[nfb-talk] Fw: Public Hearings that will affect YOU! March 18: Prescription Labeling for Blind and Low Vision

[Sherri]

-----Subject: Public Hearings that will affect YOU! March 18:
Prescription Labeling for Blind and Low Vision

Public Hearings that will affect YOU! March 18: Prescription Labeling
for Blind and Low Vision

What: The US Access Board Working Group on Accessible Prescription
Labels is holding open meetings to determine best practices f­­or
labeling prescriptions for the blind and visually impaired.
When: Monday, March 18 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern Time Where:
Telephone 888-603-7094, passcode 6317703. Dial in any time during the
meeting; the public comment period is anticipated to start between 4:15
and 4:30 pm Eastern time. Why: Prescription information should be
accessible to everyone, regardless of vision condition. The board is
not, at this time, considering codes that can be read by mobile devices
such as the iPhone or Android and it is not considering mobile
technology as an option for label reading or recording. We believe
that this is an option that should be included in the recommendations
because of its convenience, low cost of implementation, power and
portability. We encourage you to find out more about this committee and
to consider giving some input on the topic because the results almost
certainly will determine how your prescriptions are labeled in the
future. For more information, read on! How does the Working Group
affect you?The US Access Board Working Group on Accessible Prescription
Labels is holding hearings to determine best practices f­­or labeling
prescriptions for the blind and visually impaired. Their
recommendations are likely to be adopted by pharmacies throughout the
US. The working group is a public body and meetings are open to the
public. So, if you want to participate and make your opinions known,
you have a chance to do so! The next meeting is scheduled Monday, March
18 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm ET. The Access Board will be specifically
discussing audio labeling of prescriptions. The document they are
working from is
here:http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/practices-summary.htm And
the hearing will start with the line titled “Practice of Providing
Audible Labels -- Digital voice recorders attached to a prescription
drug container” The committee typically discusses their document and
then saves the last 30 or 45 minutes for a “Public Forum” and open the
phone lines for public comments. The dial-in number is 888-603-7094
and the pass code is 6317703. You can dial in any time and you can
address the committee as well! We'd like to encourage­­ people who
are interested in mobile solutions to attend the next meeting by phone
and speak up for the option of including mobile technology as one of
the audio options. We recommend that you prepare a short statement to
read to the committee that says something to the effect: “My name is
_____________ and my vision condition is ________________. I use the
iPhone and other mobile technology in my daily life (give examples as
to why it is useful). I believe that the commit should include the use
of labeling that can be read and voiced by mobile devices such as the
Android or iPhone because (state your reason for wanting mobile
technology included – we believe it is a useful solution because it
means we don’t have to carry around a bulky reader or use a special
recorder and can just use the same convenient prescription bottles that
everyone else uses!)
It is not all that common for us, as citizens, to be able to influence
the course of legislation, but this is a great opportunity to speak up
and say what we want and how we want it! Using Labels Readable with
Digital TechnologyAt this time, the committee is considering only
existing solutions such as bottle recorders and ScriptTalk. We believe
that it is in everyone’s best interest to understand that there is no
single good solution to making prescription labels accessible and that
the range of solutions should include the use of labels (QR code and
other) that can be read by devices such as the iPad, iPod, Android or
iPhone. Here is a sample pharmaceutical label that can be printed on a
simple, inexpensive round label and fitted on the bottom of a standard
40ml prescription bottle.
http://www.digit-eyes.com/graphics/pharma-see/sampleLabel1.png
  This code can be scanned and voiced with any QR code
scanning app on the iPhone, Android or other device that can read and
voice QR codes. You can, for instance, read it with the free version
of Digit-Eyes:https://appstore.com/digiteyeslite As shown in the
sample label, the content can include personalized information about
the prescription as well as a link to the authoritative source of
information about the medicine in the bottle (in this case, a sample
penicillin label, a link is included to the Medline Plus page for the
specific formulation in the bottle.)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a685015.html The
advantage of this type of labeling is straightforward: for people who
have a phone that can scan codes, no bulky reader or awkward addition
to their pill bottle is needed. The “reader” is where the person is –
it won’t be accidentally left behind and the phone is easily charged
and highly reliable. More information about Our PorposalWe have been
attending the meetings both in person and by phone and we will continue
to do so. We presented Digit-Eyes to the board and described a new
product titled “Pharma-See” that we are proposing to give away as a
free app to consumers. This new product uses the existing Digit-Eyes
scanning, recording and playback technology or the existing text
technology (as best suits the customer and pharmacy) and it is set up
to allow pharmacies to do a simple one-time recording on a label on the
bottom of the bottle. More information: http://pharma-see.com
About the boardThe charter of the
board:http://www.access-board.gov/news/drug-labels-working-group.htm
The overview and
minutes:http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/index.htm The
recommendations from the meeting of the Access Board on January
10-11:http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/practices-summary.htm