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My sight is affecting me
March 2025
Why ThinkEDI Asks About Sight and How It Helps You Overcome Barriers
- Sight issues don't have to be a barrier if your environment, processes, and policies are fair for you.
- Many people don’t realise they’re facing a disadvantage because they’ve adapted over time.
- Identifying barriers is the first step to requesting effective adjustments.
- The ThinkEDI App helps you explore what others have asked for and create your own.
- Share your adjustments directly with employers and services, saving time and ensuring consistency.
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Sophie Mason
they/them
Chief Executive Officer
ThinkEDI
When was the last time you struggled to read a menu in dim lighting or found yourself squinting at a presentation slide that wasn’t quite clear? You might not think of these moments as barriers, but they are. Many of us assume we just need to try harder - get closer, adjust the screen, or put up with the strain. But what if the issue isn’t you? What if it’s the design of the environment?
At ThinkEDI, we use the social model of inclusivity, which shifts the focus away from individual impairments and instead highlights how external factors create barriers. Sight-related challenges often go unnoticed because they develop gradually or have always been part of someone’s experience. This article will help you recognise these barriers, understand why identifying them matters, and show you how ThinkEDI makes it easier to ask for the adjustments you need.
Recognising Sight Barriers: The First Step to Change
Many people assume that unless they’re blind or have a diagnosed visual impairment, their sight isn’t a barrier. But research shows that over 2 billion people worldwide have vision impairment, with at least 1 billion cases being preventable or correctable (WHO, 2023). Yet, even with corrective measures, environments are often designed without inclusivity in mind -creating unnecessary difficulties.
I’ve worked with organisations where employees were struggling with headaches, fatigue, and mistakes at work - all due to unrecognised sight barriers. One employee told me they avoided certain meetings because the slides were always blurry, and they were embarrassed to ask for adjustments. Once we identified the issue, a simple fix - larger font sizes and higher contrast slides - transformed their experience.
Your Action Step: Think about when you last struggled to see something clearly. Was it a screen? A document? Poor lighting? Recognising these moments helps you understand what adjustments might make a difference.
The image is a close-up portrait focusing on the right side of a person's face, particularly their eye and surrounding features. The person has dark skin and short, light-colored hair. The lighting highlights the texture of the skin and details of the eye, creating an intense and striking look. The background is neutral, keeping the focus on the subject's expression.
Why Identifying Barriers is Key to Getting the Right Support
The biggest reason people don’t request adjustments is that they don’t realise they need them. If you’ve spent years adapting, you might not even see it as a barrier - it’s just ‘normal’ for you. But normal shouldn’t mean struggling.
One of the most common workplace investigations I’ve been involved in uncovered that employees weren’t reporting sight issues because they feared being seen as ‘difficult.’ In one case, an employee with mild but worsening vision loss kept missing critical details in reports. They assumed they were just getting tired, but in reality, the issue was poor screen contrast and small text. A simple adjustment to software settings and an additional monitor significantly improved their accuracy and wellbeing.
Your Action Step: Use the ThinkEDI Inclusion Wizard to explore the types of sight adjustments others have requested. Seeing what’s possible can help you realise what you need.
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Image Description and ALT text: Why do people use them?
Many people go through life thinking their sight challenges are just something they have to put up with. But barriers aren’t about you - they’re about the environment, policies, and processes that don’t yet work for everyone. By recognising and addressing these barriers, you can create a workplace and a world where you can fully participate, without limitations.
The image shows a close-up of a person's fingers gently touching a page of Braille text. The raised dots on the surface indicate that the person is reading by touch, using the Braille writing system designed for visually impaired individuals. The image captures a moment of tactile reading, emphasizing accessibility, inclusion, and the power of touch-based literacy.
Making Adjustments Easy and Eliminating Repetition
Even when people know they need adjustments, another major barrier is having to repeatedly explain their needs to different managers, HR teams, or service providers. It’s exhausting and can make people feel like they’re asking for ‘special treatment’ rather than simple, fair access.
That’s why ThinkEDI lets you document your adjustments once and share them effortlessly with your employer, services, or teams. This means you don’t have to keep justifying your needs or feeling like a burden -your requirements are clearly outlined, making it easier for organisations to take action.
In my experience coaching senior leaders, I’ve seen how quickly they act when information is presented in a clear, structured way. When employees state their needs confidently -rather than apologetically - decisions happen faster. ThinkEDI gives you the tools to do just that.
Your Action Step: If you’ve identified a sight barrier, use ThinkEDI to create and share your adjustments. Let technology do the heavy lifting so you can focus on thriving at work and in daily life.
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What can you do to support the inclusion revolution?
Sign up for ThinkEDI for free to explore workplace adjustments that might help you.
Organisations can subscribe to our Free Versions of our Employer and Customer Support Modules, making diversity measurable and inclusion actionable - because equity should be simple.
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