Program

Digital Humanities: Digital Humanities Advancement Grants

Period of Performance

9/1/2021 - 8/31/2022

Funding Totals

$99,915.00 (approved)
$92,941.73 (awarded)


Graphic Narrative Accessibility: Encoding Images for Blind and Visually Impaired (and Sighted) Readers and Researchers

FAIN: HAA-281022-21

Wichita State University (Wichita, KS 67260-9700)
Darren DeFrain (Project Director: January 2021 to March 2023)

The development and release of a beta-level app to improve accessibility of graphic and visual narratives for blind and low-visioned readers, together with a searchable database of encoded visual narratives that will enable analysis by humanities scholars and students.

The Graphic Narrative Accessibility App (GNAA) project will provide an equitable, robust reading experience to help all readers hear, interact and experience comics and graphic novels in a number of fully accessible ways. Drawing on psycholinguistic theory and utilizing haptic (vibratory) computer responses, the app will help blind and visually impaired readers understand page layout and other artistic and spatial design elements previously unavailable. As comics and graphic novels continue to gain in popularity in K-12 and college classrooms, schools must comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 by having an equitable, accessible version of each work taught. All users will enjoy the ability to have parts or whole sections read aloud at one touch, plus each work will come fully translated into several languages. Finally, this novel approach will also use TEI coding to help make comics and graphic novels searchable for research and archival purposes.



Media Coverage

WSU News (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Sara Ornelas
Publication: Wichita State Website
Date: 8/26/2021
URL: https://www.wichita.edu/about/wsunews/news/2021/08-aug/vizling_3.php

FSU Website (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jack Clifford
Publication: Florida State Site
Date: 9/1/2021
URL: https://news.fsu.edu/news/arts-humanities/2021/09/01/fsu-english-doctoral-candidate-receives-neh-grant-to-improve-visual-accessibility/

Derby Informer (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Staff
Publication: Derby Informer
Date: 9/1/2021
URL: https://www.derbyinformer.com/news/derby_news/wsu-researcher-awarded-100k-for-accessibility-app/article_68c48f08-0a84-11ec-bb8b-f761192b86a0.html

Grant Watch (Media Coverage)
Publication: Grant Watch
Date: 10/6/2021
URL: https://www.grantwatch.com/grantnews/grant-to-help-build-app-for-visually-impaired-students/

Campus Notes (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Byron Dobson
Date: 9/7/2021
URL: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2021/09/07/campus-notes-six-florida-state-professors-earn-mcknight-fellowships/5735852001/

Forward Together (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Staff
Date: 5/9/2021
URL: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-monthly-update-to-Shocker-Nation--September-2021.html?soid=1131550814196&aid=01hvC-9ct_Y

WSU Research & Innovation News (Media Coverage)
Publication: WSU Research & Innovation News
Date: 5/9/2021
URL: https://soar.wichita.edu/bitstream/handle/10057/23054/Wichita%20State%20Research%20and%20Innovation%20News%2C%20September%202021.pdf

WSU Newsletter (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Staff
Publication: WSU Newsletter
Date: 8/27/2021
URL: https://news.wichita.edu/wsu-newsletter/wsu-today-friday-aug-27-2021/

FSU English Doctoral Candidate receives NEH grant (Media Coverage)
Publication: Huds
Date: 5/27/2022
URL: http://hudsganteng.parsiblog.com/Posts/1/FSU+English+doctoral+cand/

AT Banter Podcast (Media Coverage)
Publication: AT Banter Podcast
Date: 5/27/2022
URL: https://www.audible.com/pd/AT-Banter-Podcast-Episode-278-Darren-Defrain-and-Vizling-Podcast/B09W8NJ7ZV

Mirage News (Media Coverage)
Publication: Mirage News
Date: 5/27/2022
URL: https://www.miragenews.com/fsu-english-doctoral-candidate-receives-neh-624251/

WSU TV (Media Coverage)
Publication: WSU TV
Date: 4/5/2022
URL: https://wichitastate.tv/speaker/darren-defrain/