Understanding Audio Production Practices of People with Vision Impairments

Abstract

The advent of digital audio workstations and other digital audio tools has brought a critical shift in the audio industry by empowering amateur and professional audio content creators with the necessary means to produce high quality audio content. Yet, we know little about the accessibility of widely used audio production tools for people with vision impairments. Through interviews with 18 audio professionals and hobbyists with vision impairments, we find that accessible audio production involves: piecing together accessible and efficient workflows through a combination of mainstream and custom tools; achieving professional competency through a steep learning curve in which domain knowledge and accessibility are inseparable; and facilitating learning and creating access by engaging in online communities of visually impaired audio enthusiasts. We discuss the deep entanglement between accessibility and professional competency and conclude with design considerations to inform future development of accessible audio production tools.