The Tactile Universe is an award-winning public engagement project based at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Cosmolgy and Gravitation that is empowering and raising the aspirations of students with vision impairments (VI) by making current astrophysics research topics accessible to them. To date, the project has developed and used its tactile resources to help VI children experience the size and scale of our solar system and understand what gives every galaxy in the Universe its own unique colour and shape. With the support of the STFC, the project now has the chance to expand to cover even more exciting topics, and ensure its legacy in the coming years. Predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, as part of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves were not detected until 2015, when the merging of two black holes in a distant galaxy (one of the most cataclysmic and energetic events that can occur in the Universe) caused ripples in space-time that were detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) instrument. Working with LIGO scientists at the University of Portsmouth and around the UK, the Tactile Universe team will develop resources and activities suitable for VI students aged 14-16, covering the detection of, and science behind, gravitational-waves. To make sure that the project's resources, old and new, reach everybody that they can, the Tactile Universe is working to train and grow a network of presenters who will deliver activities to VI students wherever they are based. The resources that the Tactile Universe will develop during this STFC Legacy Award will also be made available online through www.tactileuniverse.org, alongside our existing tactile resources, lesson plans and guides currently shared on the website. With access to a 3D printer, anybody will be able to download and make their own set of tactile resources to feel the awe inspiring shapes and structures of galaxies and understand gravitational-waves, one of the most exciting areas in astrophysics today.

Towards an Equitable Social VR Social Virtual Reality (SVR) constructs a digital parallel to the physical world, enabling remote social engagement mediated by modern immersive Virtual Reality (VR) technology. This social engagement is not strictly limited to conventional social interaction, but has also recently expanded to include activities such as remote participation in training, work, and service delivery. This digital parallel world offers significant opportunities for greater inclusion of individuals who are currently marginalised by the physical world, thereby widening access to the Digital Economy. SVR is a rapidly emerging technology and its pace of adoption has accelerated in the global pandemic. However, to date, there has been limited research examining the accessibility and inclusion requirements of SVR for users who currently face digital access barriers due to a disability or age-related capability loss. As a society, we sit at a critical juncture where concepts of inclusion and accessibility can be embedded into SVR while the technology is still in its formative stage. Towards an Equitable Social VR addresses the need to ensure that SVR platforms are accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities and older people, thus allowing for the potential of the platforms in contributing to the quality of life of these population groups to be realised in full. The project will undertake a programme of R&D with the aim of delivering the SVR Inclusion Framework: a collection of formalised guidance and tools serving to facilitate equal participation in SVR for disabled and older users. The project will take into account the whole spectrum of capability loss manifestations, including vision, hearing, mobility, dexterity, and neurodiversity aspects of cognition (learning difficulties) and mental health, as well as the co-occurrence of capability loss.

EDUCARE was a European staff exchange programme where partner organisations had found a common interest in the subject of behavioural problems in connection with visual impairment. As we experience the number of young people with VI (Visual Impairment) and MDVI (Multi Disabled Visually Impaired) who develop challenging behavioural difficulties has been growing and the professionals working in the field of visual impairment are facing challenging situations for which they have not been adequately trained and prepared to cope with. Lack of competences generates new problems and causes stressful situations for both staff and young people. Consequently, the teachers and other professionals recognised there was a great need to increase the quality of professional knowledge and understanding of the target group. Visual impairment is a low incidence disability. Specialist organisations working in this field, which this group represents, tend to be unique within their country and need to reach out beyond national boundaries to work with others who are dealing with the same issues and challenges. Fortunately, through our previous cooperation in EU projects (Comenius) and networks, like MDVI Euronet and ENVITER, the partners had established good contacts and we believed we would all be able to benefit knowledge., good practices and strategies from each other. There were 6 partners in the project, each partner sent 2 to 4 professionals to the exchange activity. The profile the participants had to fit was of a professional with a background in VI/MDVI, a few years of work experience in the field of VI/MDVI, working with children/young people with behavioural problems, speaking and reading English on an active level and highly motivated to learn, share and implement lessons learned.The partner organisations agreed upon the following objectives:- Sharing recent research/literature available in Europe - Better understanding of the needs of the target group- Discovering models/approaches for professionals/staff to deal with the issues- Sharing and exchanging the challenges and good practice- Improving the staff competences regarding the treatment of behavioural problems of pupils and students with VI/MDVI (knowledge, skills, attitude) - Adoption of the strategies shared- Implementing new knowledge, skills- Reducing the stress level of the professional- Better achievements of pupils and students with VI/MDVI and additional behavioural problemsThere were four staff training events each preceded and followed up by a range of activities and every training event was focused on one specific behavioural issue. We were able to tackle the problem from different points of view through activities to identify various manifestations of behavioural problems regarding different education systems, cultural surroundings, the complexity of the impairment and other factors that can influence the behaviour. During the exchange training events, experts trained the participants in the three different models from the Netherlands, good practices were shared, new methodologies, case studies, and current research in focused areas of interest were presented and taught. This led to a coordinated overview of specific behavioural disorders in relation to those with VI/MDVI in order to give the professionals new tools to work with the target group. In between the exchange training events a number of activities were carried out by the participants like reading recommended literature, working on questionnaires, discussing, evaluating and analysing case studies, writing reports and giving presentations in their own language for the colleagues in their organisation and country. Topics of the four trainings events were:1. Introduction to three methodologies developed in the Netherlands.2. Aggression/Self-inflicted injuries3. Behavioural problems related to autism4. Challenging behaviour related to a range of transition processesThis project enabled professionals working in the field of visual impairment addressed to understand and address a range of complex and severe individual needs. The results of the project were on three different levels. Firstly the knowledge that the professionals gained about specific (international) models, methods, practices and techniques, with the objective of earlier recognition and better understanding of the problem was invaluable. Secondly, skills and competences of the professionals were improved; they learnt how to use/adopt these techniques in order to integrate them into daily activities, in order to expect more appropriate interventions. The staff was prepared/trained to address the problems of pupils and students with VI/MDVI and behavioural problems. This will ultimately decrease stress level, give confidence and improve the learning experience of VI/MDVI persons. Finally, long-term benefits of improved staff competences will also result in better prevention techniques and strategies to avoid an

Audio Description (AD) for film and television consists of a pre-recorded audio commentary that makes visual content accessible to visually impaired audiences by providing information that clarifies the narrative, such as descriptions on actions, gestures and places. Although, throughout the years, digital technologies have been used to improve the mode of delivery of AD, the notions behind its design have been mostly unchanged despite significant advancements in the field of digital sound production and postproduction. Furthermore, AD is a process separate from the creative production and only considered as an accessibility strategy. The Enhancing Audio Description project investigates how digital audio technologies can transform the design and implementation of AD for film, television and interactive media and as a result, change the ways in which visually impaired audiences experience audio-visual presentations. This research will pioneer novel sound design techniques based on new audio technologies that can be used to enhance AD, providing an audio track that is closer to the artist's vision and that will bridge the gap between sighted and visually impaired audiences. Moreover, the project will enable researchers in the arts and humanities to improve the communication between audio-visual arts and visually impaired audiences and will drive the development of digital technologies and methods that can be used to improve audio-visual experiences for people with sight loss. The project will investigate ways in which AD can be updated through digital technologies to provide both an informative and entertaining experience, while also encouraging the use of the same soundtrack for both visually impaired and sighted audiences. Enhancing Audio Description explores two key methods: The first method investigates recent advancements in surround sound rendering and interactive media systems to create a more spatially accurate soundtrack, which includes an accurate rendition of the positions of characters and objects in space, types of shot, camera movements, camera angles and depth of frame; such a method will reduce the need for descriptions. The second method is the incorporation of first person narration as an alternative to the descriptive voice, to provide an AD that is better suited to the style of the visuals and could prove enjoyable for all audiences. Both methods would require the incorporation of AD to the creative process, transforming it from just an accessibility measure into part of the creative workflows. Whilst both methods are highly applicable to cinematic presentations, the research aims to generalise the approach so that visually impaired audiences can have enhanced soundtracks in a multitude of environments such as in museums, living rooms, or on personalised mobile media devices as well as in a myriad of applications such as film, television, gaming, therapy, training and other audio-visual activities which stimulate the UK digital economy. The proposers will therefore engage with key stakeholders from the film, television, interactive media industries and accessibility services to consider the practicalities of their implementation, including how they fit within current workflows. A significant outcome from the research will be in linking the new technological mechanisms for the enhancement of AD with the overall objective of inclusion in new media services for those with visual impairments.

