I want to draw your attention to a subtle but pervasive issue – our failure as a society to acknowledge that people of a “certain age” and disability cannot see very well.

Really??

It is simple. We require official information be translated in multiple languages but we don’t require that documents be written in a font that seniors and people with disabilities can read.

If you are like me, you reach for your “cheater” eyeglasses more times each day, the TV volume hovers around 30, not 20, or you use the flashlight app on your phone so you can read your menu.

Imagine 20 years from now. You are flat on your back in the hospital and your children haven’t arrived yet. The nurse hands you an authorization form but you can’t read it and you can’t hear the nurse’ explanation. Even if the hospital follows the tenets of the Patient’s Bill of Rights, how effective is your access to information and how informed is your consent?

I hope you never experience this scenario but it’s an all too familiar scene in even the best hospitals. There is much more information on this topic and I have been in discussion with my colleges and government official s about the need to address this denial of access. More to follow.