The Tactile Universe: accessible astrophysics for vision impaired school children
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Portsmouth
Department Name: Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation
Abstract
The Tactile Universe is an award-winning public engagement project at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth. The project aims to make astrophysics research accessible to people with vision impairments (VI), with a particular focus on children aged 9 - 14. The Tactile Universe is different from other VI-accessible astronomy outreach projects in that 1) we are engaging the VI community with current research, rather than the more basic astronomy concepts like constellations, and 2) we are showing that astrophysics can be a possible route of study and future career, not just a hobby. The Project Lead is Dr Nic Bonne, who is a blind astrophysicist himself.
Over 16,500 school pupils in the UK are recorded as having a vision impairment as their primary or secondary special education need. Research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) shows that the attainment levels of these school pupils with VI are consistently lower than that for all pupils. University physics students with VI are almost non-existent. Through this project, we aim to inspire and engage with this underserved audience in physics public engagement, and open up astrophysics to a community that is under-represented in the field.
The project uses 3D printers to create tactile 3D models of galaxies, where the image is raised above the base depending on the brightness of each pixel. We have already successfully completed a pilot project, and are now working with local schools during Phase One. This Nucleus Award proposal is for Phase Two of the project, where we will greatly expand the reach of the project, making our resources accessible to any child with VI in the UK, and ensuring that the project becomes self-sustainable beyond the current timeline. We will do this by working with our project partners RNIB, the South East Physics Network (SEPnet), the Ogden Trust, and the Royal Astronomical Society, through four interlinked strands. We will:
1. Create files and documentation needed to make and use our resources freely available online under a Creative Commons license, so that anyone with access to a 3D printer can recreate our models and deliver our activities.
2. Make kits containing our 3D models, activity guides, and any other resources required to run our activities. These kits will be distributed to public engagement and education organisations that cannot 3D print their own set of resources.
3. Train other public engagement practitioners and educators across the UK to use our resources, and connect attendees with their local VI-supporting schools and wider community.
4. Tour the Tactile Universe visiting remote communities to deliver sessions in schools that are not within our usual reach or that of the people who attend our training sessions (e.g. remote Wales, Scotland, Cornwall).
Over 16,500 school pupils in the UK are recorded as having a vision impairment as their primary or secondary special education need. Research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) shows that the attainment levels of these school pupils with VI are consistently lower than that for all pupils. University physics students with VI are almost non-existent. Through this project, we aim to inspire and engage with this underserved audience in physics public engagement, and open up astrophysics to a community that is under-represented in the field.
The project uses 3D printers to create tactile 3D models of galaxies, where the image is raised above the base depending on the brightness of each pixel. We have already successfully completed a pilot project, and are now working with local schools during Phase One. This Nucleus Award proposal is for Phase Two of the project, where we will greatly expand the reach of the project, making our resources accessible to any child with VI in the UK, and ensuring that the project becomes self-sustainable beyond the current timeline. We will do this by working with our project partners RNIB, the South East Physics Network (SEPnet), the Ogden Trust, and the Royal Astronomical Society, through four interlinked strands. We will:
1. Create files and documentation needed to make and use our resources freely available online under a Creative Commons license, so that anyone with access to a 3D printer can recreate our models and deliver our activities.
2. Make kits containing our 3D models, activity guides, and any other resources required to run our activities. These kits will be distributed to public engagement and education organisations that cannot 3D print their own set of resources.
3. Train other public engagement practitioners and educators across the UK to use our resources, and connect attendees with their local VI-supporting schools and wider community.
4. Tour the Tactile Universe visiting remote communities to deliver sessions in schools that are not within our usual reach or that of the people who attend our training sessions (e.g. remote Wales, Scotland, Cornwall).
Organisations
- University of Portsmouth (Lead Research Organisation)
- Royal Astronomical Society (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- South East Physics Network (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Ogden Trust (Collaboration)
- Royal National Institute for Blind People (Collaboration)
- The Ogden Trust (Project Partner)
- Royal National Institute of Blind (Project Partner)
| Description | This award enabled a national roll-out of the Tactile Universe - a public engagement project to open up current topics in astrophysics research to young people with vision impairments. Prior to this award we had already created tactile images of galaxies to be used in educational sessions that we developed for school pupils aged 7 - 14. This award allowed us to expand the reach of the project across the country, ensuring its long-term legacy. Five training workshops were held across the UK where we trained other public engagement professionals, educators and astronomers in how to use our resources and deliver our sessions. 20 kits containing all of our resources were created and distributed to attendees of these workshops. All of the instructions to make a kit (including 3D printing files for the tactile galaxy images and lesson plans) were also made freely available to download from our website - www.tactileuniverse.org for anyone to access. This means that there is now a network of trained practitioners across the UK who can deliver Tactile Universe sessions to visually impaired young people in their local area. Finally, recognising the inequality in access to STEM outreach in different parts of the country, we visited three schools in Cornwall ourselves and delivered sessions to classes that each included at least one visually impaired pupil. Further school visits in remote areas had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. |
| Exploitation Route | The Tactile Universe has been designed from the start to be an open, collaborative project where we want others to be able to benefit from our experiences. We continue to offer support to our network of trained practitioners who attended the training sessions - for example by helping to connect them with their local vision impaired community, or giving advice about how to use our resources in specific situations. We have also released our computer code that we wrote to turn a monochrome image into a 3D-printable tactile model which means that others can use our approach in their own projects by creating their own tactile images. We provide consultancy services and advice when requested so that others can learn from our experiences. Evaluation of this project has shown that our kits are being adapted and used in a variety of outreach and public engagement situations, not just in the classroom. Classroom teachers have also spoken of feeling empowered to apply our approach in their own teaching. Through the work funded by this award we have also gained valuable experience and insights into specific areas that are priorities for STFC Public Engagement, as set out in the STFC Public Engagement Strategy. These include building partnerships, developing networks of STEM influencers, and extending our reach to remote areas of the country. Throughout this funded project we have shared our experiences with the STFC Public Engagement team, other grant holders, and the wider public engagement sector, so that others can benefit from our work. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |
