“Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying breast cancers”
National Public Radio
In this piece, Kamala Thiagarajan spotlights a new initiative to address a common problem in breast cancer screening around the world. For many reasons, women may find a mammogram invasive, or in conservative cultures, they may feel ashamed to undergo one, leading to a delayed diagnosis of breast cancer. “Discovering Hands” is a global project that trains people who are blind to perform comprehensive breast exams. The idea was to leverage the blind examiner’s sense of touch, which studies have shown is more acute than that of sighted people. The medical tactile examiners were 30% better at detecting even the smallest lumps and bumps in breast tissue than doctors due to their heightened sense of touch. Thiagarajan’s story focuses on the program’s impact in India, highlighting the effect it has had not only on patients but also on the women employed by hospitals and supported by the Discovering Hands program, who might otherwise be unable to find a job because of their condition.
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