Understanding Accessibility Issues in China's Contact Tracing Systems During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Visually Impaired People

Abstract

To fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, China has deployed the Health Code Apps and the Trajectory Code Apps as the front-end of the national contact tracing system. To date, accessibility issues for visually impaired people using these apps have not been studied. In this paper we use a mixed-method approach, including qualitative and quantitative studies, to explore these accessibility issues. The qualitative study included interviews and observations with visually impaired users, while quantitative analysis was conducted through surveys. We found that the current contact tracing systems are inaccessible and that most visually impaired people can only use the app with other people's help. The findings serve as a reference point for the potential large-scale adoption of digital contact tracing systems.