Understanding the Video Content Creation Journey of Creators with Sensory Impairment in Kenya

Video creation has become a global medium for self-expression and communication. However, due to its inherently multimodal nature, the video production process can pose significant barriers for creators with sensory impairments . Worldwide, an estimated 596 million individuals are blind or partially sighted (BPS), and ≈ 70 million are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) .

 

Ensuring equitable and meaningful participation for these communities remains a critical challenge. For instance, BPS creators frequently encounter difficulties with tasks such as aligning a camera or navigating interfaces primarily designed for sighted users. Video editing tools often lack adequate non-visual support for accessing content, evaluating quality, or independently navigating timelines. Similarly, DHH creators face challenges with poor audiovisual synchronization, insufficient audio fidelity , and persistent shortcomings in captioning quality. This gap that has spurred grassroots advocacy, including campaigns such as #NoMoreCraptions.

 

While prior research has predominantly focused on making video content more accessible for audiences with sensory impairments, a growing body of work has shifted attention toward the experiences of disabled content creators. Recent studies have begun to unpack the practices, challenges, and needs of these creators, alongside the development of novel tools to support accessible video production . However, these efforts largely centre on creators in high-income contexts, overlooking the experiences of sensory-impaired creators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In these settings, digital content creation is not only a form of self-expression but also a vital source of livelihood, and serves as a critical avenue for advocating transparency, human rights, and social equity.

To explore the end-to-end video creation practices of disabled creators in LMIC contexts, we conducted a qualitative study with 20 video content creators in Nairobi, Kenya, 10 with visual impairments (including Blindness and Low Vision) and 10 with hearing impairments (Deaf or Hard of Hearing). Guided by the Interdependence Framework and the Ability-Diverse Collaboration Framework, our study examined how creators navigate video production workflows, focusing on the tools and platforms they use, the genres of content they produce, and the accessibility barriers encountered across the production pipeline. Through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, we surfaced individual strategies and collaborative practices. For example, some creators engage sighted peers to provide visual support during editing, while others work with sign language interpreters for voice-over narration. We also investigated how participants are currently experimenting with, or envisioning, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted tools such as Large Language Model (LLM), image/ video descriptions, and even video generation to support their creative processes.