Irish Student Develops First Pregnancy Test for Visually Impaired

(MENAFN) A 23-year-old Irish innovator has broken new ground with the development of the world’s first fully inclusive, multisensory pregnancy test designed specifically for blind and visually impaired women, media reported.

Leah Shanahan, a recent Product Design and Technology graduate from the University of Limerick, created the accessible pregnancy test during her final year of study. Her personal journey — living with blindness in one eye — served as a key motivator for the project.

"I was born with sight in only one eye, and it wasn’t until I was 4 years old and I asked my mom which eye was her ‘bad eye’ that we found out I was legally blind in one of my eyes," she told media.

Tasked with addressing a real-world challenge for her capstone project, Shanahan focused on a critical gap in reproductive health: the lack of accessible pregnancy testing for blind women. Her direct conversations with visually impaired women became a turning point in shaping her idea.

Speaking with media, she said, connecting with women who are blind and listening to their experiences “is really what spurred on the project.”

Her invention relies on a saliva-based pregnancy test — a scientifically validated yet underutilized alternative to the more common urine-based kits. Shanahan admitted she hadn’t known about this method until she delved into her research.

“It’s much more accessible for blind people compared to a urine test,” she emphasized.

This groundbreaking solution positions Shanahan at the forefront of inclusive design in reproductive health, offering a new level of autonomy and dignity to blind women navigating pregnancy.

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