Learning how to write research papers and essays can be overwhelming for students with low vision or print disabilities that impact access to standard print. Students who are interested in exploring topics related to disability may experience difficulties with finding sources in accessible formats on topics of interest or locating existing research on topics that they would like to explore further. As part of my Writing Success series, here is how I write papers about accessibility-related topics in my classes, even for classes that do not relate to disability or assistive technology.
Why write about accessibility and/or disability?
Before getting into the “how” of writing about accessibility topics and disability, I find it helpful to also explain “why” writing about accessibility, assistive technology, and disability topics can be a great pick for students both with and without prior experience in this topic. While students don’t necessarily need to connect every assignment back to accessibility or disability (unless they want to or are required to for class), researching and exploring these topics can provide numerous benefits for students, including:
- People living with disabilities make up the world’s largest minority population. The WHO estimates that 1.3 billion people or 16% of the world’s population have a disability, and learning about disability can provide students with a valuable perspective on the experiences of others.
- Students have the opportunity to learn about new, emerging, or alternative ways of accessing information and navigating environments, identifying ways that others can benefit from these innovations.
- Disability doesn’t disappear after leaving school. While many people associate disability accommodations with special education or government programs, there are several options for exploring topics related to disability across the lifespan or disability access in various settings.
- Students with disabilities can explore topics of interest in-depth through the lens of their own lived experiences, providing critiques and insight that may not have been acknowledged otherwise.
- Exposure to assistive technology and accessibility supports can help promote acceptance and normalization for different learning styles.
When completing assignments for my general core curriculum classes in college, I always enjoyed finding ways to connect the content to my research interests in visual impairment, assistive technology, and accessibility so that I could use this research in the future or add it to my portfolio. This was especially helpful when I started graduate school for my M.Ed in Assistive Technology, as I already had broad exposure to the topic and could draw on previous research when working on new assignments or topics. Even though I did work on several projects that didn’t connect back to visual impairment or assistive technology specifically, many of these topics still helped me with the other projects.
Related links
- Factsheet on Persons with Disabilities | United Nations Enable
- What I Want Congress Members To Know About Assistive Technology
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- How To Choose General Education Courses In College
Finding intersections in different fields of study
Topics related to disability, assistive technology, and accessibility intersect across so many different fields of study and interests, including education, STEM/STEAM, medicine, humanities, visual art, performing arts, design, media, and so much more. Some examples of guiding questions that can be used to identify topics include:
- How would a person with a disability use this service/product? This can be as “fancy” as using a piece of software or as simple as watching a movie
- What if someone couldn’t access something as intended— what adaptations would they need? This can include places like the grocery store, or types of content like gifs
- How can I make products or services more accessible for people with disabilities? This can mean reimaging objects so they are easier to use (as seen on TV products are a great example of this), or using other forms of assistive technology to promote independent access
- What is something I really enjoy, and what is being done to make it enjoyable for people with disabilities as well? Some examples of potential topics can include game design, fashion, sports, live music, theater— there is no limit!
Related links
- Five Myths About Assistive Technology
- How To Write Alt Text For Gifs
- Audio Games For Blind/Low Vision Gamers
- How To Create Image Descriptions For Red Carpet Looks
- Watching MLB Baseball Games With Low Vision
- How I Watch Concert Videos Without Strobe Lights
- Streaming Audio Description For Performing Arts Videos
Identifying disabilities of interest
For some projects, it may make sense to conduct research on more than one disability category, while others may prefer to focus on a single category or condition. In one class, I wrote a paper on disability accommodations and assistive technology used in a hair salon, which involved writing about multiple types of disabilities and potential access needs for customers and employees alike. For another class, I wrote about the use of audio description in live theater, focusing on the target population of audiences with visual impairments, and didn’t include other theater accessibility options such as captioning or seating in this review. In an even more specific example, I wrote a paper on designing for cortical visual impairment (CVI), also known as neurological visual impairment.
Keyword searches for visual impairment
When I research topics related to visual impairment, I often use the following keywords identified from the Social Sciences Citation Index, truncated when possible on one line:
- Visual impairment
- Visual impairments
- Blind
- Blindness
- Low vision
- Visually impaired
- Vision disabilities
- Vision disorders
Related links
- How To Run Effective Web Searches
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
Finding research sources on accessibility topics
In my specific areas of interest, I often encounter research articles that mention limited or nonexistent prior research on topics in professional journals, databases, or other scholarly sources. While peer-reviewed research definitely has its place, there are so many other sources that can be explored when conducting research on disability and accessibility topics, including:
- Pages from universities and educational institutions (preface searches with site:edu)
- Posts from non-profit organizations that work in a specific disability area or area of interest
- Information from government websites or organizations (preface searches with site:gov)
- Awareness campaigns and coverage from reputable news sites
- Consumer organizations or groups that advocate for or share resources for a specific disability area.
