“We Avoid PDFs”: Improving Notation Access for Blind and Visually Impaired Musicians

William Payne, Amy Hurst

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

While music notation can be represented across modalities, it is typically only available visually (in standard print) resulting in access barriers for Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) musicians. Automated conversion tools and common formats such as MusicXML have enabled new workflows where a print score is transcribed (copied) and made into large print and/or braille music. However, many musicians are unable to acquire music in a format legible to them as transcriptions require time, expertise, and specialized software to produce. Drawing upon the experiences and suggestions of 11 adult BVI musicians with varying vision ability and musical backgrounds, we outline a path to improving access to music notation. To this end, we describe opportunities for utilizing automation and crowd workers, make recommendations for customizing music in print, braille, and audio, and identify open challenges and research directions for creating, storing, and sharing music across formats.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInformation for a Better World
Subtitle of host publicationNormality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity - 18th International Conference, iConference 2023, Proceedings
EditorsIsaac Sserwanga, Anne Goulding, Heather Moulaison-Sandy, Jia Tina Du, António Lucas Soares, Viviane Hessami, Rebecca D. Frank
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages581-597
Number of pages17
ISBN (Print)9783031280313
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Event18th International Conference on Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity, iConference 2023 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Mar 13 2023Mar 17 2023

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume13972 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference18th International Conference on Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity, iConference 2023
CityVirtual, Online
Period3/13/233/17/23

Keywords

  • Accessibility
  • Blindness
  • Music notation
  • Vision impairment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

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