Indiana Companies Join to Help Blind Individuals “Touch the Sky”at the Indy Motor Speedway during upcoming Solar Eclipse

UPLAND, IN, UNITED STATES, March 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — NearSpace Education 501(c)(3) (NSE), a STEM non-profit, and Tactile Engineering (TE) are excited to announce their collaboration with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) to enhance the April 8 eclipse through interactive activities for blind and visually impaired (BVI) attendees. TE’s Cadence^® Tablets will allow BVI individuals and the general public to use touch to experience the eclipse in real-time, interact with NASA and IMS presentations, and even play video games. During the day-long event, NSE will be launching two high-altitude balloons carrying experiments created by students at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISVBI). These balloons at the IMS will be two of the almost 20 NSE-organized student-weather balloon launches taking place across multiple locations in Indiana that day. Data from the balloons will be transmitted live to Cadence^® Tablets at a mission control center staffed by BVI students.

When thinking about the magnitude of this event, Brandon Pearson, Education Director of NearSpace Education stated “When you combine our balloon technology with Tactile Engineering’s Cadence tablet and the environment of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you’re in for an incredible Eclipse experience.”

This historic event is made possible by the generous contributions of our partners, including both Lilly Endowment Inc. as well as the Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC), both of which have been an integral sponsor of our work of STEM inclusion for the BVI community. NSE and TE hope this event will bring BVI and sighted people alike from across Indiana to explore and experience this once-in-a-lifetime event together. BVI individuals can register to attend the event at https://www.tactile-engineering.com/eclipse.

NearSpace Education

NearSpace Education (NSE) seeks to inspire, equip, and impact the next generation of professionals, researchers, and space scientists through “out-of-this-world” hands-on innovative educational programs. To learn more about these programs, including their upcoming summer space camps, and to see where the other Eclipse balloons are being launched from, check out nearspaceeducation.org

Tactile Engineering

Tactile Engineering, Inc. is an Indiana tech company dedicated to revolutionizing access to education, careers, and entertainment for blind and visually impaired people with its Cadence^® Tablet technology and software. www.tactile-engineering.com

Alex Reno
NearSpace Education
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NearSpace Education