Envisioning Access: the co-production of technology and visually impaired users in Britain, c.1960-1990

Adopting methodologies from STS and disability studies, supplemented with oral histories and critical reading of archival sources, Envisioning Access will investigate the co-production of visually impaired users and three technologies: audible pedestrian signals (APS), long white canes, and talking newspapers. The project will explore how visually impaired subjectivity was configured, negotiated, and integrated into these technologies during their formative years, c. 1960-1990. Collaborating with visually impaired users to understand the histories of technologies which mediate their everyday lives is vital to building and accessible world that is sensitive to diverse user experiences.