Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing nothing but darkness. This is the reality for approximately 39 million people around the world who suffer from complete blindness. Recently there have been incredible scientific advances in curing blindness such as gene therapy and doctors have even managed to create a bionic eye that, through electrical stimulation of the brain, allows the patient to see.
Unfortunately, these treatment options are incredibly expensive and given that 90% of the worlds blind live in low income countries they are completely unaffordable. So the questions becomes how can we help the blind navigate the crowded bustling cities of the developing world? The answer lies in the paths and sidewalks themselves.
Without vision ones only means of navigating their surrounding is through sound and touch. Many blind people use sticks to feel around in front of them, yet this is can be tedious and time consuming for the affected person.
The solution lies in installing differentiated paths within the sidewalks so that they can simply walk along them and know that they are safe. Currently many cities have these paths; however, they are made out of concrete which can deteriorate as a result of too much foot traffic.
Fortunately, many cities are turning towards other materials such as metals as they can survive more abuse. The best metal products for this improvement are cerro fabricated products (CFP). CFP products work perfectly for this task as they are durable and can be made into whatever pattern is necessary to differentiate the path from its surroundings.
Shanghai Metal Corporation is committed to improving the quality of life of people the world over. We believe that blindness is a major issue in the world and we are committed to alleviating the suffering of the afflicted. CFP products are part of our commitment to improving the quality of life for people the world over.
For our full list of products that we offer check out our website here. Be sure to join the conversation in our LinkedIn group, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Try also our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.
Jordan S.//SMC Editor
#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe
Sources: smcbuildingsystem.com, zeroturnaround.com, flickr.com, who.int, technologyreview.com, telegraph.co.uk, cnn.com, newyorker.com, 3news.co.nz
Pictures: theconversation.com, dvice.com, yxhealth.com, wearablestoday.com, pinterest.com, world/kiwi-doctor-targets-blindness-in-cambodia-2013061608
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