Abstract
The dynamics of gravitating astrophysical systems such as black holes and neutron stars are fascinatingly complex, offer some of nature's most spectacular phenomena, and capture the public's imagination in ways that few subjects can. Here, we describe AstroDance, a multi-media project to engage deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in astronomy and gravitational physics. AstroDance incorporates multiple means of representation of scientific concepts and was performed primarily for secondary and post-secondary audiences at ~20 venues in the northeastern US prior to the historic first detection of gravitational waves. As part of the AstroDance project, we surveyed ~1000 audience members roughly split evenly between hearing and DHH audience members. While both groups reported statistically equivalent high-rates of enjoyment of the performance, the DHH group reported an increase in how much they learned about science at a statistically significant rate compared to the hearing audience. Our findings suggest that multi-sensory approaches benefit both hearing and DHH audiences and enable accessible participation for broader groups.
Highlights
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students are traditionally delayed in content-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning areas compared to their hearing peers (Marshark et al 2008)
While our surveyed student audiences compose a blend of secondaryschool and college students, this is a reasonable restriction given that part b of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides special education services from ages 3 to 22
As part of the AstroDance project, after each performance, we collected data from the audience to statistically determine any differences in learning outcomes reported between the DHH and hearing populations
Summary
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students are traditionally delayed in content-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning areas compared to their hearing peers (Marshark et al 2008). We describe AstroDance, an original dance and theatrical multi-modal performance designed to communicate gravitational-wave astronomy to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. As part of the AstroDance project, data was collected from ~1000 audience members split between DHH and hearing populations.
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