How the vision impaired community are using a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to build and share learning experiences. Name: Paul LynchInstitution: Queen's University BelfastAbstractThe use of multi-researchers in emancipatory disability research shifts the power from one researcher to several who can share their experiences in transformative and new ways. This enriching of data through numerous researchers is an important contribution to the emancipatory methodologies in disability research. Members from the vision impaired community are well placed to contribute their expertise and knowledge to disability research.By drawing on the life and learning experiences of vision impaired persons, the research process tries to create a dialogue of co-authorship between the disabled and non-disabled researcher. This paper will focus on a two- year multi-researcher study to explore how vision impaired adult Information and Communication Technology users access and share learning experiences with less privileged vision group members. The first part of the presentation will discuss how the research group, identified designed, tested, reflected on a new Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that is accessible to the vision impaired.It will then present findings from collaboration between vision impaired participants who were invited to take on the role of participant observer and or e-mentor during the testing of a Virtual Learning Environment. Both experienced ICT users who were sighted and vision impaired counterparts were invited to collaborate in the design and test a new purpose built VLE or e-Community.A further aim of the project was to capture the deeper learning experiences of vision impaired ICT users on the community by inviting the e-Community participants to keep a personal diary of their learning experiences which they could chose to share with a peer or e-mentor. E-mentors, who had experience in helping novices to ICT, were recruited as part of the research to advise and guide a new user to the environment. The second part of the presentation will consist of a discussion on how the voices of the participants influenced further developments and changes to the e-Community and how an invitation to participate as a co-researcher resulted in a new dialogue between the disabled and non-disabled researcher. The final part will discuss the data from individual interviews, focus group individuals and captured computer-mediated-communication (e.g. e-mails, learning diaries and discussion fora) and discuss how reflect on how it fits into the disability model of emancipatory research. It will show if the research itself is having a positive impact on all parties involved in the research.