People with visual disability usually have difficulty living together in society alongside the sighted. One of the reasons for this is the fact that facilities and services are scarcely designed to assist and enable them to live independently.
Medicine labels for the blind is one of the recent projects designed particularly to ease their lives. The label, which features embossed symbols, is the final project of Papitchaya Rodpaewpan, Tatchapan Jeenwechasat and Wanvadee Luengsutthiphant, 23-year-old media arts graduates from King Mongkut's University of Technology in Thonburi. It aims to facilitate the visually disabled so that they can take medicine at home without help.
After deciding to create something that would benefit the visually disabled, the group conducted some research and studies associated with the blind. Then they realised that medicine taking is one of the most problematic issues facing people who lose their eyesight.
"We gathered information by asking them about their medicine-taking habits. Oral medication is the only kind of medicine that some blind people can take properly by themselves. On the other hand, they still need assistance from the sighted when opting for drugs for external use," explained Tatchapan, adding that in normal practice, techniques to recognise each medicine usually vary according to each individual blind person.
For example, one might attach some strings of thread in a certain way on a medicine package so as remind himself that this one is paracetamol.
The medicine labels for the blind that the three graduates came up with actually imitates the aforementioned method through which blind people recognise their drugs. What's new is that there are a set of graphics which are more widely recognised and easier to memorise. These graphics are, nonetheless, not Braille.
"Not every blind person understands Braille but only those who take Braille reading lessons do," said Papitchaya. "That's why geometric symbols come into play."
"We use all art elements, different types of shapes and lines in designing [labels] for different types of medicines. For example, the spiral line is for medicine to treat dizziness. A drop-like shape is for allergy treatment," Tatchapan added.
Those who will use these labels will have to be trained first in order for them to recognise the symbols and pair them with medicines.
All of the symbols were tested by real users to ensure they worked well and made sense.
"We continue developing our design in order to meet the needs of people with visual disabilities. It is important not to use too many design elements for each particular medicine otherwise it could cause confusion among users," added Papitchaya.
After experiments, the team finally came up with nine specially designed labels for nine most frequently-used types of household medicines. They are divided into four groups -- medicine for abdominal diseases; laxatives; pain and car sickness relief and drugs for respiratory illnesses.
Besides an embossed symbol, each label also comes with Braille, which is the instruction regarding the medicine's dosage and guidelines for use. The labels are printed on a PVC sticker sheet so that it can be easily attached to any packaged surface, be it a paper box or a zipper storage bag. "Our main user target are those who are completely blind, as they are very apt in memorising symbols," said Papitchaya. "Our second target is the partially sighted. This is why we choose to use black text on white backgrounds, the easiest colour format for them to read."
Medicine labels for the blind will be distributed to the Redemptorist Vocational School for People with Disabilities in Chon Buri province and the Foundation for the Blind in Thailand in Bangkok.
"When some of the visually impaired tested the labels we designed, they seemed quite happy as they finally found a way for them to be dependent on only themselves when it comes to medicine taking. But we are still in search of an approach to improving our medicine labels in terms of both quality and durability," said Papitchaya.
What started as a mere academic project, these medicine labels for the visually impaired or disabled have turned into something beneficial to society.
"To have initiated the project as part of our study was one thing," concluded Wanvadee. "But it has actually now changed our perspectives towards graphic design. It is not simply just about aesthetics. It is something that can benefit people too."
Papitchaya Rodpaewpan, Tatchapan Jeenwechasat and Wanvadee Luengsutthiphant.
The specially designed labels were tested by people with visual impairment.
Medicine labels for the blind are so far available for nine household drugs.
