Invitation to Join in Research Study on Scholarly Conference Accessibility

Accessibility is a key element for full participation of people who have vision loss as well as other disabilities in daily activities and special events, including participation in scholarly meetings. A new research study seeks to gain better understanding of experiences related to accessibility of scholarly conferences and meetings for participants who are blind, have low vision, are deafblind, or have a dual sensory impairment. The study addresses both online and in-person events in any field of study. Study sponsors would like input from all attendees, including postsecondary students and trainees at all academic levels as well as faculty members and researchers. Researchers involved in the study are Natalia Mariniello, Ph.D. from the School of Optometry at the University of Montreal, L. Penny Rosenblum, Ph.D. from Vision for Independence LLC, and Aaron P. Johnson, Ph.D., from the Department of Psychology at Concordia University. The survey is open through February 25, 2024. To learn more and enroll in the study, visit the webpage with information and the consent form for the Study: Exploring the Accessibility of Scholarly Conferences for Individuals who are Blind, Deafblind, Dual Sensory Impaired or who have Low Vision.