[Art_beyond_sight_theory_and_research] Race and Vision Study

[David Andrews]

My name is Osagie Obasogie, and I am a graduate student in the Sociology

Department at the University of California, Berkeley. I am currently

conducting research on the relationship between race and vision, and would

appreciate your participation. Here is a brief description of the project:

People in the sighted community tend to assume that race is something that

is visually perceived and only affects people who can "see it." My research

is exploring this widely held assumption by talking to people with visual

impairments about their sense of race and their racial experiences.  The

interviews themselves last about 45 minutes to an hour, and will focus on

your personal experiences with race as well as other social interactions you

may have had with family and friends. I'll be asking questions such as what

does race mean to you, how (if at all) do you racially identify, is race

important to you, why do you think race might be important to other people,

how (if at all) is knowing someone's race useful to you, etc. There will

also be a few questions on what race meant to you as a child and adolescent,

and if you can remember any racial experiences from school or through family

interactions. In a nutshell, what I'm trying to understand is how people

with visual impairments come to know what race is and how (if at all) it

becomes a part of their lives.

I'm happy to speak with you at any time that you find convenient. I can be

reached at oko2 at berkeley.edu or 510-486-1589.

-- 

Ameenah A. Lippold