Balky sign-ups complicate virus vaccine process for blind, deaf

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Unable to see, Carla McQuillan typi- cally uses a program that con- verts the letters on a screen into audible words when she wants to read something online. The tool wouldn’t work when she tried to schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine, however.

“When I clicked, it wouldn’t tell me what the date was. I could have tapped on something, but I wouldn’t have known what it was,” said McQuillan, who oper- ates a Montessori school and serves as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon. Her husband, who can see, even- tually helped out.

In Alabama, Donte Little helped 20 blind and deaf people who had trouble signing up for vaccinations and getting to a clinic for shots.

“It’s been a challenge for anybody. Add deafness or blindness on top of it and it’s that much more of one,” said Little, who is visually i mpaired and d irects a regional center for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.

The confusing maze of websites, phone numbers, emails and paper documents required to sign up for an immunization in the United States is presenting a chal- lenge for people who are visually impaired or hard of hearing. Providers are using multiple different systems that can vary by state and even cities, they say, often forcing the disabled to rely on others to help them get in line.

Federal laws require com- munications in an under- standable format and accom- modations to assist people who might face obstacles, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out instructions that include having local health departments provide staff to address accessibility needs and plans.

But the National Feder- ation of the Blind wrote to every U.S. governor last month complaining about hurdles posed by balky sign-up systems and vaccine distribution methods includ- ing drive-up clinics, which it said are largely inaccessi- ble to people who can’t see. The group has yet to receive a “substantive” response from any state, spokesman Chris Danielsen said.

Separately, the National Association of the Deaf said problems including confusing and complex information, phone systems that can’t be used by those hard of hearing and a lack of interpreters is making it difficult for people who can’t hear to make appointments for immunizations. Chief Exec- utive Howard A. Rosenblum said the group has asked the Biden administration for help.