| URL | http://www.tactileuniverse.org |
| Description | The Tactile Universe is a public engagement project that makes current University of Portsmouth astrophysics research accessible to people with vision impairments (VI). The work funded through this award has had an impact on school pupils in key stages 2 and 3 (age 7-14), teachers, and public engagement professionals, both those with VI and those who are fully-sighted. Engagement with our Tactile Universe activities has increased interest and engagement in astrophysics amongst school pupils with VI, making them feel both included and inspired. We have also seen evidence that our activities have changed the behaviour of some of these young people, for example by engaging in higher-level thinking or being a more active participant in class than usual. More generally, school pupils come away from our sessions with the clear message that 'anybody can be an astronomer', regardless of their level of vision. Educators and public engagement professionals across the UK have been trained to use the Tactile Universe resources, increasing their confidence when working with VI people and empowering them to change their science communication practice to be more inclusive. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Additional resources for Tactile Universe education kits |
| Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 07/2019 |
| Description | STFC Nucleus Award top-up funding 2019 |
| Amount | £6,960 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2019 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | STFC Nucleus Award top-up funding 2020 |
| Amount | £6,973 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2020 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | The Tactile Universe: accessible astrophysics for vision impaired school children |
| Amount | £49,968 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/V001515/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2020 |
| End | 11/2022 |
| Description | Partnership with RNIB |
| Organisation | Royal National Institute for Blind People |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | N/A |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to the expertise and experience of the RNIB Bookshare Manager. Affiliation with a national charity associated with sight loss. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Partnership with the Ogden Trust |
| Organisation | Ogden Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Ogden Trust outreach officers were invited to attend the Tactile Universe training sessions. A kit of resources was given to the Ogden Trust to hold centrally for officers to request when they run our activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to the expertise of the central Ogden Trust team and the national network of outreach officers. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | RAS staff were training in the use of the Tactile Universe resources, and a kit was awarded to the RAS Education, Outreach and Diversity Officer. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The RAS hosted one of our training workshops for free at their headquarters at Burlington House in London. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Partnership with the South East Physics Network |
| Organisation | South East Physics Network |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | SEPnet outreach officers attended the Tactile Universe training workshops. A kit was given to the SEPnet Director of Outreach and Public Engagement to be shared among the SEPnet officers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SEPnet has been an integral partner to the project since its conception. Specific contributions in the grant period have included providing opportunities for the team to present about the project at SEPnet outreach officer meetings and make use of the other officers' expertise, and providing the expertise of the SEPnet Director of Outreach and Public Engagement to advise on aspects of the project. |
| Impact | N/A |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Media coverage and interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Tactile Universe project and team has featured in a number of radio and television interviews, both locally and internationally. These have included radio interviews with RNIB Connect Radio, BBC South and Express FM in Portsmouth. The Tactile Universe has also featured in television news pieces for the BBC and CNN Europe. In 2020, the Tactile Universe was featured as part of an episode of the BBC's Sky at Night astronomy program. As a result of many of these interviews and news segments, and particularly in the case of the Sky at Night segment, the Tactile Universe have had a number of enquiries about our resources, requests for workshops and requests for collaborations on accessible projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | http://www.tactileuniverse.org |
| Description | School Visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The Tactile Universe team have visited a number of schools, both locally and nationally to test our accessible tactile resources with vision impaired (VI) pupils in upper primary and lower secondary schools. We have also run workshops on the solar system and galaxies using these resources with small groups of VI pupils as well as larger mainstream classrooms which include VI pupils. These visit have reached 239 pupils, 62 with vision impairments. Engagement with our Tactile Universe activities has increased interest and engagement in astrophysics amongst school pupils with VI, making them feel both included and inspired. We have also seen evidence that our activities have changed the behaviour of some of these young people, for example by engaging in higher-level thinking or being a more active participant in class than usual. More generally, school pupils come away from our sessions with the clear message that 'anybody can be an astronomer', regardless of their level of vision. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | http://www.tactileuniverse.org |
| Description | Tactile Universe at public events |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Tactile Universe resources have been used at a variety of public astronomy events, both by the core Tactile Universe team based at the University of Portsmouth, and by others who have attended our training sessions, received a kit, or independently downloaded the resources from our website. In total these events have reached over 2,300 members of the public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| Description | Tactile Universe presenter training workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 5 training workshops were held at locations across the UK (Manchester, Edinburgh, London, Birmingham and Portsmouth) to train other public engagement professionals and educators to use the Tactile Universe resources themselves. In total 66 people attended the 5 workshops, and 20 kits of resources were distributed to a subset of attendees. Feedback gathered during the workshops showed that attendance increased the attendees confidence in explaining galaxies to a visually impaired audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |