Multisensory Storytelling: A Co-Design Study With Children With Mixed Visual Abilities

This paper presents the preliminary findings of a co-design study with children with mixed visual abilities to create a multisensory joint storytelling platform. Storytelling is a valuable way for children to express their imagination and creativity, and can be used as tool for inclusive learning. Children with visual impairments are typically educated in mainstream schools, and often encounter barriers to learning, particularly in group settings. To address some of these issues, we have been working with a group of children with visual impairments, their Teaching Assistants (TAs), and sighted friends, to design and develop multisensory storytelling technologies. This paper presents the findings of the first five design sessions. We also present the outcomes and challenges of working with mixed stakeholder, mixed visual-ability groups in participatory design.