Touch, E-textiles and Participation

My research explores the potential of touch and e-textiles -- particularly for exploration and expression -- when working with blind and visually impaired people. The research takes a participatory design approach, facilitating design and creation of e-textiles in hands-on making workshops. Outcomes are expected to include insights into how to structure tools, materials and activity to best empower this user group, an assessment of the potential of e-textiles as an expressive medium, to gain a better understanding of how this user group associates touch and sound with memory and how technology can help them tell their own stories.