility for the visually impaired but also opens up new opportunities in work and life. Passionate about learning about systems and network security, Viet Tien shared that he dreams of becoming a network security engineer in the future. The road ahead is still long, but with the development of technology, Viet Tien's aspirations, and those of the visually impaired community in Vietnam in general, will surely come true.
Source: https://znews.vn/ai-va-doi-mat-cho-nguoi-khiem-thi-post1652372.html
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