" The sustained and innovative reflective practice evidenced throughout this book represents a vital contribution to the domain of research methodology, and it will be received gratefully by researchers with an interest in forms of educational or social segregation, personal insights into cultural development, the attitudinal responses of research subjects to being the focus of rigorous academic interest, and the ways in which institutions and their practices are researched." – The British Journal of Visual Impairment

“Presents a very real picture of what it is like to conduct fieldwork, with the pressures of limited time and funding in a volatile political climate … the book is a strong representation of many of the real life issues faced by researchers conducting in-depth qualitative research. The book would provide fodder for very interesting classroom discussions in qualitative methods classes, both within and outside disability studies programs.” – Disability and Health Journal

Simon is a senior lecturer in the School of Childhood and Education Sciences, and a centre research associate in the Centre for the Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, the London School of Economics. Previously he was a school teacher for twelve years, and a member of faculty at Sharjah Women's College, United Arab Emirates. He was also awarded a Fulbright All Disciplines Scholar's Award in 2011 to take an appointment as Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Simon has a PhD and MEd by research in the study of blindness and the arts - his PhD was co-supervised by Professor John Hull, author of 'Touching the Rock'.

During his school teaching career he was head of department in two schools, taught design, information technology and computing, key-worked students with special educational needs, and devised inclusive courses for school students. In intervening years, he was a research officer at the universities of London and Toronto, and undertaken guest lectures at the London School of Economics, Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley and Brussels’ Vrije (Free) University. Simon is involved with social, psychological and philosophical research in the field of visual culture and blindness, the study of disability, methodology, computing, and inclusive technology. He has also been involved with the charities Art Beyond Sight (New York, US), The Beyond Sight Foundation (Mumbai, India) and SonoKids (Netherlands / Australia) in a consultative capacity.

Simon has written three research monographs, the first two on blindness and the third on research methodology. His single authored articles also appear in journals, such as special issues of the Harvard Educational Review, British Journal of Visual Impairment, and Disability Studies Quarterly. He has also published numerous book chapters in collected works, and is one of the series editors of the last two volumes of e-Learning in Action.