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| People scan QR codes on mobile phones to enter a restaurant in Seoul, Dec. 14. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Since the implementation of the vaccine pass system in early December, Hyun Dae-ok, a Gyeonggi Province resident in his 60s, has had to ask for help every time he visits a cafe or restaurant.
For a blind person like Hyun, scanning a QR (quick response) code on his mobile phone, to provide proof of his COVID-19 vaccination record, is virtually impossible without the help of someone else.
"I have to ask a staff member to scan the QR code for me or have another person hold my hands to show me where the check-in scanner is. It is very challenging to do it myself, especially when there are people standing in line behind me," he told The Korea Times.
COOV, the smartphone application for vaccine certification offered by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), is not easy for Hyun to use either.
"I've been told to update the app to link my booster shot certificate to the Naver or KakaoTalk apps, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do this by myself," he said.
Showing either proof of one's vaccination through the QR code-based vaccine pass system, or a negative PCR test result from within the last two days, is mandated by the government upon entering multiuse facilities, and has now become a part of daily life for people in Korea.
While the contactless and convenient technology has gained huge popularity in the pandemic era, it has inadvertently been blocking easy access to marginalized segments of the population, including people with visual impairments who function via sounds and touch on a daily basis.
As the government plans to expand the vaccine pass to department stores and large retailers from Jan. 10, groups such as the visually impaired are demanding that the government make the system more inclusive.
"It is highly disappointing that COOV, an app operated by the government, is inconsiderate of users with disabilities," said Lee Yeon-joo, an official at the Korea Blind Union.
The union has recently conducted monitoring of Android and iOS versions of the app, which found that both have failed to meet the mobile accessibility guidelines for visually impaired people.
"We have sent the monitoring results to the KDCA, calling for improvements to the app as soon as possible, or to come up with other verification measures that are easily accessible to people with disabilities," he said.
Although the government offers paper vaccination records which can be downloaded from the KDCA website to be used instead of their digital equivalents, Lee said, "For visually impaired people, downloading and printing certificates from the website can be a bigger challenge."
He added that people with low vision also suffer from other difficulties in their daily lives due to COVID-19 measures, such as the antimicrobial covers placed over elevator buttons that often cover braille signs.
"The authorities should pay more attention to these issues, which may not seem very important for some people, but are major disruptions in the everyday lives of people with disabilities."
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