Age, vision loss, and audiobooks: Experiences of the transition to a new medium

Vision loss in later life can disrupt long-held reading habits and deeply personal relationships with stories, which remain vital for well-being. Audiobooks present an alternative medium to engage with narratives for immersive and pleasurable experiences. Yet, how older adults with vision loss experience and adapt to a medium with which they are not familiar is not well understood. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study on the experiences of older people with vision loss (> 60 years) listening to audiobooks. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the findings highlight three interrelated themes grounded in participants’ lived experiences: (1) Adaptation, illustrating how vision loss marked a pivotal moment in participants’ reading lives; (2) Learning to listen, detailing the process of becoming immersed in audiobooks through new sensory and attentional strategies; and (3) Building connections, revealing how listening fostered both social engagement and companionship. These insights reveal that audiobooks serve a fundamental role in the lives of older adults with vision loss and offer opportunities for cognitive engagement, social connection, and emotional well-being. Our results further concretize barriers related to technological adaptation and accessibility, and encourage discussions in gerontology of how inclusive design, support, and policy can facilitate the affective and social dimensions of later-life sensory loss.