Making planetarium content available for blind and vision impaired audience

Presentation theme: inclusion diversity equity accessibility

Making planetarium content available for blind and visually impaired audience is a challenging issue for an educator in planetarium dome. As most blind and visually impaired persons gather in associations or groups where they can mutually exchange experiences, my goal would be to do a workshop where those people will be able, for instance, to touch the globe or make constellations by connecting little bowls with wire or wooden stick. Different types of stars can be visualized by making round models in order to determine stellar size. After completing the workshop, such a group would enter planetarium dome. Inside the dome they can walk through, touch the walls and feel the dome acoustics. An oral presentation could be done with accompanying music which can bring space even closer. A presenter should avoid using terms like colours, which blind and visually impaired persons can't imagine. In the presentation I would like to present how I work with blind and visually impaired audience.

Image © SPB | Natalie Toczek