Abstract

Astronomy is a heavily visual science. Outreach and education typically rely on beautiful images of the sky, and the communication of research findings in papers and talks revolves around figures. These visual media, while beautiful and effective for many audiences, have historically excluded blind and low vision people from engaging with astronomy. How can we work together towards science that is more inclusive of blind people and people with disabilities more broadly? In this talk, I will discuss accessibility in astronomy, particularly for the blind and low vision community. Topics will include the new HTML paper format on arXiv, writing alternative (alt) text for figures, and some best practices for organizing and attending conferences. Some general background on disability and assistive technology will also be discussed.