ABSTRACT
For centuries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, says Meeker, 'music has historically been one way that visually impaired people could earn their living'. Literature has also examined lengthy global traditions stretching back to ancient times, where blind musicianship is linked to mythology about other compensatory abilities such as wisdom or spiritual powers. There are countless degrees and types of visual impairment, from blindness to slight myopia, reduced visual fields, blurred vision, colour blindness, or photosensitivity. The terms 'impairment', 'disability', and 'handicap' are often used interchangeably in casual dialogue; and although the last one was largely discarded a few decades back, at least the first two are common across different contemporary academic texts and are in everyday usage. Many sighted readers may find it hard to understand how a website, which seems to be a primarily visual means of communication, can be used in research among visually impaired people.
