A Large-Scale Mixed-Methods Analysis of Blind and Low-vision Research in ACM and IEEE

Technologies for blind and low-vision (BLV) people have long been a focus of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and accessibility (ASSETS) research. To map and assess this cross-disciplinary field, prior literature reviews have focused on specific BLV research areas (e.g., navigation assistance) or study methodologies (e.g., qualitative methods). In this paper, we provide a more holistic examination, combining both quantitative bibliometric analyses with qualitative assessments. Using keyword queries of terms focused on the human (e.g., people) and their visual status (e.g., blind, low-vision), we first derived a dataset of 880 papers published between 2010-2022 from ACM and IEEE conferences and journals. We then apply a programmatic analysis of this dataset followed by a qualitative analysis of the 100 most-cited papers. Our findings highlight four major research areas: Accessibility at Home & on the Go, NonVisual Interaction, Orientation & Mobility, and Education. We also capture the diversity of denominations used to refer to the BLV community and their co-occurrences, as well as computer systems targeting both blind and low-vision users with a focus on visual substitution. We close by suggesting areas for future work and hope to stimulate discussions in our field.