Understanding Expert Crafting Practices of Blind and Low Vision Creatives

Abstract

Recent research has investigated how to make digital tools accessible to blind creators, focusing on visual manipulation using gestures and other input modalities. But while prior work centers on the inaccessibility of content creation tools, less is known about how blind and low vision creators engage in analog creative activities. We explored how expert blind and low vision creatives used a variety of craft-specific and common household materials in creative activities. We interviewed vision impaired crafters about materials and tools they use, their creative practices, and their collaborations. We found that vision impaired crafters employed strategies to accessibly organize materials and that they solicited feedback from mixed-ability collaborators. These insights contribute knowledge that can inform how to structure mixed-ability design collaborations and technologies to be useful for blind and low vision participants.