Tactile Collider : Accelerator Outreach to Visually Impaired Audiences

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has attracted significant attention from the general public. The science of the LHC and Higgs Boson is primarily communicated to school children and the wider public using visual methods. As a result, people with visual impairment (VI) often have difficulty accessing scientific communications and may be culturally excluded from news of scientific progress. Tactile Collider is a multi-sensory experience that aims to communicate particle accelerator science in a way that is inclusive of audiences with VI. These experiences are delivered as a 2-hour event that has been touring the UK since 2017. In this article we present the methods and training that have been used in implementing Tactile Collider as a model for engaging children and adults with science. The event has been developed alongside experts that specialise in making learning accessible to people with VI.