Creativity Support Tools

Creativity support tools (CSTs) are software applications and systems designed to help people engage in creative activities such as writing, drawing, music production, photography, video editing, graphic design, and programming. In the context of accessibility, CSTs present significant challenges because most are designed with visual interfaces that assume sighted interaction — multi-layer menus, visual timelines, drag-and-drop positioning, and color-based feedback. Making CSTs accessible to blind and low vision users requires not just screen reader compatibility but fundamentally rethinking how creative feedback is provided non-visually, including alternative representations of color, layout, alignment, and aesthetic quality.