Outreach 

In September 2023, Together, Tacit presented a workshop called "Haptic Narratives" to the Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired, located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The workshop was led by myself, with assistance by Isaac Arbelaez Venegas, an undergraduate student from Penn State College of Engineering, and Laura Shaffer, a co-developer and volunteer of the project since 2021. Through discussion and action, BVI and sighted participants  experienced new ways to consider how visual thinking, and haptic learning, occurs.

Seven BVI employees attended. Each participant was asked to bring an object of personal significance to the event. In the morning, people shared  why their objects were personally meaningful. After, we engaged in series of sculptural exercises with oil based clay to provide a tactile experience with what pushing and pulling a clay substance feels like. In the afternoon, participants  had  the opportunity to sculpt in virtual space, using the "Together, Tacit" VR/Haptic glove. As they moved their hand in virtual space, we asked them to consider thinking about the connotations they shared about the objects they brought to the workshop. While they worked with our device, they provided invaluable feedback on its design features. The virtual carvings they created were 3D printed by the Digifab Lab at Penn State College of Arts and Architecture. After the 3D prints were made, I created textile elements that conceptually tied their 3D print back to story of the real object they brought in. Those collaborations can be seen here. 

On December 20, 2023, Fred Neurohr, Program Coordinator, Low Vision Rehabilitation Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital,  presented the 3D prints and BVI/sighted collaborations to the group.