Blindness, Low Vision: New Approac Hes to Perception and ICT Mediation Introduction to the Special Thematic Session

Blind and low vision people tell us that they often face unexpected accessibility issues. Videos, images, some digital documents, graphics, artworks such as paintings or sculptures are accessible mainly through vision. They need other alternative solutions, involving other senses, in order to experience daily life challenges and enjoy a (multimodal) aesthetic experience induced by artistic or sonic interactions. We introduce “Blindness Gain” where blind and partially blind people benefit from access to a multisensory way of being which celebrates inventiveness, imagination and creativity. The perception is presented through a practical-sensitive approach as the interweaving of the five senses that communicate with each other, one in the other. Finally, the articles in this session are introduced as ICT mediation tools with different perceptions to advance in the usability of the proposed systems.