On July 23, 2024, Mattel released Barbie Fashionista Doll 228, also known as “Blind Barbie,” developed with guidance from the American Foundation for the Blind and the Royal National Institute of Blind People. As a cane user with low vision who loves wearing colorful outfits, I was excited to purchase a Barbie that can serve as a valuable introduction to learning about the spectrum of blindness/visual impairment in a fun way. Here is a list of ways that Blind Barbie showcases how to design for visual impairment and examples of assistive technology that she might use.
Visual impairment is not a binary where someone either can see everything or nothing at all; many people may still have some light perception or may not be able to use the vision they do have effectively. Individual experiences with low vision and blindness can vary from person to person, and some people who use the term blind still have some usable vision, or they may prefer to access information in audio, tactile, or kinesthetic modalities instead of visual ones.
White canes (blindness canes) are a helpful tool for people who have low vision or some usable vision, and are not just used by people who experience total blindness or no usable vision. I am a cane user with low vision, and without my cane I would not be able to safely navigate unfamiliar spaces on my own or go to places like the store without bumping into things or potentially getting injured.
The blind Barbie Fashionistas box has contracted tactile braille printed on the bottom right corner that spells Barbie. The first raised dot (dot 6), indicates that the first letter B (dot 1 and dot 2) is capitalized, and the tactile dots are imprinted on the clear plastic packaging.
Contracted braille, also known as Grade 2 braille, has cells for specific letter combinations and words, which can help make it faster to read and is typically used for signs and transcripts. In this case, the AR in Barbie is a part-word contraction or Groupsign, with dot 3, dot 4 and dot 5 embossed.
While many people think of braille as a language or as similar to sign language, it’s actually a code with its own writing system. There are six dots in each braille cell (though some systems use eight dots), and the different combinations of raised dots are used to show letters, numbers, punctuation and symbols. Almost all modern languages can be transcribed into braille, and each language has its own system of how braille is encoded.
Barbie’s white cane (also known as a blindness cane) is a great size for her! Canes that are too large or too small can cause injuries or make it more challenging for the user to move their cane around on the ground. For a cane like Barbie’s, the cane handle should reach the collarbone/shoulder blade of the user, though some other types of canes may have slightly different sizing.
Another characteristic of Barbie’s cane is that it has a marshmallow tip with a high contrast red stripe on the bottom, which can help users with low vision navigate curbs or other surfaces and also provides additional visual contrast for bystanders or people who are driving. I personally use a marshmallow tip cane because it can rotate 360 degrees and can go across a wide variety of surfaces while maintaining constant contact with the ground, though Barbie’s cane tip does not roll (probably because it could easily break off during play). Barbie likely worked with a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) to find the cane that works best for her.
Barbie’s cane is not attached to her hand at all times because she might not always need it. If she’s at home or in a familiar environment, she might touch walls or railings with her hand to help her navigate around a space, or use high contrast colors or visual landmarks to figure out where she is.
While Barbie’s cane is rigid, there are also options for purchasing collapsible canes that fold into 3-6 segments (depending on the length of the cane) and can be stored in a smaller area or rest in a lap. Barbie can store her cane when not in use by hanging it on a hook, placing it in an umbrella holder or similar area, or placing it in an area where no one else can trip on it.
Barbie’s outfit features a light pink satin shirt and purple ruffle skirt with metallic edges, which are colorful and can be identified through touch, which is helpful when choosing clothes whether they are in a store or in a drawer/closet at home. When choosing a new outfit, Barbie could also use other assistive technologies to identify clothes like a color reader, clothes labeling system or utilize a closet organizing system to quickly identify clothing items.
Barbie’s shoes are a pastel purple color and do not contain any laces or difficult to manipulate closures to keep them secure. While tying shoes is not impossible with visual impairment, it is a task that requires visual perceptual skills, fine motor skills and motor planning, which may make it more challenging for visually impaired kids and adults to tie their shoes or manipulate other closures.
There are many strategies for applying makeup with visual impairment that Barbie can utilize, which may include:
Barbie can also use tools like Pinterest and Instagram to browse for beauty inspiration by viewing high-resolution images with alt text or image descriptions added that share more information about the visual characteristics of an image, and detailed captions/text posts that provide links to products.
Barbie’s arms and elbows can be repositioned so she can walk alongside a human guide, holding onto their elbows or bending her elbow/extending her arm in front of her to guide another person with visual impairment. A human guide is a person who provides travel/navigational assistance to a blind person or a person with low vision by helping them get from one location to another. While a human guide is not a direct substitute for using a blindness cane or other mobility aid, there are situations where someone might rely solely on a human guide or they will use a human guide in conjunction with a blindness cane.
In the field of visual impairment, the term human guide is preferred over the term sighted guide, because a person does not necessarily need to be sighted to be a human guide. I have low vision and have served as a human guide for some of my blind friends, and I’ve also had human guides that were blind and that had stronger travel skills or were more familiar with an environment than I was. There are also non-human guide options for people with vision loss, such as a guide dog or guide horse, though I do not have any personal experience using one.
Bright lights and glare can make it challenging for some individuals to use their vision effectively, and non-polarized or tinted glasses can help to minimize the effects of bright light and make it easier to travel, especially on sunny days or when walking through snow. Barbie’s sunglasses are removable, so she can choose what environments she wants to use them in.
Another consideration is that Barbie may not wear prescription glasses since they may not provide any benefit or help her use her vision more effectively, depending on the type of eye condition or brain condition contributing to her vision loss. Alternatively, she may be wearing contacts. Low vision is vision loss that cannot be corrected by glasses, contacts, or surgery, and she is likely followed by a low vision specialist who monitors her condition.
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
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