OceanInsight is an outreach program for blind and visually impaired learners of all ages. Founded in 2007 by Dr. Amy Bower of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Ocean Insight aims to communicate the importance of understanding how the earth works using accessible content, share the excitement of conducting oceanographic research, and introduce students to careers in the geosciences that they might not otherwise consider as open to them. The primary partner organization in Ocean Insight is the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. The oldest school for the blind in the US, Perkins offers accredited K-12 education to over 200 students on campus as well as support to local educational organizations for the blind in more than 50 developing countries.
OceanInsight includes:
- an accessible web site that features a blog by Dr. Bower on being a blind scientist and descriptions of her research presentations for blind and visually impaired students, their
teachers and parents on oceanographic topics and oceanography as a career. - an accessible expedition web page that documents Dr. Bower's oceanographic research cruises and shipboard life, field trips to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution especially designed for blind and visually impaired students, including boat trips on Vineyard Sound.
Through Ocean Insight, students have the opportunity to observe and interact with a practicing research scientist who shares their particular disability, in hopes of increasing diversity and the participation of persons with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
