For six years, Chicago Lighthouse employee Kendra has answered calls and provided basic information to patients contacting UI Health, the University of Illinois Chicago’s health system. Kendra, who is blind, excelled at her work and wanted to advance in her career. Unfortunately, outdated technology that was incompatible with the screen-reading software Kendra used to navigate digital services meant that on occasions when a caller wanted to schedule an appointment, Kendra had to pass the call off to a sighted colleague.
Earlier this year, Kendra, who has Master of Social Work from Dominican University, proudly changed her title to “Medical Scheduler” thanks to a partnership between The Chicago Lighthouse, UI Health, and Epic. Over several months, the three organizations worked together to optimize Epic for users who are blind or visually impaired. The upgrade, which rolled out earlier this year, will open up healthcare employment opportunities for people with low vision to throughout the world.
“With the implementation of Epic’s enhanced usability, I am happy to see my career develop and take off,” says Kendra, who is now training other users with visual impairments on how to use the software. “With more opportunities for career advancement, I can better support myself and family, and put my advanced degrees and education to better use.”
Read the full story from Chicago Lighthouse.