- The WHO estimates that there are 1.3 billion people in the world with some type of disability.
- Medical consultations within the metaverse are already a reality, but one of the problems with this modality is that it is not designed for all kinds of people.
- One of the main requests is to incorporate descriptive captions in the Augmented Reality glasses.
One of the bases of Medicine is to offer the same quality of service to all people equally. In no way can there be favoritism but neither can a patient be denied care. Not only is it a principle of the profession but it can even lead to serious legal consequences. But what happens in the metaverse?
In the first instance, During the last years there has been a campaign to promote inclusion in society. The central idea is to offer the same opportunities to people with some type of disability. For centuries they were ignored but now they seek to achieve a root change.
What is physical and/or mental disability?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is defined as any restriction or impediment of the ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. It is characterized by limitations for the performance of a routine activity considered regular. They can be temporary or permanent, reversible or arise as a direct consequence of physical or sensory deficiencies, sequelae of diseases or traumatic events.
For its part, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) classifies the causes of disability into four main groups:
- At birth.
- For sickness.
- Accidentally.
- Due to advanced age.
Now, when talking about the types, they are divided as follows:
- Sensorial Visual: It is the structural or functional deficiency of the organ of vision and its associated functions such as: visual acuity, visual field, color vision or depth.
- Sensory Auditory: It is the restriction in the function of the perception of external sounds, alteration of the mechanisms of transmission, transduction, conduction and integration of the sound stimulus, which in turn can limit the communication capacity.
- Motor Disability: It is the sequel or malformation that derives from a condition in the neuromuscular system at a central or peripheral level, resulting in alterations in the control of movement and posture.
- Intellectual: It is characterized by significant limitations both in the structure of reasoned thought, and in the person’s adaptive behavior such as: self-care, going to school or learning social skills.
- Mental or Psychosocial: It can be derived from a mental illness, which has biochemical and genetic factors, where symptoms usually appear in adolescence and is not related to intellectual disability. It can be temporary or permanent and becomes a condition of life. It affects a person’s way of thinking, feelings, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning.
Is there discrimination within the metaverse?
All of the above leads to a problem that has received little attention. It is about the possibility of accessing medical consultations within the metaverse for people with disabilities. This modality is already available and is increasingly within the reach of more individuals in the world.
Broadly speaking, all that is required is to have some Augmented Reality glasses to enter the metaverse. It is the next step in remote medical care. The drawback is that people with visual, hearing or other types of weakness cannot access this variant of consultations.
With this in mind, the social inclusion portal Yo También mentions that there are some improvements that must be made immediately. To begin with, descriptive subtitles need to be incorporated as with some movies and they need to be fully legible.
For his part, he mentions that for visual impairment it must be taken into account that there are more conditions that go beyond blindness. From color blindness to those with a reduced visual field.
Regarding motor disability, there are four minimum aspects that must be considered, such as locomotion or movement, body position, precision and the option of only one hand.
All the mentioned points must be contemplated by the tech developers because so far none apply in the metaverse. To avoid discriminatory acts, it is essential to think about people with disabilities or else the mistakes of the past can be repeated.
Also read:
Medical consultations in the metaverse are already a reality and that’s how they work
People with disabilities: 5 reasons behind their high mortality
Lucatia, first metaverse of health: These are its characteristics