Design Recommendations for an Inclusive Online Sexual Health Clinic for Blind and Partially Sighted People

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections are highly prevalent in the UK, and chlamydia, which is largely asymptomatic, is the most common.Digital health is being integrated into health services provision to support the increasing demand for testing and treatment. However, with this integration, there is a need to ensure that the design, development, and deployment of digital health platforms are inclusive and accessible for all. This paper explores the needs of blind and partially sighted people when using an online sexual health clinic through interviews with seven blind and partially sighted people. The findings identified key barriers and facilitators that impact the accessibility of online sexual health clinics, including the accessibility of the visual content, particularly for self-testing and the need to consider the privacy of disclosing sexual health information. We align with the principles of Universal Design and, as such present design recommendations to inform the design of inclusive online sexual health interventions. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centred computing ~ Accessibility ~ Empirical studies in accessibility