Social Distancing

The practice of maintaining a minimum physical distance from other people to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic with recommended distances of at least 1 metre (WHO) or 6 feet (CDC). Social distancing presented unique challenges for blind and low vision individuals because the visual cues that signal others' proximity — such as body language, spatial markers, and signage — are largely inaccessible without sight. Assistive technologies using wearable cameras and proximity sensors have been explored as tools to help blind people practice social distancing independently.