Achi news desk-
Total solar eclipses like the highly anticipated one taking place on Monday are usually considered visual experiences.
Lasting memories of the day could include a few minutes of total darkness, induced by the rare alignment of the sun, Earth and moon.
The highlight for others, if they are lucky enough to get their hands on a pair of special eclipse glasses to protect their eyes, could be a glimpse of a partially shadowed sun.
But eclipses have historically been more difficult for those living with blindness or low vision. This time, multiple groups hope to change that by using tools and educational materials designed to make the event more accessible.
“Unfortunately, there are a number of barriers to accessing astronomy content if you are low vision or blind. It is a very visual science,” said Heidi White, outreach officer at the University of Montreal’s Trottier Research Institute on Exoplanets.
“However, in recent years, there has been quite a bit of work to try to create educational resources for members of the blind community so that they can learn about astronomy in a very interactive way.”
In Montreal, considered one of the prime locations in Canada to experience the eclipse, resources will be available throughout the city for the visually impaired.
That includes the Montreal Science Centre, which has brought in devices from Harvard University designed to transform the eclipse into an audio-focused experience.
Developed in 2017, LightSound solar eclipse sono devices use a technique that converts light intensity into sound. As the moon hides the sun, light will begin to fade and the handheld LightSound device will emit a change in musical tone.
The science center will have two of the 900 devices distributed by the university on hand in a specially accessible area. The devices can be connected to headphones or to a speaker to project the sound for a group.
“We thought that having those LightSound devices would allow visitors with low vision or blindness to feel the luminosity coming down,” said Sara Arsenault, manager of the Montreal Science Center Foundation.
“They would feel it at the same moment as the other citizens around.”
The LightSound device epitomizes how the eclipse can be a “multisensory event,” said Daniella Morrone, an education specialist at Discover the Universe, a Canadian astronomy training program aimed at teachers.
“I think there’s a misconception about the eclipse where it’s just something you can observe visually,” he said.
“But there are ways you can use tools, like the LightSound instrument, to observe the day of the eclipse and how small it actually gets, how the brightness goes down.”
There are also different natural ways to experience the eclipse besides viewing it through a pair of special glasses, White said.
“If you’re on the path of totality, it’s actually kind of a multi-sensory experience because even if you can’t see the change in the light – the darkening or the images in the sky – you can feel it,” Gwyn said. .
“The temperature will drop. You can hear it – the birds will start singing twilight songs in the evening, and so there are ways you can experience it.”
Meanwhile, the Trottier Foundation aims to promote the accessibility of education for the visually impaired by distributing tactile books about eclipses, developed by NASA’s Virtual Institute for Solar System Exploration Research.
Using raised surfaces and contrasting textures, the books explain the Earth-moon-sun system, different eclipse configurations and paths of totality for past solar eclipses.
The organization also worked to adapt the books by adding French braille labels next to the English braille that is already included.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” White said.
“It is absolutely vital that we allow as many people to have the transformative experience of being there to see the total solar eclipse as possible.”
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 5, 2024.