EDUCARE was a European staff exchange programme where partner organisations had found a common interest in the subject of behavioural problems in connection with visual impairment. As we experience the number of young people with VI (Visual Impairment) and MDVI (Multi Disabled Visually Impaired) who develop challenging behavioural difficulties has been growing and the professionals working in the field of VI are facing challenging situations for which they have not been adequately trained and prepared to cope with. Lack of competences generates new problems and causes stressful situations for both staff and young people. Consequently, the teachers and other professionals recognised there was a great need to increase the quality of professional knowledge and understanding of the target group. Visual impairment is a low incidence disability. Specialist organisations working in this field tend to be unique within their country and need to reach out beyond national boundaries to work with others who are dealing with the same issues. Fortunately, through our previous cooperation in EU projects and networks, like MDVI Euronet and ENVITER, the partners had established good contacts and we believed we would all be able to benefit knowledge, good practices and strategies from each other. There were 6 partners in the project, each partner sent 2 to 4 professionals to the exchange activity. The profile the participants had to fit was of a professional with a background in VI/MDVI, a few years of work experience in the field of VI/MDVI, working with children/young people with behavioural problems, speaking and reading English on an active level and highly motivated to learn, share and implement lessons learned.The partner organisations agreed upon the following objectives:- Sharing recent research/literature available in Europe - Better understanding of the needs of the target group- Discovering models/approaches for professionals/staff to deal with the issues- Sharing and exchanging the challenges and good practice- Improving the staff competences regarding the treatment of behavioural problems of students with VI/MDVI (knowledge, skills, attitude) - Adoption of the strategies shared- Implementing new knowledge, skills- Reducing the stress level of the professional- Better achievements of pupils and students with VI/MDVI and additional behavioural problemsThere were four staff training events each preceded and followed up by a range of activities and every training event was focused on one specific behavioural issue. We were able to tackle the problem from different points of view through activities to identify various manifestations of behavioural problems regarding different education systems, cultural surroundings, the complexity of the impairment and other factors that can influence the behaviour. During the exchange training events, experts trained the participants in the three different models from the Netherlands, good practices were shared, new methodologies, case studies, and current research in focused areas of interest were presented and taught. This led to a coordinated overview of specific behavioural disorders in relation to those with VI/MDVI in order to give the professionals new tools to work with the target group. In between the exchange training events a number of activities were carried out by the participants like reading recommended literature, working on questionnaires, discussing, evaluating and analysing case studies, writing reports and giving presentations in their own language for the colleagues in their organisation and country. Topics of the four trainings events were:1. Introduction to three methodologies developed in the Netherlands.2. Aggression/Self-inflicted injuries3. Behavioural problems related to autism4. Challenging behaviour related to a range of transition processesThe results of the project were on three different levels. Firstly the knowledge that the professionals gained about specific (international) models, methods, practices and techniques, with the objective of earlier recognition and better understanding of the problem was invaluable. Secondly, skills and competences of the professionals were improved; they learnt how to use/adopt these techniques in order to integrate them into daily activities, in order to expect more appropriate interventions. The staff was prepared/trained to address the problems of pupils and students with VI/MDVI and behavioural problems. This will ultimately decrease stress level, give confidence and improve the learning experience of VI/MDVI persons. Finally, long-term benefits of improved staff competences will also result in better prevention techniques and strategies to avoid and/or de-escalate severe behavioural situations and problems.In addition, we expect the target group will have better opportunities to set out on the road to full integration in society.