Karatula embodies innovation and accessibility union, championing inclusive design, revolutionizing tech creation. Prioritizing accessibility from the start, it broadens access, shaping a future where tech serves everyone.
Inclusive designs break barriers, ensuring everyone benefits. Embracing diversity isn’t a trend but a necessity. It’s our responsibility to make inclusivity the essence of design.
Our Mission
At KARATULA, we are on a mission to transform the urban landscape of Metro Manila by advocating for inclusive signage design. We believe in harnessing the creativity of Filipino signage designers to enhance the lives of individuals with low vision impairment and color blindness.
Why Karatula?
Our commitment stems from a deep understanding of the challenges faced by over 2 million individuals with low vision impairment in the Philippines. By focusing on accessible signage, we aim to bridge the gap and foster inclusivity in the bustling city of Metro Manila.
About Visual Impairments
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability to perceive differences between certain colors. The International Association of Accessibility Professionals says the most common type of color blindness is red-green color blindness. It affects a person’s ability to distinguish the colors red, green, and yellow.
Low vision is a visual impairment that cannot be corrected or aided by prescription glasses, contact lenses, or medical and surgical treatments. The World Health Organization defines “low vision” as visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/400, with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
About the Situation
Statistics previously released by the Department of Health in 2017 state that over two million people nationwide are blind or suffering from poor vision at the time. In specific, an estimated number of 332,150 people in the country are bilaterally blind while 2,179,733 were reported with bilateral low vision.
Additionally, results from a survey conducted by the Philippine Eye Research Institute of the National Institute of Health state that as of 2018, over 4 million Filipinos live with undiagnosed eye problems.
Worldwide, an estimated 300 million people have color vision deficiency (Colour Blind Awareness, n.d.)