Hi my name is Julie Ann Fooshee and I'm doing my PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Science Communication. I have worked in science engagement, informal science education, research, and outreach for almost 15 years!
My PhD thesis is titled: Understanding the Experiences of Audience Members with Disabilities attending Science Festivals in the UK which at first might sound confusing but I'll try and break that down to make it easier to understand.
First of all lets talk about live science events. Dissecting that down: What is a live event and what does science have to do with it? A live event is an event that takes place in a public space and allows you to attend in person. Some live events you may be most familiar with are concerts or cultural and arts festivals; even a farmers market counts as a live event. A live event is also one that's limited by time, for example it takes place over the course of a weekend or even just a single night. Part of what makes a live event so special is that it's something you take part in during this short period of time together with other enthusiasts. Being there is part of the draw and participating with others makes it more special. Events and live events research often studies the phenomenon of "you just had to be there" as the sensation of not being present during the event is not the same as participating afterwards (watching from afar) or attempting to participate via a livestream (virtual participation).
With that in mind a live science event is a live event that is about science. The type of event I am focusing my research on is: science festivals. Science Festivals have a long history in the UK and are a way for people to engage with science, scientists, and have hands-on exploration of concepts they may have heard about but don't understand fully. Science Festivals allow people to celebrate science in their community during a time-limited period with other enthusiastic participants.
My research looks at who those participants are and who those participants aren't. Sometimes when designing events and activities people can be left out and it's important to think about how and why that happens. Is it because of the type of event isn't appealing? Or maybe it's because the location the event is held in isn't very friendly. Maybe the event is held at the wrong time of day for them to make it! All kinds of factors can go into why someone does not attend an event and those factors increase if you have a disability.
I have a disability and for me when I attend an event one of the first things I think about is: can I get there easily by bus or cab? Then I think, oh gosh does the venue have stairs? What if there's no lift? Can I sit down during the performance or will I need to stand the whole time...
Each event is like this for me and I know that each person with a disability has to think about that for every event they go to. Sometimes this information is quickly and easily accessible but sometimes it's hard to find and requires emails to venues or having to call someone during weekday business hours to find out. Occasionally you may just have to show up to find out. Things like this can make an event inaccessible and difficult for people with disabilities to attend.
And that right there is where my research comes in.
I want to find out more about why people with disabilities do or do not attend science festivals; and I want to know about what festivals are doing to make their content accessible for people with disabilities.
If you've met me at a festival and are reading this afterwards, I hope this better explains the research and gives you a better understanding of why I'm out in the field taking notes about how festivals create experiences.
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