A Social Justice Approach to Assistive Technology and Well-Being of People With Visual Disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Qualitative Narrative Study.
Luisa Maria Ortiz-Escobar, Mario Andres Chavarria, Samia Hurst-Majno and 4 others
PMID 41950357WHAT IT FOUND
Participants valued assistive technology for autonomy but often avoided it due to safety fears and stigma.
They desired devices that were discreet and aesthetically pleasing to avoid drawing unwanted attention in violent urban settings.
Key findings
01Participants frequently avoided using assistive technology in public due to fears of theft, mugging, and social targeting, prioritizing personal safety over functional benefits.
02Aesthetic appearance and discretion were critical factors in technology acceptance, with participants rejecting visible devices like white canes if they conflicted with their desire to appear attractive or avoid stigma.
03Assistive technology served as both an enabler of autonomy and a source of vulnerability, depending on how it interacted with local social norms and safety risks in Cali.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (19 participants) limits generalizability. Participants were predominantly urban, younger, and more educated than the national average for persons with disabilities in Colombia. Snowball sampling may have introduced bias by concentrating perspectives within existing social networks. The study focused on one city (Cali), which has specific safety and cultural dynamics that may not apply elsewhere.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Latin American Leading House of the University of St Gallen, and the Fondation Gelbert.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low adoption of assistive technology as a failure of the technology itself or a lack of patient motivation. The study indicates that social and safety risks, such as fear of theft and stigma, actively deter use in this context.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →