Touching Choice: Clothing Accessibility for Blind and Visually Impaired Consumers- exploratory study

There are 1 billion visually impaired and blind individuals (VIBIs). Many are unable to complete satisfying clothing purchases independently and often face difficulties identifying or caring for their clothing after purchase. This initial research—phase one—surveyed VIBIs to learn about their clothing preferences, their interest in three-dimensional (3-D) printed braille conveying clothing information on a tag or the clothing itself, and what clothing information they would need or want to be 3-D printed. 96% of respondents reported an interest in 3-D printed braille on clothing or clothing tags as a source of clothing information, although samples of textiles with 3-D print were not presented during the study. While color and pattern were marked as the most important information to be included in braille 3-D print on fabric, participants also indicated interest in fiber content and care information. Future research—phase two—will involve presenting VIBIs with different textiles with various 3-D printed braille information.