# Maximizing Inclusion of Researchers with Visual Impairments

> **NIH NIH R13** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $50,000

## Abstract

The overarching goal of this 2-year conference grant “Maximizing Inclusion of Researchers with Visual
Impairments” is to enhance the inclusion of researchers who are visually impaired, and supports the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) mission to diversify the biomedical workforce. The focus of this initial conference is to
create a mentorship network to support the careers of researchers who have low vision or are blind and to
establish best practices for making scientific and medical conferences accessible for researchers with vision
loss. For individuals this group, scientific conferences can be particularly challenging, as poster sessions and
presentations with visual representations of data create a barrier for inclusion and participation, and networking
opportunities are difficult to navigate. The proposed conference intends to address challenges for inclusion of
researchers who are visually impaired by bringing together researchers and clinicians with vision loss, disability
inclusion researchers, disability accommodation and low vision specialists, occupational therapists, and
stakeholders from the NIH and professional societies, and simultaneously aims to build a national network of
mentors to facilitate career development among this group. Aim 1 will establish the mentorship network
through a series of meetings (3 virtual and 1 in-person event) to foster the careers of researchers with vision
loss and to stimulate growth of a diverse and productive research workforce. By inviting basic, clinical, and
translational scientists from different specialties and research disciplines, the meeting series will provide an
opportunity to create collaborations and mentoring opportunities and engage stakeholder organizations, such
as the NIH, foundations, and professional societies, to further support efforts to include individuals with vision
loss in research. Aim 2 of this proposed conference is to develop best practice guidelines to maximize
accessibility of scientific conferences for attendees who are visually impaired. By convening a group of
researchers and clinicians with vision loss from diverse scientific and medical backgrounds, along with relevant
experts and stakeholders, and using a modified Delphi technique, this group will develop guidelines that
maximize accessibility of scientific conferences for researchers with vision loss. Aim 3 will identify additional
barriers to the inclusion of persons who are visually impaired from participating in all aspects of the biomedical
workforce. This aim supports a long-term goal of developing interventions that increase inclusion of these
individuals in science and medicine and build a sustainable network of researchers with vision loss. Information
on these barriers will be obtained from conference participants and used to support a subsequent R13
application to address these additional barriers. The “best practices” outlined at this conference have the
potential to make conferences, both within...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10152175
- **Project number:** 1R13EY032418-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** BONNIELIN SWENOR
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-12-01 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10152175

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10152175, Maximizing Inclusion of Researchers with Visual Impairments (1R13EY032418-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10152175. Licensed CC0.

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