Bridging the Gap - visually impaired and sighted music producers working side by side

这项研究将在音乐制作工作室的背景下，研究视障音乐制作人使用基于软件的创作工具所遇到的访问障碍。无障碍性能(PWB)贝尔法斯特女王大学(QUB)一个在包容性、无障碍仪器设计领域活跃的现有研究小组将领导这一拟议的为期三年的研究项目。PWB将与伦敦玛丽女王大学(QMUL)数字音乐中心(CDM)合作，受益于他们在电子硬件设计和开发方面的工程专业知识。这项研究旨在弥合视障音乐制作人和视力障碍音乐制作人之间的差距。PWB团队的核心是一个坚定的信念，即平等和无差别地获得技术可以带来平等的就业机会。许多视障人士使用屏幕阅读软件来访问电脑。由于潜在的技术原因，大多数用于音乐制作的软件，例如数字音频工作站(DAW)，仍然与这种无障碍工具不兼容。在根本层面上，屏幕阅读提供的控制权的性质很可能会对创作过程产生意想不到的后果，比如作曲。在这个项目中，PWB将检查英国视障音乐制作人在音乐制作软件中的可及性，并开发和评估屏幕阅读器范例的替代方案。将重点研究四个主要问题，PWB相信这些问题将导致在获取用于创造性目的的数字工具方面更加平等。我们提出的主要问题是：用屏幕阅读器控制音乐制作软件固有的可用性和可访问性问题？触觉控制表面技术的设计如何提高视障音乐制作人音乐制作软件的可用性和可访问性？视障音乐制作人在操作音乐制作软件时是否比视力正常的制作人感受到更大的认知负荷？目前许多可访问软件包的标准是线性获取音乐制作软件参数的方式如何告知或改变音乐制作过程的创意流程？遵循谚语“没有我们就没有我们”，这项研究植根于残疾人社区，由一位拥有超过25年行业经验的视障音乐制作人(Dasent)的见解指导。Dasent将以昆士兰州立大学匹配资助的博士生身份加入PWB，成为这项拟议研究的组成部分。Daws在一系列的追求中看到了用处；音乐制作、音乐创作、录音、音频混合和掌握音乐仅是其中几个例子。因此，这项研究的结果可能会对在几种环境下使用声音和音乐的视障人士产生影响。此外，由于计算中普遍存在的可访问性障碍，这项研究具有潜在的全球影响。这项研究的成果将有助于研究可及性、技术对创造力的影响以及触觉人机交互方面的知识。三个项目合作伙伴(伦敦的Creative United和贝尔法斯特的两个音乐制作工作室)将支持该小组获得行业标准的音乐制作工具和工作方法。这些合作伙伴将支持研究成果的传播，并通过面向行业的出版物和研讨会促进视障音乐制作人的创造性工作。已经与贝尔法斯特前哨制作公司讨论并商定了一部关于研究过程和结果的纪录片。

This research will examine the access barriers encountered by visually-impaired music producers using software-based creative tools in the context of a music production studio. Performance Without Barriers (PwB) an established research team at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), active in the area of inclusive, accessible instrument design, will lead this proposed three-year research project. PwB will collaborate with the Centre for Digital Music (CDM) at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), benefiting from their engineering expertise in electronics hardware design and development. The research aims to bridge the gap between visually-impaired music producers and their sighted counterparts. At the heart of the PwB team is a firm belief that equal and undifferentiated access to technology can lead to equal employment opportunities. Many visually-impaired people utilise Screen-reading software for computer access. Due to underlying technical reasons, the majority of software used for music production, digital audio workstations (DAWs) for example, remain incompatible with such accessibility tools. On a fundamental level, the nature of control which screen-reading affords, is likely to have unintended consequences on creative processes such as music composition. In this project, PwB will examine accessibility in music production software for UK-based visually-impaired music producers and develop and evaluate alternatives to the screen-reader paradigm. Four main research questions will be focused upon, which PwB believe will lead to greater equality in accessing digital tools used for creative purposes. The main questions we pose are:Which usability and accessibility issues are inherent in controlling music production software with a screen-reader?How could the design of tactile control surface technologies improve the usability and accessibility of music production software for visually-impaired music producers?Do visually-impaired music producers experience a greater degree of cognitive load when operating music production software in comparison to their sighted counterparts?How do linear ways of accessing music production software parameters, currently the standard of many accessible software packages, inform or change the creative flow of the music production process?Following the adage "Nothing About Us Without Us", the research is rooted in the disabled community, guided by the insights of a visually-impaired music producer (Dasent) with over 25 years of industry experience. Dasent will join PwB, on a QUB match-funded PhD studentship, becoming an integral part of this proposed research. DAWs see use in a range of pursuits; music production, music composition, audio recording, audio mixing and mastering to name but a few. The outcomes of this research, therefore have the potential to impact visually-impaired people working with sound and music in several contexts. Furthermore, due to the pervasive nature of accessibility barriers in computing, the research has a potentially global impact. The outcomes of the research will contribute knowledge in accessibility studies, technological influence on creativity, and tactile human-computer interaction. Three project partners (Creative United in London and two music production studios in Belfast) will support the team in enabling access to industry-standard music production tools and working methods. These partners will support the dissemination of research outcomes and promote the creative work of visually-impaired music producers through industry facing publications and a symposium. A documentary film of the research processes and outcomes has been discussed and agreed on with Outpost Production, Belfast.