- Blogs and public social media accounts from people who share experiences about living with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or other conditions
It’s important to note that individuals may have a preference for identity-first or person-first language when discussing their own disabilities, and that this may be different from how their disability is talked about in research settings. For example, person-first language is often used in academic writing for visual impairment (e.g. a person with visual impairment), but many people use a mix of identity-first language (e.g. Blind person, visually impaired person) when talking about themselves or others in their community. When writing about the experiences of others, I follow their lead on how they refer to themselves, and whether they prefer identity-first language.
Personally, I use a mix of person-first and identity-first disability language and have no preference for what language people use around me or when writing about me. However, I ask that people refrain from using terms that make disability sound miserable or awful, such as “suffering from low vision” or “plagued by migraines.”
Examples of potential research sources for visual impairment
Looking for resources for a project on visual impairment? Here are a few non-profit organizations that publish educational content:
- American Printinghouse for the Blind (APH)
- Perkins School for the Blind, including their archives and microsites Paths to Technology, Paths to Literacy, Accessible Science, etc.
- CVI Now
- Hadley Institute
- National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
- American Council of the Blind (ACB)
- American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
- CNIB
- RNIB
- Braille Authority of North America
Even though many of these organizations have the word blind in their name, many of them serve the broader visual impairment population to include blind and low vision individuals.
Related links
- Accessibility And Low Vision Twitter Lists To Follow
- How I Use Pinterest For Studying In College
- US Government Programs For Blind/Low Vision Residents
Requesting interviews
One of the best ways to get information on disability-related topics or assistive technology is to connect with subject matter experts, authors, or individuals with lived experiences on the topic. Blogs, non-profits, and universities are a great way to connect with individuals, and interviews can be conducted either over email by sending a list of questions or in a conversational setting.
Example interview request from student
Here is an email I received from a student who wanted to interview me for their project. This message has been shared with their permission, and details have been redacted to protect their privacy:
Hello Veronica! My name is First Name, and I’m a seventh grader from State. I’m doing a paper about accessible menus in restaurants. Can you answer these five questions that I have listed below?
- How do you currently read menus in a restaurant?
- Do you use any technology to help you read menus?
- Have you ever gotten a large print or Braille menu? If so, where?
- Do you prefer to read menus online or on paper?
- Has anyone ever offered to give you a large print or Braille menu, or do you have to request it?
Thank you so much!
First Name
School project and interview requests
I have been interviewed by students of all ages from middle school to PhD students. Here is the text from my Contact page, where interested students can contact me via email:
I accept most student interview requests that are sent at least a week in advance— I love helping students learn more about low vision and accessibility! If possible, please provide the grade level and state/country where you are based, so I can tailor my answers accordingly and share links to local resources when possible. I typically send my responses back in a Word document within a week.
In lieu of payment, please consider making a donation to one of the following:
- DonorsChoose: I maintain a list of projects that support students with visual impairments on my DonorsChoose page (www.donorschoose.org/veron4ica). 100% of donations go to DonorsChoose, and I do not receive any compensation whatsoever.
- Bookshare, a nonprofit organization that provides accessible copies of books to people with visual impairments and other print disabilities around the world.
- A local visual impairment nonprofit of your choice (inclusive of organizations for blindness, low vision, and cortical visual impairment/CVI)
Related links
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Eyes
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
- Questions To Ask Other Students With Low Vision
Examples of paper topics for accessibility
Some of the posts on my website were originally research papers or projects developed for another class in my data science undergraduate program or for a core curriculum class— I don’t count my papers for graduate school since my degree is in Assistive Technology! Here are some examples of posts that started out as papers:
- Audio description in live theater, upper-level English course: Promoting Cast Involvement In Audio Description
- Online safety for visually impaired adults, cybersecurity and data ethics: Online Safety For Visually Impaired Users: Safer Internet Day
- Acquired vision loss in senior populations, traumatology/synthesis elective: Addressing The Trauma Of Sight Loss
Some of my posts have also led to students contacting me as they are writing a paper on a topic I mentioned on my website for school. Some examples of popular posts have included:
- How To Write Alt Text For Memes
- Clothing Shopping Tips For Sensory Processing Issues
- Dance Classes and Low Vision
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Going To Amusement Parks With Low Vision
- Why I Prefer My Schoolwork Digitally: Updated Edition
- Solar Eclipse Accessibility Resources: Assistive Technology For Blind and Low Vision
- How To Make Virtual Museums Accessible For Visual Impairments
More tips on how I write research papers on accessibility topics
- Wondering how I read research papers with assistive technology? Check out How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- Need a convenient place to organize sources? Read Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
- Want to read more posts in the Writing Success series? Visit Writing Success Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes or view the Reading/Writing category at Reading And Writing Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
Published June 4, 2020. Updated August 2024