Talk - Stars To Shapes: Kindergarteners’ Exploration Of Data Sonification To Improve Access To Education
Phia Damsma
Sonokids Australia
STEAM education’s heavy reliance on visuals notoriously throws up access barriers for students with blindness and low vision (BLV). BLV space scientists use advanced data sonification tools to access their scientific data. It makes sense to try and prepare young students for this future. Sonokids applied accessible sonification design to develop CosmoBally on Sonoplanet, a free educational game app for iOS and Android. On Sonoplanet everything is sonified: “open your ears” and listen. Educators have reported young BLV learners successfully and enthusiastically engaging with the games in the app, such as listening to sonified shapes, drawing in sound, and tracing a sonified line. Some show surprising ability. The app has sparked genuine interest in astronomy, in and beyond the classroom.
