Sensing the Past

This project was co-designed with blind and visually impaired members of the Dorset Blind Association (DBA) who were interested in exploring the natural history of the Jurassic Coast.  

Working in partnership with the DBA and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (CHCC), the co-created programme involved: 

• A series of training events was delivered by the DBA for staff and volunteers at Dorset Museum and CHCC to understand and meet the needs of blind and visually impaired people in their respective spaces. 
• Work with the DBA and CHCC to establish the most appropriate and inclusive ways in which visually impaired people could experience the Jurassic Coast through objects in the museum and onsite at Charmouth. 
• To co-design creative activities and workshops at Dorset Museum and CHCC, where DBA members will create a Jurassic Coast exhibition for visually impaired people. 

• To engage blind and visually impaired adults with the natural history of the Jurassic Coast in a museum setting and on-site at Charmouth. 
• Create audio recordings and physical objects inspired by museum collections and field visits to the Jurassic Coast that reflect a growing sense of belonging and connection to Dorset.
• Enhance the representation of blind and visually impaired people in museum and heritage settings.
• To gain a greater understanding and appreciation of natural Dorset for participants.
• To ensure staff and volunteers are more confident, knowledgeable and inclusive in their approach towards working with blind and visually impaired people. 

The response was overwhelming when we asked DBA members what inspired them the most about the Dorset Museum. The Jurassic Coast story was featured in the Natural Dorset Gallery and in a Zoom call we held with the group during the 2021 lockdown. The group wanted to learn more about why the Jurassic Coast was special and, in particular, to visit the place where many of the fossils have been found, Charmouth.  

Before: 

• Consultation with DBA members to establish their interests and motivations in working with the Dorset Museum. The Jurassic Coast came out as a top priority. 
• Setting up a partnership with the CHCC to equitably share and learn from each other about audience engagement and science communication. 
• A series of training events led by the DBA to help our volunteers and staff understand and set in place project plans to account for the needs of blind and visually impaired people. 

During: 

• Preparatory fossil handling workshops with DBA members in settings of their choosing with Dorset Museum and CHCC staff so we could get to know each other. 
• Zoom talks by experts from the CHCC preparing DBA participants for their visit to Charmouth. 
• Fossil casting and sensory workshop at the Natural Dorset Gallery in Dorset Museum with CHCC staff and DBA members. 
• A visit to the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre to experience the coastal and marine environment of the Jurassic Coast through co-created activities delivered inside the centre.  

• Adopting a co-production approach with the community group to develop and design the engagement programme. 
• Impactful disability awareness training for museum and CHCC staff and volunteers concerning the lived experiences of blind and visually impaired people. 
• Working with and learning from experts at the CHCC which enhanced and enriched the quality of the content delivered in workshops and talks.
• Collecting audio and visual evaluation from workshop participants, staff and volunteers that informed the development of Phase 2 of the project.

The DBA identified a significant risk to the safety of blind and visually impaired people if they were to walk along an uneven shingle beach to experience fossil hunting. Working with the DBA, the CHCC and museum staff co-designed “fossil hunting” experience trays that allowed participants to safely and enjoyably search for and learn about local Jurassic Coast fossils.  

A participant said: “I have never found fossils…I have to have help here today as they just go through my filter because I have never found them, never seen them. It is great to touch them and actually find them…you are learning it in a way you never have before. It’s fascinating to learn at this age…so it means you can still keep learning even if you can’t see and even if you are quite advanced in your age.”

“I really enjoyed the workshop and it made me talk to different people which was great.”

“Touch is a big thing – I have found an ichthyosaur vertebrae, some ammonites and belemnites, you can feel the ridges of the ammonite. It is important to touch as if you are completely blind – other people with worse vision, touch would be a major factor for finding fossils.“

“I liked how it was client led as we all have different needs.”

“A very good day with lots of one to one attention. They had really thought it through. The volunteers were very knowledgeable.”

“My journey with this that has brought me here today with the Dorset Blind group was that during lockdown, I actually went onto a Zoom which was when Dorset Museum was closed down at the time. It made me go back this year and get the train over with my friend which was actually quite easy to do from Poole and spend as few hours there…has been fantastic actually just to put your hands through gravel and sand and find little gems has just been delightful. And to have all that antiquity that’s involved with it and here we are today just really enjoying out time together!”

“The sensory experience is really good as you can feel everything in the plaster first and in the clay you can feel where the fossil has been pushed in and where the plaster cast came out. You can feel every little line, nook and crannie and everything that has come out has been preserved in the plaster cast. It is a very moving impression as because when I had my sight before I can build a picture in my mind of what I am holding in my hand as I move my fingers over each bump.”

• Adopt a co-production approach that involves the community group and empowers them to shape and define how they want to work with your museum.
• Ensure that you fully understand the needs and sensitivities of your community group, making adjustments and adaptations as necessary. 
• Bring in experts that can enhance your storytelling, such as scientists and artists. 
• Be patient; genuine co-created projects with underserved communities take time. From a Zoom call during the pandemic to the DBA visiting the museum and CHCC took almost 18 months of planning and preparation. 
• Expect the unexpected! The team thought fossil hunting in trays would be disappointing, but in fact, all participants enjoyed and learnt from the experience. 
• Create a legacy that sustains your relationship with the community group. DBA members are now involved in an Access and Inclusion group advising the Dorset Museum on inclusive practice.

Alexandra Briggs

Learning and Community Co-ordinator, Dorset Museum 

alexandra.briggs@dorsetmuseum.org