[personal profile] jazzyjj
Hi everyone. I have been asked to post the following sample letters, which can be modified for each individual or group according to their needs. These letters are specifically about people who are visually impaired dealing with healthcare professionals and such, but people who have disabilities in addition to or other than visual can benefit too. I am happy to report that I have had nothing but positive experiences dealing with various healthcare professionals, both where I currently reside and when I lived in another state. In addition, both the online patient portal run by my local provider and its accompanying iOS app play nicely with the 2 screen readers which I use. I'm not sure about the other screen readers or any other assistive technology though. Update: I was just informed by a neighbor that he has been timed out both online and with this provider's Android app, when attempting to contact his doctors' offices. This neighbor is not visually impaired, but does have another disability. While I've never experienced the time-out issue with this online portal, the issue has happened to me on other sites. I've yet to find out if it happens in the iOS app with VoiceOver. Feel free to download the letters at the following link, and use them accordingly. The text of each is also available right here in my entry. Thank you all for making this information accessible to everybody. My thanks also goes out to Bob Branco for making this information available at his website. https://www.brancoevents.com/advocacy-letter-for-visually-impaired-patients/ . Below I've pasted the text of each letter:




Patient Letter for the United States







To Whom It May Concern,

My name is -----, and I am a patient of Dr. -----. As a patient who is blind/visually impaired, I am writing to ask for specific considerations when visiting your medical facility, as I believe I should receive equal access to my own information as any sighted patients would automatically be granted.

Specifically, I am asking that you please take the following steps to make your documents, forms and all other processes accessible to everyone, including blind people like me:
1. Provide all bills, instructions, labs, reports and other correspondence in an accessible, electronic digital text format that is prepared and tagged in accordance with existing industry best practices, guidelines and standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
2. Make sure all processes, including check-in and check-out, are designed and implemented in a manner that works for all patients whether or not they are able to see. For example, if kiosks or tablets are used, the vendor should have a clear plan for making them accessible to patients with disabilities.
3. Draft and implement an accessibility policy and provide training to all management and staff to ensure it is followed consistently.

While you are working to address the long-term accessibility concerns I have just outlined, I am asking for the following considerations, which include:
1. Accessibility to your health services and documentation. Some examples of these requests may be to ask that I receive correspondence from the health care provider in: Large Print, Braille, Email, or a phone call.
2. I would also ask for a private place where a staff person can help complete necessary medical forms.
3. A text message or phone call to remind me of my appointment instead of a printed letter or postcard would also be quite helpful.
4. If you provide a patient portal, I may need assistance with setting it up and learning to use it with assistive technology. If the patient portal has not been designed for accessibility, then I may need considerable assistance from a staff member over the phone from time to time.

Thank you for giving consideration to these issues. Not only will following these examples benefit me as a patient regarding independence and privacy, but much of what I refer to is mandated by the effective communications and reasonable accommodations provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, https://www.ada.gov/, which is a Federal law that must be followed just like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to which you are already bound to comply.

I thank you for your thoughtful consideration and I look forward to working with you on these matters.

Respectfully,

Patient Letter Globally

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is -----, and I am a patient of Dr. -----. As a patient who is blind/visually impaired, I am writing to ask for specific considerations when visiting your medical facility, as I believe I should receive equal access to my own information as any sighted patients would automatically be granted.

Specifically, I am asking that you please take the following steps to make your documents, forms and all other processes accessible to everyone, including blind people like me:
1. Provide all bills, instructions, labs, reports and other correspondence in an accessible, electronic digital text format that is prepared and tagged in accordance with existing industry best practices, guidelines and standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
2. Make sure all processes, including check-in and check-out, are designed and implemented in a manner that works for all patients whether or not they are able to see. For example, if kiosks or tablets are used, the vendor should have a clear plan for making them accessible to patients with disabilities.
3. Draft and implement an accessibility policy and provide training to all management and staff to ensure it is followed consistently.

While you are working to address the long-term accessibility concerns I have just outlined, I am asking for the following considerations, which include:
1. Accessibility to your health services and documentation. Some examples of these requests may be to ask that I receive correspondence from the health care provider in: Large Print, Braille, Email, or a phone call.
2. I would also ask for a private place where a staff person can help complete necessary medical forms.
3. A text message or phone call to remind me of my appointment instead of a printed letter or postcard would also be quite helpful.
4. If you provide a patient portal, I may need assistance with setting it up and learning to use it with assistive technology. If the patient portal has not been designed for accessibility, then I may need considerable assistance from a staff member over the phone from time to time.

Thank you for giving consideration to these issues. Not only will following these examples benefit me as a patient regarding independence and privacy, but much of what I refer to is mandated by the effective communications and reasonable accommodations provisions required by your country’s laws.

I thank you for your thoughtful consideration and I look forward to working with you on these matters.

Respectfully,

May 2025

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