A Multi-Sensory Tour of the Universe

This project is to inspire visually impaired children, and children from areas of high levels of deprivation, to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers. We also aim to improve the confidence of teachers and science communicators to deliver astronomy activities that are accessible to the visually impaired. In broader terms we aim to raise awareness with the general public that STEM careers are a viable option for people with a visually impairment and of the benefits of non-visual communication methods (i.e., sound and tactile models).

We will use a multi-faceted approach. For large significance we will work closely with small focus groups of specialist teachers, visually impaired children and other children from schools with highly deprived catchment areas.
With these groups we will develop new audio-visual resources that will become part of publicly available accessible educational workshops and a professionally produced planetarium show. For long-term legacy we will incorporate these new resources into school outreach programmes and provide bespoke training to the teachers and science communicators in the North East of England who will deliver these resources. For wide reach we will make the resources publicly available, at no cost, and aim to have the planetarium show presented in planetariums across the UK and beyond.

Overall, we aim to improve social and educational inclusion of marginalised groups and work towards lowering the gap in employment between fully sighted and visually impaired people.

Marketing to the target audience:

The focus groups for this project are a core audience group. These will be organised through our Project Partner Qualified Teachers for the Visually Impaired (QTVIs). These same teachers will assist in organising our training sessions for mainstream teachers through their own networks. We will raise awareness in the VI community and specialist schools through the networks of our Project Partner QTVIs and Project Partner Dr Nicolas Bonne (e.g., the Royal National Institute of the Blind's Connect Radio). The school workshops will be advertised to schools across the North East through the Project Partner Great North Museum, and their regular educational programme, and through Newcastle University's central outreach programme. Flat screen audio-visuals will be available on YouTube and the public website of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for school/home use. To raise wide awareness of these resources to the general public, we also plan to hold a media launch event for the premiere of the planetarium show.

Raising awareness for other scientists and science communicators:

The Lead Applicant, and/or his students, will attend at least one science communication conference (e.g., BIG STEM Network) and several academic astronomy conferences (e.g., European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting) where the project will be promoted. To raise wide awareness, we plan to hold a media launch event for the premiere of the planetarium show. For a comprehensive overview of the project and the outcomes, a study will be written for a peer-reviewed public engagement journal (e.g., Research for All). For professional use, the audio-visuals will be made available for download indefinitely on ESO's archives (agreed by ESO as a Project Partner) and on the DigiStar Cloud (planetarium software). We will further raise awareness of the planetarium show through the International Planetarium Society.