Cultural Capital - Awareness of Students Studying with Sight Loss

Brief description of session and activities

Cultural capital is essential to debates regarding access to education in fashion and design for the blind and visiual impaired student. What does it mean for creative students living and working with sight loss? Some blind and visual impaired students may have had their formative education at a school or college specifically aimed at studying with sight loss. However, many will continue their education at a mainstream university where teaching facilities are inadequate to meet their needs. How has their ability to engage with the cultural capital of their institution and discipline been affected through support (or a lack thereof) for their learning needs.

This session draws on discoveries from a project called “Seeing is Believing” that will highlight the technology used to support the visually impaired students in their learning culture. We will examine how such technology might enhance teaching and learning for all students and how we might use such technology as resources for our culture at the UAL. Activities will include discussing the delivery of inclusive lessons for all learners and the benefits to be gained from methods used by teaching and learning for sightloss students; video from a workshop of partially sighted student in the sample room and their achievements; demonstrations on equipment by a guest from the Thomas Pocklington Trust for the blind and partially sighted and an opportunity to experiment with some of the technology.

How will students be involved in the session?

Participants and alumni from the project will give their first hand experiences, showing their work and as panellists discussing how to possibly meet challenges on practical courses.

What will participants take away from the session?

An awareness of the richness of experience that partially sighted students can bring to the university as well as the diversity of cultural capital that can underpin their contributions to study.

Expanding their cultural capital of awareness and diversity when working with the blind or partially sighted person.