Travis County | Accessible Community Portal

More Alike than Different

We are more alike than we are different. People who are Deaf rely on their vision to compensate for their hearing loss. People who are Blind rely on their hearing to compensate for their sight loss. And yet, both groups share a common barrier within today's society - the lack of access to important information. We go to a public meeting and are given print hand-outs. Not much use unless the person who is Blind, has a personal reader, and the person who is Deaf, has an ASL interpreter. Videos are presented with detailed charts and graphs. Again, not much use unless the video has descriptive audio for the person who is Blind and ASL for the person who is Deaf. Reliable, accessible information is hard to come by, And this really matters when it comes to information that can affect our health and the health of our loved ones. We need to be able to clearly understand the printed instructions on medicine containers as well as the printed information about their possible side effects. And we need to be able to learn factual information about COVID-19, the pros and cons of being vaccinated, about testing for the virus, about quarantining and when and why to wear masks. This information is readily available to members of the public who do not have a disability that affects their ability to receive and clearly comprehend information. And people who are Deaf, Blind or Deaf-Blind have the same need and the same right to know this information as everyone else.