Devices

Labelling

Braille Labelling
Clothes Labelling
Moon Labelling
Tactile Labelling
Keytop Overlays
Glow Tape
Electronic Labelling
Food Labelling

Blind people often have problems in identifying or differentiating products - this problem has been exascerbated by the increasing use of standardised packaging. For instance an aerosol can of oven cleaner can feel the same as an aerosol of hair spray. To alleviate this problem many European countries require manufacturers to mark hazardous products with an embossed triangle.

Traditional labelling systems for blind people involve attaching a braille lable to the product. Since many blind people do not read braille, there have been various attempts to introduce a set of widely recognised embossed symbols. As yet, none of these systems have come established as an international standard.

For people with low vision the situation is not improving. Legal requirements to add more information to product labelling and the decreasing size of many packages, means that manufacturers are using smaller print sizes. The situation is not helped when brand design requires the text to be printed on a patterned background.

However many partially sighted people find it beneficial to use highly reflective tape to mark edges of objects or steps. The problem is to ensure that the tape remains fixed particularly for prolonged outdoor use.

In recent years various electronic systems have been developed to help with the labelling problem. Typically they use magnetic stripes or bar codes to label the product; when scanned, the device will output a pre-recorded message usually in speech.

Different systems suit different individuals, so it is highly desirable for the visually impaired user to test a range of systems before deciding which ones to adopt for their use. The situation is greatly alleviated if the user is a systematic and tidy individual.