Blindness and Media Creation

Blind and visually impaired people are often excluded from full participation in society. Everyday barriers that contribute to this exclusion and have significant negative impacts on their wellbeing include: 

• Digital exclusion: Many online tools and creative apps are not designed with accessibility in mind. This means blind and visually impaired individuals struggle to learn or practise media creation independently
• Social isolation: Exclusion from work, leisure and community activities reduces wellbeing and leads to fewer opportunities to connect with others
• Representational gaps: When blind and visually impaired voices are missing from media and social life, stereotypes dominate. This reinforces stigma and makes it harder for blind and visually impaired individuals to be seen as active, creative members of society. 

To counter these barriers, this 18-month project systematically harnessed the potential of media creation to improve physical, psychological, social and economic wellbeing in the blind and visually impaired community. 

​A model for improving wellbeing through research and intervention

In collaboration with the Thomas Pocklington Trust, Beyond Sight Loss and Dorset Blind Association, we tested how media creation can improve wellbeing for blind and visually impaired individuals. Our objectives were: 

• Understand wellbeing needs – Explore how media creation can support physical, psychological, social and economic wellbeing 
• Develop strategies – Work with partners and participants to design practical, inclusive ways to deliver media creation workshops
• Test in practice – Pilot a series of workshops where BVI participants build skills in media creation, supported by tutors and peers
• Build a toolkit and model – Combine everything learned into a framework that service providers, activists and other researchers can use and adapt. 

Nothing About us Without Us

This project followed a participatory and interdisciplinary action-research model: everything was co-designed with partners (service providers) and blind and visually impaired participants, who were not only learners but also advisers, peer tutors and co-creators. The participatory elements included: 

• Ability-diverse team: The project team was composed of sighted, visually impaired and blind researchers from different academic disciplines (media, disability, psychology, education and entrepreneurship)
• Co-design: Together with the project team, partners and community participants shaped workshop aims, content and delivery
• Peer leadership: Two participants trained as tutor-trainees, supporting others and building leadership pathways to support and inspire other people from their community
• Feedback loops: Each training session included group discussions and was followed by email/phone feedback to gather experiences and adjust training activities
• Accessibility: From app selection to session pacing and workshop materials, design choices were driven by participant needs and lived experiences. 

Project reflections

Between workshops, participants were encouraged to practise new skills at home and produce media content. These homework tasks included trimming video clips, adding music or graphics and posting short pieces online. Many reported that these tasks reinforced learning and gave them a sense of achievement. Tutor support via email and phone also helped participants overcome barriers. 

At the end of the workshop series, participants independently completed a final media task to bring together what they had learned. These tasks ranged from personal video diaries and creative reflections to professional outputs such as logos, banners, and promotional flyers. Some projects were autobiographical, while others were designed for advocacy or business purposes.