The aim of this study is to investigate accessibility in visual paratexts of picturebooks in relation to color blindness, to identify qualities that fulfill criterias for accessibility and functionality. The number of children with color blindness is greater than shown in statistics. Color is widely used in preschools and not percieving color correctly can be misinterpreted as difficulties in learning or concentration, indicating the importance of accessible use of color in media that children interact with. The study is conducted within a theoretical framework in which the concepts of design-for-all and visual paratext are central. Previous research on picturebooks as a medium for teaching as well as children’s development provides an additional theoretical foundation for answering the research questions: how do contemporary picturebooks correspond to criterias for color accessibility and functionality – and how can picturebooks be made accessible for colorblind children without losing functional qualities? The study is carried out with qualitative research methods in two case studies, based on analysis and systematic observations of the visual paratexts in four picturebooks, two of which are explicitly marketed as ‘accessible’ whilst the remaining two are not. Having identified and assessed qualities of the visual paratexts, results show that the ‘accessible’ picturebooks overall did not fulfill accessibility nor functionality criterias, while the other two had significantly higher qualities in functionality. In conclusion, beneficial qualities were use of high contrast, tactile and graphic textures, expressive faces, as well as the use of blues and yellows.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-60744 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Lundqvist, Fanny |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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