Every day in the UK, 250 people start to lose their sight. About 285 million people are vision impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 million ‘low vision’ – a term noted as the mean definition for most of the largest global medical associations. It is, like so many others real term factors of life, much more common than broadcast discussions would have you believe.
Why are we telling you this?
Categorising Blindness and Vision Impairment as a disability, it is part of a conversation that should be dominating global, or at least urban, discourse. It should be the priority of every business, the panicked mission of every local authority and the responsibility of us as a collective group of individuals.
But it isn’t, and you don’t need us to tell you that – especially if you have lived experience as a disabled person. Whatever a person’s disability, obviously visible or not, it is defined by the world around them. Our urban structures, cities and infrastructure are set up in a way to create the idea of disability as a disadvantage. While some factors may have inherent realities that make a disabled person’s life more difficult for them specifically, the acute reality is that the way our society is built is what makes disability such a challenge.
The reality is – we allow this to happen.
Our Funding
At St Ghosty Creatives, we received funding this year from Arts Council England to enter into a period of research into creative access for Blind and Vision Impaired artists, attempting to build relationships on a national basis to look at how access for Blind and Vision Impaired practitioners can be improved. More than anything, we are very fortunate to have worked with so many incredible people and artists who have help to both educate us, and challenge us.
There is so much we can do to make daily life that much less challenging for someone who is Blind or Vision Impaired. It helps us work towards an industry built more on a celebratory model of disability, where access is a basic requirement in the same way you would expect someone to wash their hands before preparing your food. In the same way that disability is fundamental to our social identity as a diverse populous, so too should access be fundamental to creative and artistic practice
Blindness and Vision impairment is intersectional. 2 million people a year in the UK identify themselves as having sight loss, which according to the RNIB includes the below:
“Being registered blind or partially sighted, having vision that is better than the
levels that qualify for registration, waiting for or having treatment such as eye injections, laser treatment or surgery that may improve quality of sight or where sight loss could be improved by wearing correctly prescribed glasses or contact lenses”
Not having any visual input to your life isn’t the only qualifier for impairment, and there are many stages and steps on the journey to having your vision affected. Likewise each case has it’s own context, just as each individual has their own preferences. One of our key findings is that we need to normalise asking for people’s preferences, something we’re certainly guilty of being nervous around when we first started as a collective.
Disability is a common factor of life, and so long as your question is coming from reasonable concern and respect for that person’s boundaries, then it’s the most direct way to be able to change processes to become more accessible.
Industry Discrimination
This is of course easier said than done. The discrimination faced by Blind and Vision impaired people, as well as disabled people on a much more generalised scope, means that being open about requirements can be terrifying – whether it be out of a fear of awkwardness at social gatherings, or concern about facing consequences from an employer. These are very real threats faced on a daily basis.
However by trying to work proactively, without having to be asked, in order to integrate accessible functions for disability, then a much more beneficial and responsible relationship can be created. One where some being Blind and Vision Impaired is only another personal quality of an individual, defined only by their relationship with it.
While the period of research was primarily for our own benefit in the work we create and the people we support, we nonetheless wanted to create some tangible support from it that could be accessed by others. As a result, we have committed to creating audio guides, pre-performance tours and contrast documents to every piece of work we share or create as a collective. Likewise we’ve compiled our own list of resources for making your content more accessible, as well as resources for Blind and Vision Impaired artists feeling daunted at the start of their artistic journey who may be seeking support.
We’ve also included a brief summary of some of the most common things you can do to make your online presence and work more accessible, as a generalised approach.
Thank you to every organisation and individual that gave us time to work with them over the past year. It has been hugely rewarding and one of the biggest projects we’ve undertaken so far. We have credited each one on our resources page, and would highly recommend getting in contact yourself as a creative if you need similar support for your work.
Making Online Content Accessible for Blind and Vision-Impaired Creatives
1. Use Descriptive Alt Text for Images
Images are at the heart of most artistic content, but they can be entirely inaccessible to blind users without alt text. Alt text provides a concise description of an image, helping screen readers convey its meaning.
For example, instead of writing “A painting,” use:
“A vibrant abstract painting with swirling blue and yellow patterns, evoking the feeling of a stormy sky.”
Tip: Be specific about color, texture, and composition, but avoid subjective interpretations that could mislead the audience.
2. Enable Keyboard Navigation
Many blind or vision-impaired users rely on keyboards rather than mice to navigate websites. Ensuring your site is fully functional with keyboard commands is critical.
Key features to test include:
- The ability to tab through menus and links.
- Logical tab order that mirrors the intended flow of the content.
- Visible focus indicators to show where the user is on the page.
3. Provide Audio Descriptions for Videos
Video content often combines visuals and sound, but blind users miss out on purely visual elements. Adding an audio description track that narrates key visual details ensures the content is accessible.
For example, describe scenes, movements, and artistic details that are integral to understanding or appreciating the video.
Bonus: Include transcripts that detail both the dialogue and visual descriptions for additional accessibility.
4. Choose Accessible Color Schemes and Fonts
Although vision impairments vary, high-contrast color schemes and clear, legible fonts benefit everyone, including users with low vision. Avoid overly ornate fonts, and ensure text is scalable for easier reading.
Tools like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) contrast checker can help you evaluate your site’s color contrast.
5. Leverage Technology for Accessible Art
Emerging technologies offer exciting ways to make art more accessible. Tactile graphics or 3D-printed reproductions of visual artwork allow blind creatives to engage with art on a new level. Pairing this with detailed descriptions or audio guides adds context and depth.
Online platforms can facilitate these experiences by including downloadable 3D files or links to services that produce tactile art.
6. Ensure Compatibility with Screen Readers
Screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver are essential tools for Blind and some Vision Impaired users navigating online content. If you have a portfolio site or links to online creative content, then test the host’s compatibility by:
- Using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels for interactive elements.
- Avoiding non-standard HTML elements that can confuse screen readers.
- Providing meaningful link text (e.g., “Learn more about Impressionist art” instead of “Click here”).
7. Host Accessible Online Events
For online art exhibitions, talks, or workshops, consider the following:
- Provide sign-ups in accessible formats.
- Offer live audio descriptions for exhibitions or performances.
- Use platforms that integrate well with screen readers and accessibility tools.
Some of what we’ve found most useful so far are holding pre-show tours when we have physical spaces, allowing audience members to explore the space before any kind of formal use of it i.e. performances or exhibitions.
Likewise audio guides to your work can be essential. Make sure to look properly into this, as creating a guide can have multiple considerations in terms of the requirements and traits of your performance as to whether what you’re doing is actually useful for an artist or audience member that is Blind or Vision Impaired. The Andy Warhol Museum in Ohio created a very useful case study for creating audio guides in static, exhibition spaces – link embedded here and pasted below:
8. Engage with the Vision-Impaired Community
When in doubt, ask the experts. Engage with blind and vision-impaired creatives to test your content and provide feedback. Their lived experiences will offer invaluable insights into how your art can be more inclusive.
THe one consideration here is that we specifically refer to critical testing i.e. only asking this question in spaces open to providing feedback or from organisations/ individuals who have made it explicit that they are willing to provide feedback.
Please don’t randomly approach Blind and Vision Impaired people on the street or where you work. This probably isn’t an addition to their day that they necessarily wanted.
Accessibility is creativity, but only when we put in the work to dismantle the barriers getting in the way.
That work is vital, and if it disrupts your current model of practise, then your model needs to change.
stghostycreative.co.uk 
Leave a comment