Outreach

Accessible science: project that seeks to bring scientific knowledge closer to communities with special abilities

Santa María Tonantzintla, Puebla, April 17, 2023. Bringing scientific knowledge closer to people with blindness, low vision, the deaf community and the general public is the objective of the "Accessible Science" project launched by the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE).

The first stage of the project, coordinated by the Office of Educational Innovation and Teacher Training of the INAOE Academic Training Directorate, began on March 24 with a guided tour of the INAOE, the narration of the book 10, 9, 8...! Take off!, from the Mtra. Gabriela López Lucio, and the performance of experiments with electromagnetic fields by the INAOE Lighting and Energy Efficiency Laboratory. On that occasion, Mexican sign language interpreters were present and the activities were adapted to make them accessible to people with visual disabilities.

Likewise, on March 31, the film El sembrador, by director Melisa Elizondo Moreno, was screened, which is in an accessible format, and a night observation was made in the Schmidt Chamber of Tonantzintla, also with Mexican sign language interpreters and assistance for blind people.

In an interview, Lic. Miriam Cuevas Cortés, from INAOE's Office of Educational Innovation and Teacher Training, commented that the "Accessible Science" project seeks for the deaf and blind and low vision communities to participate in the design and content of the activities that are planned.

Among these, the communication program stands out, with audiovisual capsules and a magazine printed in ink, braille and a digital version with audio description and mediation in Mexican sign language.
In the coming days, braille and Mexican sign language courses will be organized for the general public and the INAOE community.
For more information contact Miriam Cuevas at cienciaaccesible@inaoe.mx